Industry
Bioenergy
In order to reduce the greenhouse effect, fossil fuels must be replaced with renewable alternatives. The EU commission formulated a directive to increase the usage of biofuels to 2% in 2005, approximately 6% in 2010 and a goal of 20% in 2020. The directive was approved by the EU parliament in March 2003. This means that more than 1000 plants must be built in Europe by 2020. Each plant will cost approximately 1 billion Swedish Kronor which creates a vast market for suppliers of technology and know-how. In Sweden alone, the new EU directive will entail a tenfold increase in biofuel production by 2010.
The Swedish Energy Agency, STEM, has initiated a program, EUFORI, to increase the effectiveness of the resources that the state, through STEM, invests in Swedish R&D in the energy field, with a view to:
>Increasing the pace of conversion of the Swedish energy system
>Increasing growth within Swedish trade and industry
Under the EUFORI programme, STEM, the Swedish Business Development Agency, NUTEK, the Bio-energy Group in Växjö AB (BiG) and Energy Agency for Southeast Sweden (ESS) have been collaborating since 2003 within the bio-energy sector in a project known as BioEnergy Småland - Expo Växjö.
Within the framework of this project collaboration takes place with participation from three sectors; parties from the public sector, from industry and commerce and researchers at the university. To best understand the steps made by Växjö and the region, the methods used, the collaboration with manufacturers and others, now organized within BioEnergy Småland - Expo Växjö, the equipment in full use and the concept as a whole, a visit to Växjö is a must. The Växjö Technical Visits organization is fully geared up to conduct technical visits to the area and to show what we have achieved and how we have achieved it. Växjö, with its own international airport and high-speed train connections is easily accessible, wherever you are coming from.
We firmly believe in what we are doing and really want to spread the word. Come and visit us, the installations, the manufacturers and the university - it will certainly be worth your while!
Click here to go to the Entrepreneurial Days Program site
Food & Health
The South Sweden food cluster is one of Europe's most innovative and a world leader in functional food development. Here, you'll find an excellent place to develop, test and launch innovative food products and technologies for Swedish, Scandinavian and northern European markets. A strong presence of internationally leading companies has created a competitive and dynamic environment. Thanks to short distances, most resources are reached within a short period of time.
The region has presence of world leading producers of consumers brands; Nestlé, Findus, Unilever, Kraft, Carlsberg, Tulip, Absolut, Campbell, Arla, Orkla, Scan, Dole. The south Sweden area also hosts strong and well-established international food companies such as Carlsberg, Arla Foods, Cerealia, Danish Crown, Findus etc.Within ingredients-, process- and packaging two of the most well known are TetraPak and AlfaLaval.
With its' strong agricultural roots, no wonder the food industry is one of the biggest industries in
the South Swedish region. About 50% of the Swedish food industry is located here, including packaging and equipment. Skåne County, alone, has a turnover of 25 billion USD. A key success factor is the close interaction between companies, universities, public authorities etc.
The raw materials are topnotch. The food industry's involvement in health and functional food is strongly represented and its key players are regarded as leaders in the field. Research and development is carried out across the entire food chain, from growth and biotechnology to the crucial issues of consumer awareness and marketing of functional food.
Click here to go to the Entrepreneurial Days Program site
Heavy Vehicles
Several dynamic manufacturers of heavy vehicles from the South Sweden region are competing on the world market.
Within the Heavy Vehicles framework, companies, regional bodies (drawn from both community and state) and universities share a common overall vision. Market conditions can best be improved - and products, services and support systems optimally developed - by working in partnership. A strong focus on research, competence and personnel skills makes this an attractive area in which businesses can develop and prosper. The goal is to make the region number one in the world for Heavy Vehicles.
The Heavy Vehicles cluster in the south of Sweden comprises several market leading OEM-s in the development, manufacture and marketing of world-class off-road machines. The cluster includes global heavyweight manufacturers of articulated haulers (Volvo Haulers & Loaders), heavy forklifts and container handlers (Kalmar Industries, Svetruck), compacting and paving equipment (Dynapac Compaction Equipment), wheel loaders (Ljungby Maskin), and cut-to-length logging machines (Rottne Industri and Gremo).
Unlike truck and car production, heavy vehicles are generally produced in small-scale series, with a maximum run of a few thousand a year. This makes platform- and modular thinking essential for providing a wide variety of customer solutions at a reasonable cost.
Forthcoming laws make it necessary for regional manufacturers to strengthen their leading position in the business; innovative strategies will have to be taken in this critical period in order to develop and create the next generation of world-leading off-road vehicles.
The importance of time to market and short product life cycles creates increasing demands in pace and costs associated to developing and manufacturing heavy vehicles. This makes joint development and collaboration essential for long term competitiveness. The Heavy Vehicles industrial cluster works closely with universities and research centers to engineer solutions that satisfy the demands of 21st century heavy vehicles.
Click here to go to the Entrepreneurial Days Program site
Information & Communication Technology
Sweden is an excellent country for ICT investments and business, as many investors have recognized - 23% of all foreign direct investments in Sweden are ICT based. According to a recent study, new products are adopted faster in Sweden than almost anywhere else in the world*.
South Sweden needs regions of world class that are a base for the knowledge companies of the new times. This requires specialized regions, where business and knowledge environments together create the grounds for globally competitive business ideas. The challenge is to create environments that attract and keep the best competence of the world, and where the ability to cooperation is well developed.
TelecomCity in south Sweden is a network consisting of a continuously growing number of different members. It is a unique cooperation between companies, the university and society that is recognized by a continuous dialogue. TelecomCity is the platform for this dialogue and the cooperation.
