The idea about Industrilas

Growing up in a Germany affected by the war made Klaus Mölzer seek his way north. The choice landed on Sweden and at the age of 22, Klaus sat foot in the deep forest of Småland for the first time. He found employment at Eldon, a local supplier of electricity cabinets. He worked with welding and building cabinets for two years before he, in 1966–1968, fulfilled his childhood dream and studied to become an Engineer. During this time, Klaus did not only find his work passion, he also met his future wife, Annika. The couple later moved to Nässjö and Klaus returned to Eldon but this time as a Design Engineer. After a while he discovered that suitable locks and hinges were often missing for custom made enclosers. Right there and then, the idea about Industrilas started.

“I asked the CEO at Eldon what he thought about me starting my own business. He disliked the idea and said that if that were to be the case, I had to quit. I did not have the courage to do that then and there, so I decided to partner up with my German friend Ulrich Hild. We started Industrilas as a side business together. It worked well at the start but to not lose credibility, I eventually had to quit my job at Eldon. I wanted to put all my effort into Industrilas together with Ulrich”, Klaus Mölzer says.

The day Klaus handed in his resignation and took the step into the unknown, Industrilas’ journey began for real.

“I was skeptical in the beginning, and I mostly thought about our children, Fredrik and Linda, and how we would support ourselves without Klaus’ monthly income. But eventually I got onboard and relaxed. I knew that Klaus was a man of action”, Annika Mölzer says with a smile.

A family effort

In 1981, Industrilas slowly started taking form in the Mölzer home. The first latches were assembled in the garage, along with the production of the first product catalogue. Klaus worked hard every day, from morning to night, seven days a week. The whole family spent several evenings every week in front of the tv, assembling latches. When one case was finished, Klaus brought in a new and the process repeated itself.   

 “I remember when we assembled latches with the family. Dad came in with those blue cases that are still used at Industrilas today, and we did latch after latch. To make it more fun, we often made it into a game. We put the timer on ten minutes and put together as many latches as we could”, Linda Mölzer says.

Since money was tight the first years, spending money on hotels for visiting partners was not preferable. Instead, Klaus offered partners that lived far away to stay over at the Mölzer home. All the money that came in was spent on material and assembling parts.

“It was fortunate that Annika had an income, otherwise I would not have been able to keep going. I often had to choose between a box of screws or bread for the family. It was tough and the only reason it worked was because of Annika”, Klaus explains.

When Industrilas took the step to move to a bigger location in Nässjö, business volumes started to increase rapidly.

“Me and my sister became headhunters, searching for assemblers among our classmates at school and we worked in teams of 6–8 people during weekends. I pretty much worked in the production all the way from 6th grade throughout my college education”, Fredrik Mölzer reminisces.

Team spirit and joy

It was a normative time and the experience from the production awoke a great interest in technology with Fredrik. But also a fascination for everything that can be achieved with a positive team spirit between co-workers.

“I especially remember how we assembled quarter-turn latches, the easiest bulk product in the assortment. It was long shifts at this station, and we made it a challenge to see how many latches we could do in one hour. In a team of three, we constantly made over 1,000 pieces an hour. It was an easy and fun way to get the work going”, Fredrik says. 

A couple of the employees that assembled latches together with Fredrik are still a part of Industrilas today. To be able to grow with your company has been a part of Industrilas corporate culture since the start.

“During our first years, we created our identity and our way of seeking success. Dad taught us that if we work hard, bring joy into the work, are responsive, focus on team spirit, look out for each other, think outside the box and always, always challenge the doctrines that exist – then nothing is impossible”, Fredrik says.