The first years

The Mölzer garage became the starting point for Industrilas in 1981. But the garage quickly became too small and to get more space to grow, the business moved to Klaus Mölzers’ business partner of the time, Ulrich Hild. Klaus and Ulrich worked with turning and assembling of latches, seven days a week.

“It felt great and necessary to move the business and to get more room to manufacture our products and solutions. We got the sense that we were needed on the market and more customers started to notice us”, Klaus says.

As Industrilas continued to grow, additional space for both production and offices were necessary and in 1983, a new relocation was made in the region. And even though the new space was much larger, it had its challenges.

“We had the office on the top floor, and because of the sloping ceiling, you had to be careful not to hit your head. We wrote signs with ‘Mind your head’ but it did not matter. We hit our heads anyway. But it was funny”, Christina Beckman Johansson, retired Production Manager recounts.

Resourcefulness

One of the first employees, Bengt-Åke Alfredsson has been with Industrilas since 1984. Today, he works as Design Manager and Production Developer.   

“We did not have the means to invest. Instead, we bought old machines and fixed them up so we could produce what the customers ordered. We had to do as much as we could with the resources we had. Simple as that”, Bengt-Åke says.

A while after Bengt-Åke got onboard, Industrilas decided to expand the production with zinc casting, even though, no one at the company had experience with it. But the decision was made and the man for the job was Bengt-Åke. At night, he travelled 90 km to Värnamo to learn and cast in a machine that was borrowed from Gjuteriteknik. In 1987, Industrilas bought its very first cast machine that was in use until 2020.

Gunne Johansson became Industrilas’ seventh employee, two years after Bengt-Åke. Up until today, he worked as Purchasing Manager and HR Manager. Gunne retired in 2021. He remembers the start and the journey well and has a backpack filled with memories.

“It was very austere in the beginning. We had offices and production together and there was a lot of movement and loud noises. It looked very different then compared to now”, Gunne describes.

Team spirit and solidarity

“The first years were characterized as everyone helping each other. When the workday was finished at the office, we would go down to the production to see if they needed help. And then we sat there and assembled until every order was complete. Delivering the products was top priority”, Christina says.

Niklas Graberg, Director of Global Sales, was employed in 1988. Before he could start his role in sales, he had to work six months in the production.

“Klaus thought that I should see how all the processes in the production chain worked. So I worked at all the departments we had back then and everything I learned is still useful today, even though the processes look different now. The team spirit was high from the beginning and the job was done together. If something needed to be done in the evening, we all pitched in and assembled latches or packed up orders”, Niklas says.

The expansion continues

“During the fall of 1995, we entered the facility at Svedjegatan for the first time. It felt enormous to us, and we got lost walking around. We were unsure about the space and the finances, but eventually we decided to take a risk and buy the premises. This was a very good choice. It was a great asset for further expansion and we really accelerated after that”, Gunne says.

During spring 1996, Industrilas moved into the new facilities. The production did not have to use the entire space in the beginning and parts of the property was rented by two local businesses until Industrilas eventually needed to use the full space. The organisation continued to grow and in 2005, the factory increased with an additional 2,200 m2.

Industrilas’ expansion continues and as of now, we are experiencing growing pains again. We are managing this by building an entirely new factory in Nässjö.

“To go big has always been Industrilas motto. We take on challenges and then we grow into the part”, Fredrik Mölzer finishes off.