In TelecomCity there are a constantly growing number of world leading international companies and small entrepreneurial development companies, which are all located in the south of Sweden. It is a mix of hardware and software companies and telephone operators. The scope creates an interesting and dynamic mix with lots of business and employment opportunities.
Click here to go to the Entrepreneurial Days Program site
Interior & Design
The long traditions and deep roots within wood and furniture handcraft along with classical and innovative design makes the south of Sweden to one of northern Europe's most exciting furniture metropolis. Here you find producers, suppliers and retailers all in the same spot.
The cluster involves companies in furniture, glass and interior design all in typical Swedish, Scandinavian style. Swedish designs main characteristics are; simplicity in construction, use of materials and aesthetics.
Some of the most prominent companies within the interior & Design sector are: Kallemo AB, Lammhults Möbler AB, Abstracta AB, Mathsson International AB, and others.
The purpose of design can be very broad: a wastepaper bin, a timber scanner or a graphic program for a chain of cinemas. For that reason, successful design deserves proper recognition. Design permeates our everyday lives, our jobs and our leisure time.
Click here to go to the Entrepreneurial Days Program site
Life Science
South Sweden has for centuries been the home for revolutionary discoveries within biotech and medical devices. Research and development is flourishing in the medical and biotech sector, with some 400 companies involved in the sector*. Major FDI investors, including AstraZeneca and Akzo Nobel, are locating in Sweden, taking advantage of some of the largest biotechnology clusters in Europe. The South Sweden region accounts for approximately 60% of Scandinavia's life science output.
Medicon Valley has become one of the world's most leading points when it comes to biotech and pharmaceutical research and development. The area consists of 14 universities, 140 biotech companies, 70 pharmaceutical companies, 130 medico-tech companies and 15 clinical research organizations. This creates interplay between hospitals, industry, and investors. 41,000 people are employed within the life science sector in South Sweden. There are unique conditions for clinical trials which makes this a very competitive location, which leads to even greater discoveries no matter where in the chain your company operates in; research & development, clinical research, production or sales and distribution. A feature that distinguishes Medicon Valley from other life science clusters is the ability to organize this abundance of players and activities into an efficient structure.
Medicon Valley also creates a gateway to the Scandinavian and Baltic Sea Region and offers several advantages for establishment of sales and distribution centers. This makes Medicon Valley a perfect location for distribution of pharmaceutical products to Scandinavia and the Baltic countries as well as to mainland Europe.
Some examples of companies in Medicon Valley: Astra Zeneca, Bonesupport, Cartela, Jolife and many more. These are all companies that work with research to development to sales and distribution, which is the whole value chain.
Click here to go to the Entrepreneurial Days Program site
Logistics, Packaging & Transportation
Packaging logistics covers the design of a product, its package and packing, as well as the adaptation and control of the distribution system and the administrative and information systems associated with the processes throughout the whole chain from raw product, via various processing stages, to the distribution to the end user, and on to recycling and recovery. As both packaging and logistics form important parts of packaging logistics thinking, safe delivery can be offered to customers and users at a low cost. Packaging logistics can also contribute to modern product development and design, by ensuring that products are designed such that they can be distributed with a minimum use of resources from production to consumption.
Establishing in Sweden means a triple market presence; Scandinavia, Baltic region and the European Union.
As companies increasingly consolidate their operations to cover natural economic regions from central locations, centralized distribution for Northern Europe/the Baltic Sea region has become a priority. From Sweden, all major cities in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway are reached in less than 12 hours, while Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and western Russia are reached within 24 hours. By air, all major destinations in the region can be reached within two hours.
The large economy and diversified, international industry have helped build excellent infrastructure for distribution, communications and financial services. For instance, the fast-track system implemented by the Swedish Customs allows high-volume transporters cost- efficient and rapid customs handling.
Road and rail capacity to and from Sweden is supported by several high frequency ferry connections and an extensive port network covering 14 cities. The logistics industry has grown in this region as a result of the good access to harbours and shipping ports. IT solutions for the logistics of shipping and transportation have created many fields of opportunity and expertise.
South of Sweden and Sweden over all has the largest domestic market and is the major economic centre in the Nordic region. English is a working language at all business levels which makes doing business with Sweden easier for all parts. The access to third-party logistics providers is yet another reason for doing business with Sweden.
Some companies that are already participating in this great network are companies such as: Pfizer AB, Green Cargo AB Logistikcenter, SAS cargo, Tetra Pak, TNT Freight management etc.
Click here to go to the Entrepreneurial Days Program site
Wood Industry & Building Products
Sweden cannot be considered a country with exceptionally favorable biological or ecological conditions for forestry situated between latitudes 55 and 69°N. To a considerable extent the answer is to be found in the social and industrial development of the country, in combination with its close location to the Western European market and relatively large per caput forest area- 3 ha. Since the forest is a renewable natural resource it is the only resource that will continue giving us growth, investment opportunities and keeping the natural climate cycle running.
Sweden is the fourth largest exporter of paper and the second largest when it comes to wood products. This should give you an insight in the depth of the wood industry and building products in Sweden. This business also stands for 26% of the country's employment.
25-30% of the Swedish industries are some how related to the wood and forest industry. Today the Swedish forest and wood industry is a multi-technological process industry in world class when it comes to competence, technology and products. The growth of paper and wood related products grows by almost 3% each year.
The industry focus is: the building market for one-family and multi-story houses. The objective is to create joint ventures and collaborations between companies in the areas of competence, energy and exporting question.
Click here to go to the Entrepreneurial Days Program site
*Source: European American Business 2007