We sat down for a chat with Lars Johansson, CEO and founder of Svets & Skärteknik in Luleå. Our shared history goes back several years, during which ByHart has helped SSTL (as we’ll abbreviate the company name) with its talent acquisition, thereby helping them maintain the high standards they uphold for their customers.

“Yes, that’s very important to me,” says Lars Johansson, referring to customer satisfaction. “We’ve always worked hard to deliver what our customers want. We aim to be fast and flexible in our deliveries.”

Can you give an example?

He takes us on a tour of the facility and proudly shows us the impressive laser and waterjet cutters—machines that are quite striking given their size. He stops in a large room with well-stocked shelves and racks.

“Here you can see part of how we’ve chosen to work,” he says. “We’ve built up a stock of materials so we can offer fast deliveries to our customers. They shouldn’t have to wait unnecessarily. I can receive an email today and deliver today.”

Svets & Skärteknik was founded in 2009 and supplies a wide range of sheet metal components and accessories. The staff has many years of experience in workshop manufacturing and the development of methods for sheet metal processing, quality control, and delivery assurance.

“Our goal is to be a master craftsman in stainless steel, aluminum, and steel. Of course, that involves having the right tools, but the most important thing is to fully master the technique—which is reflected in the feel and finesse that come from our experience, expertise, creativity, and skilled craftsmanship,” he explains.

Have you always had a full fleet of equipment for the work you do?

He leads us to the machine shop and points to a machine with a touch of nostalgia.

“Our first fiber laser cutting machine used to be right here,” he says. “We invested in it in 2012. It was cutting-edge technology back then. We were the first in all of Norrland to have a fiber laser. The machine you see here now is from 2020 and is a Bysmart 6 kW.”

Let's walk a little further.

– We started waterjet cutting in 2014 and have since upgraded our equipment; the machine we’re currently using is from 2018. Overall, we have new machinery, high safety standards, and have recently updated our IT infrastructure.

What kind of products do you manufacture?

“We have three different production flows,” explains Lars Johansson. “Either we just laser-cut, or we laser-cut and bend the sheet metal, or, as a third step, we also make some smaller details on the product after cutting and bending.” We manufacture a lot of wear parts and collaborate with many other companies. I don’t see us having any direct competitors. It’s a bit like the “Småland model”—many small businesses that are experts in different areas. The key to success is strong partnerships, including with suppliers.

You’ve now had us assist you with two hiring processes over the past few years. How would you describe our collaboration?

– I highly recommend ByHart! I really appreciate how clear everything is and how easy you are to work with. It’s not complicated at all. We’ve been extremely satisfied!

What are your tips for succeeding as a small business owner?

“I think you should find your niche and be good at what you do, rather than spreading yourself too thin,” he says. You should stick to what you believe in and become really good at exactly that. The risk as a new entrepreneur is that you take every job that comes your way. It’s important to have the courage to say no to work you shouldn’t be doing. And of course, most important of all, provide the best service to the customers you have. Build trust.

Please visit Svets & Skärteknik at sstl.se

About Welding & Cutting Technology

They offer their customers laser cutting, waterjet cutting, bending, shearing, welding, and assistance with creating CAD drawings. They manufacture sheet metal parts in black steel, aluminum, stainless steel, copper, brass, galvanized steel, aluzinc, and painted sheet metal.

The premises are located at Banvägen 11 in Luleå.