Evertiq – ICAPE Group expands in Sweden
© Evertiq / Patrik Blomqvist
PCB | 19 November 2021
Editor: Patrik Blomqvist
Following the company’s investment in Sweden two years ago, the French PCB supplier is expanding its presence in the country – and with it the Nordic region as a whole.
The company is creating a new business unit in Örebro with associated offices and warehouses. ICAPE Group has taken steps in the country since they made their first two recruitments in the autumn of 2019. Not only circuit board and custom-made technical spare parts suppliers now have a local workforce but also a proper facility to call their Nordic HQ. From its new Nordic headquarters, the company’s Swedish unit will supply EMS companies in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and eventually also parts of the Baltics with PCBs. “There are many customers in Sweden who also have production in Estonia, for example. If you have a contract with such a customer, you should also be able to deliver to that location. So this warehouse will cover the previously mentioned countries, but also part of the Baltics “, says Arne Edberg, CEO of ICAPE AB and the Nordics, to Evertiq inside the new premises on Vagnsgatan in Örebro. The focus is currently on the Swedish market. But after the turn of the year, the Danish and Finnish markets will also be implemented in the Swedish company. When this happens, the French parent company will start forwarding these orders at the same time as new sales people in Denmark and Finland are hired by ICAPE AB. Norway is described as a market that the company could expand to in the long run. But Edberg is not alone in representing ICAPE in Sweden. The Swedish company consists of six people, with Tomasz Banasik as the latest addition, who joined the team in early 2021, to add some muscle to the sales force. There are currently no plans to add additional sales muscle to the device. – Tomasz already lived in Örebro and we have previous experience of working together from our time at PCB Connect, says Arne. “In the future, we will prioritize expanding the inside before the outside, with a focus on staff for warehouses and finances. If everything goes as planned, we will be able to add one or two people “, Arne explains. The reason why Örebro became the place to build Nordig’s head office is obvious, says Arne. “A large part of our customers are a maximum of three hours from here. At the same time, there is a constant flow of goods where we are; we have the largest freight forwarders a stone’s throw away and several other larger companies have their warehouses in the neighborhood. Goods that have arrived by train and plane are also nearby. And I myself have lived in Örebro before, Arne continues. The facility offers the company a total floor area of 300 square meters, which according to the company should be sufficient now and later in the future. “I was of the opinion that half the size was enough. But then our CEO, Cyril Cavilgnac, said that we need something to grow in. We are here to stay, Arne Edberg concludes. In 2021, the company had a significant increase in its operations worldwide. With a growth of 30% this year and four new acquisitions to strengthen its global organization, ICAPE Group aims for a successful year in 2022 and expects that this new facility can improve its level of service in the Nordic region.