Spaljisten: Leading the Way in Foil Wrapping Mastery and Sustainability

The perfect foil

Spaljisten prides itself on being a master in the art of foil wrapping.

From its 35,000 m2 factory in Åseda, Sweden, every year Spaljisten manufactures 60,000 m3 of perfectly foiled particle board. Indeed, foil wrapping has been Spaljisten’s core competence for many years, and with the world’s leading retailer of furniture as its main customer, its need to perform is exceptionally high.

Thanks to its highly-automated production site, Spaljisten has the capability and capacity to manufacture a wide range of both single items and complete complex furniture products at very large volumes. This, together with its highly skilled expert personnel, makes Spaljisten a first-choice international supplier.

Spaljisten’s new CEO, Florim Mustafa, came aboard on February 1st, 2019, and he was happy to update MTE on the progress that Spaljisten has made since it was last featured in our pages a couple of years ago: “We have improved and strengthened our key performance indicators (KPIs) by adapting LEAN tools (5S, VSM, TPM and so forth) in general, with specific improvements in Sustainability. We have also improved our efficiency, productivity and COPQ, giving us stable financial metrics and making us ready for the future. We also committed to a major SEK 55 million investment programme in 2018, and this was spread over a variety of projects, which have resulted in improved efficiency in our factory.”

With employee numbers now totalling 155, the manufacturing space at Spaljisten includes several wrapping lines, which, as Florim explained, means it can offer profiles with 2D and 360° wrapping technology. “One of these lines is unique and specialises in processing thicker foils that mostly have a high gloss finish. This is used for fronts and panels, and fulfils the highest requirements when it comes to top quality surfaces,” he said. “Our focus has also been on improving performance on several of our production lines as well as working with employee satisfaction, employer branding and development.”

Having only been CEO of Spaljisten for a short while, Florim took the role at an exciting time, with a solid foundation established in 2018 upon which he can build. “The end of 2018 saw the business become part of Surewood Industries, together with the companies Anebyhusgruppen and KG-List, and our former CEO, Niklas Lundin, left the company and is now the MD for our sister company Anebyhusgruppen,” he highlighted one of the major changes. “We also signed a new customer during 2018 where we are currently working to develop our co-operation, and plan to commence deliveries this year. Last year we launched several new products and improved our ability to produce kitchen fronts significantly. Financially, 2018 was a good year.”

For 2019, Florim noted that Spaljisten has several interesting new projects underway, which feature re-used materials. “We are currently testing several ideas and working in close co-operation with our key suppliers and customers to bring these to fruition. This is also part of our Sustainability vision, which makes it a priority to use more environmentally-friendly materials in our products and production, and close supplier partnerships have also been developed as part of this. This also extends out further, and means that our electricity is now 100 per cent from renewable sources. We are proud of this achievement as we support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (number seven being affordable and clean energy).

In fact, Sustainability is one of the three tenets upon which Spaljisten’s future strategy for success is based, alongside Growth and Excellence. “Our vision is clear, as is our motto: ‘Spaljisten is a world-class furniture front supplier with the next generation in mind’,” stated Florim. “To fulfil our vision, we need to invest between 30 million and 50 million SEK per year in the coming five years. We think that this approach will have us well prepared for the future.”

He continued with more specific information about each of the key words that were chosen when Spaljisten’s management team revised its vision, strategy and KPIs during the first quarter of 2019. “With ‘Growth’ we aim to develop our co-operation with our existing customers, as well as expanding with new customers.

“With ‘Excellence’ we mean to have world-class operations and be there with the furniture giants, in terms of supply chain, efficiency, quality and profitability. As part of this, Production 2030 activities have been launched this year with a key focus on automation and digitisation throughout the company.

“Finally, with ‘Sustainability’ we mean keeping our mind set on product development and everything else we do, which includes sustaining a financially healthy company with a good employer strategy that will strengthen the employee brand in every direction.”

It is clear that Spaljisten has ambitious plans for the future, and that includes being involved in the wider society as well – the company supports the local business community with a strong focus on activities for young people, as well as working with global organisations with the aim to reduce poverty through job creation, especially by educating women in entrepreneurship. By sharing its success, the company is creating a legacy it can be proud of, and one that can be continuously built upon, ensuring further success in the years to come.

Spaljisten
Services: Leading manufacturer of foil wrapped furniture