Leif Forsström telling the history of Fristad Plast

We started at Fristads Plast. The founder Leif Forsström told us about the development of the company from one to 25 employees. They managed to keep the economy afloat in the beginning by getting a 60 day payment period from suppliers and giving their clients a 30 day payment period.  Today they produce 100 million plastic details per year using 24 plastic machines. They also produce lifebuoys. The have a turnaround of SEK 40 million. Leif and his two sons Niclas and Christian are big innovators and problem solvers. Niclas is the CEO, Christian is the Development Manager and Leif is the Senior Adviser.

In the afternoon we visited Hammar Maskin in Olsfors. Bengt-Olof Hammar started the company in 1974 on a very modest scale. The philosophy of the company is to have few products that are sold on lot of markets, focus on specialization, keep the books in good order, make production calculations and follow them through, build confidence with suppliers and clients, always keep promises and count on God and his blessings. The entrepreneur should be a role model and never pay bribes. Hammar Maskin produces trailers with cranes to load and unload containers. They have 100 employees in Sweden and 45 employees abroad. They have a turnaround of SEK 300 million. Their markets are Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam, Brazil and the USA.