History of Hydroscand
Hydroscand's founder and owner, Björn Holmström, has devoted most of his life to hoses and couplings. He is a person with a strong commitment who knows what he wants. Today, Björn has the same vision as when he started Hydroscand on September 17, 1969 – namely to sell hose and line components from a decentralized, customer-oriented organisation.
Björn has been a driven entrepreneur since childhood and has sold everything from aquarium fish to scarves before eventually landing in the world of hydraulics and specialising in hose. Here is the whole story from the start in the basement in 1969, to the global family business that it is today. A group with operations in 18 countries - worldwide.
Björn has been a driven entrepreneur since childhood and has sold everything from aquarium fish to scarves before eventually landing in the world of hydraulics and specialising in hose. Here is the whole story from the start in the basement in 1969, to the global family business that it is today. A group with operations in 18 countries - worldwide.
Hydroscand is born
Björn was working as a hose salesman at a company that was facing bankruptcy, when he and his colleague, Ivan Andersson, made the decisive decision to venture into starting their own business. Hydroscand, or Hydraulikbolaget Hydroscan as it was first called, was started on the same day that Björn's second youngest son Martin was born.
“It was a whirlwind day that I will always remember with warmth. I was at the hospital and got to meet my son for the first time, I was at the bank to start up the company and resigned from my old job on the same day" said Björn Holmström.
For many years, Björn and Ivan worked hard to get the company going and traveled a lot to establish good business relationships across national borders. They were extremely particular about quality and wanted to find the best suppliers who could live up to their requirements. After some time, Hydroscand won the trust of more and more large customers who saw the value in the quality focus that Hydroscand stands for.
As the company grew, the basement in Örby became too small and the company moved to larger premises on Sjösavägen in Högdalen.
“It was a whirlwind day that I will always remember with warmth. I was at the hospital and got to meet my son for the first time, I was at the bank to start up the company and resigned from my old job on the same day" said Björn Holmström.
For many years, Björn and Ivan worked hard to get the company going and traveled a lot to establish good business relationships across national borders. They were extremely particular about quality and wanted to find the best suppliers who could live up to their requirements. After some time, Hydroscand won the trust of more and more large customers who saw the value in the quality focus that Hydroscand stands for.
As the company grew, the basement in Örby became too small and the company moved to larger premises on Sjösavägen in Högdalen.
The first branch is taking shape
After some time, one of Hydroscand's hose suppliers had problems with a customer in Linköping and wondered if Hydroscand could take over responsibility for the customer. This later developed into Hydroscand's first branch. The branch was right next to the railway station in Linköping and the business was conducted there until Hydroscand bought the property where the branch is located today.
Expertise and proximity to the customer
For Björn, it has always been important to stick to the company's clear niche - hose and line components.
"I think that we should be the best in the country at what we do and that we should therefore not spread out into unimportant product groups that cause us to lose our cutting-edge expertise" explains Björn.
Björn believes that the right competence is extremely important, regardless of whether it is hose for hydraulics, industry or pneumatics. He also quickly understood how costly it was for customers when a hose broke.
"We found that proximity to the customer is extremely important. The time from when a hose has broken, until the customer has received a new one and the machine is up and running again, is very precious. Through our excellence and our wide range of hose and fittings available in stock, we gained a good reputation that said we could always fix a hose problem quickly" said Björn.
"I think that we should be the best in the country at what we do and that we should therefore not spread out into unimportant product groups that cause us to lose our cutting-edge expertise" explains Björn.
Björn believes that the right competence is extremely important, regardless of whether it is hose for hydraulics, industry or pneumatics. He also quickly understood how costly it was for customers when a hose broke.
"We found that proximity to the customer is extremely important. The time from when a hose has broken, until the customer has received a new one and the machine is up and running again, is very precious. Through our excellence and our wide range of hose and fittings available in stock, we gained a good reputation that said we could always fix a hose problem quickly" said Björn.
Hydroscand is growing in Sweden
The organisation continued to grow and Hydroscand established itself in Västerås, Jönköping, Norrköping, Karlstad, Boden, Örebro, Ljungby as well as in Bergsjö, a branch that was later moved to Hudiksvall. During this time, a new company in the group, Hydroscand Machine AB, was also started.
In the early 2000s, Hydroscand established itself in Skåne after the acquisition of Slang och Maskin. The strong expansion meant that Hydroscand had now outgrown its premises and therefore moved to a large premises in Högdalen's industrial area. But the expansion continued and just a few years later the head office and Hydroscand's Swedish central warehouse were moved to the current premises in Sköndal. In connection with the move, Hydroscand also built its test laboratory, the Hydroscand Design and Test Center, which enabled the company to quality test hose under its own auspices.
During this time, Hydroscand also gained several large customers in the automotive area, which led to the start of yet another company in the group - Hydroscand Automotive. In the same year, 2007, Hydroscand's special hose production unit in Motala, Special Hoses, was also born.
In the early 2000s, Hydroscand established itself in Skåne after the acquisition of Slang och Maskin. The strong expansion meant that Hydroscand had now outgrown its premises and therefore moved to a large premises in Högdalen's industrial area. But the expansion continued and just a few years later the head office and Hydroscand's Swedish central warehouse were moved to the current premises in Sköndal. In connection with the move, Hydroscand also built its test laboratory, the Hydroscand Design and Test Center, which enabled the company to quality test hose under its own auspices.
