In 2007, the two Örnsköldsvik companies Örnalp and Unozon were bought by the investment company Vinnovo and eventually merged into one company. Production remained in Örnsköldsvik but some turbulent years followed.

Leif Lundgren was hired as Production Manager in 2009. Just a few weeks later, orders plummeted and the company was forced to lay off 35 people. The then CEO Mats Melbin chose to resign and Leif Lundgren took over as CEO.

Two years later, orders hit a record high, only to fall again in 2012 and another wave of layoffs followed.

Last fall, Vinnovo decided to divest the company.

– The Board took a strategic decision that the business was not a good fit, says Leif Lundgren.

– I had a vision, a dream to start my own business and I believe in the company even if the previous owners do not.

Previously, the company was spread over three different locations, but today everything is gathered under one roof at Sjögatan 7 in Örnsköldsvik. The property is owned by a real estate company.

– It’s safe for me, otherwise I would have had to borrow many millions more and pay it back in five years. Now I got to buy the company cheaply and it feels manageable, says Leif Lundgren.

Örnalp Unozon manufactures heat exchangers and process equipment in stainless steel and titanium, supplying industries worldwide. The company’s largest customer is Valmet AB, formerly Metso Paper, in Sundsvall.

– The fact that we manufacture in titanium makes us stand out from the crowd,” says Leif Lundgren.

The budgeted turnover is SEK 72 million per year. 50 employees work at the company, 15 of them are white-collar workers.

– I don’t have a single example of when people in production think it is positive when a local company is bought out. Today, almost no large companies in Örnsköldsvik are even Swedish-owned, says Leif Lundgren and continues:

– A locally owned business gives a completely different feel to staff. They feel they are irreplaceable, which gives them great value. My staff are my greatest asset and I care about them.

Leif Lundgren describes an industry that goes up and down. The plan is not to grow fast, but to take it easy and wait and see.

– Hopefully we have some good years ahead.