During this time, Hydroscand also gained several large customers in the automotive area, which led to the start of yet another company in the group - Hydroscand Automotive. In the same year, 2007, Hydroscand's special hose production unit in Motala, Special Hoses, was also born.
Hydroscand is expanding globally
In 1978, Hydroscand took over the operations of Europower's Norwegian agent from a company called Anton Basberg. This then laid the foundation for Hydroscand's Norwegian company, which today includes 38 branches from Kirkenes in the north to Farsund in the south.
The next country to establish operations in was Finland, in 1997. During the 10 years that followed, Hydroscand established itself in Estonia, Denmark, England and Latvia. In addition, a service company was now started for the company's largest customer in China and a production unit in the Czech Republic.
After a successful establishment in Estonia and Latvia, Hydroscand took the step to establish operations in Russia as well in 2006. From this basis, Hydroscand has since been able to expand operations to other countries such as Lithuania, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Armenia.
Between 2009 and 2019, Hydroscand also started operations in France, Ireland, South Africa, Romania and Iceland.
The next country to establish operations in was Finland, in 1997. During the 10 years that followed, Hydroscand established itself in Estonia, Denmark, England and Latvia. In addition, a service company was now started for the company's largest customer in China and a production unit in the Czech Republic.
After a successful establishment in Estonia and Latvia, Hydroscand took the step to establish operations in Russia as well in 2006. From this basis, Hydroscand has since been able to expand operations to other countries such as Lithuania, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Armenia.
Between 2009 and 2019, Hydroscand also started operations in France, Ireland, South Africa, Romania and Iceland.
The successful concept of SlangExpress is rolled out
In 2007, Hydroscand started its mobile hose service service SlangExpress (in the United Kingdom (UK), known as HoseExpress) and the first service bus (van in the UK) thus started rolling in Stockholm. The service quickly became popular with the company's customers and expanded at a steady pace, both in Sweden and globally. Today, Hydroscand is the largest in mobile hose service in Sweden as well as in Denmark and Norway.
Hydroscand in the future
When Björn is asked: "What do you want from the company in the future?," is he as sure of his answer as he has always been of the vision that has characterised him as a company leader?
"First and foremost, I want the company to remain a family business that children and grandchildren can take over for generations. I also want us to be true to our basic business concept, to sell hose and line components from a decentralized and customer-oriented organisation" he replies.
Björn emphasises that proximity to the customer will always be incredibly important to Hydroscand. "We will simply be the customers' nearest hose service" he concludes.
"First and foremost, I want the company to remain a family business that children and grandchildren can take over for generations. I also want us to be true to our basic business concept, to sell hose and line components from a decentralized and customer-oriented organisation" he replies.
Björn emphasises that proximity to the customer will always be incredibly important to Hydroscand. "We will simply be the customers' nearest hose service" he concludes.
Hydroscand's timeline
2019
We establish ourselves in Iceland and in Armenia
Hydroscand turns 50 years old
E-commerce is launched in Sweden
2010
Our global expansion continues.
2015 Georgia, Czech Republic
2012 Romania, Kazakhstan
2011 South Africa
2010 Ireland
2000
We are establishing ourselves in a number of new markets.
2009 France, China
2007 Lithuania, Belarus
2006 Russia
2003 Latvia
2002 Great Britain
2001 Denmark
2000 Estonia's Industrial Division is established, which includes Hydroscand Automotive, Hydroscand Machine and Hydroform Design Light.
Our mobile hose service service SlangExpress is being rolled out for the first time in 2007.
1990
In 1994, Hydroscand celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Hydroscand Machine starts.
We establish ourselves in Finland.
1980
During the 1980s, Hydroscand expands strongly, growing from 4 branches to 19 branches in just 10 years.
In 1989, Hydroscand celebrates its 20th anniversary and passes 100 million (SEK) in turnover. During this time, Hydroscand has just over 90 employees.
1975
The company is renamed Hydroscand AB.
1969
The company is started in a basement in Örby and named Hydraulikaktiebolaget Hydroscand.
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History of Hydroscand
Hydroscand's founder and owner, Björn Holmström, has devoted most of his life to hoses and couplings. He is a person with a strong commitment who knows what he wants. Today, Björn has the same vision as when he started Hydroscand on September 17, 1969 – namely to sell hose and line components from a decentralized, customer-oriented organisation.
Björn has been a driven entrepreneur since childhood and has sold everything from aquarium fish to scarves before eventually landing in the world of hydraulics and specialising in hose. Here is the whole story from the start in the basement in 1969, to the global family business that it is today. A group with operations in 18 countries - worldwide.
Björn has been a driven entrepreneur since childhood and has sold everything from aquarium fish to scarves before eventually landing in the world of hydraulics and specialising in hose. Here is the whole story from the start in the basement in 1969, to the global family business that it is today. A group with operations in 18 countries - worldwide.
Hydroscand is born
Björn was working as a hose salesman at a company that was facing bankruptcy, when he and his colleague, Ivan Andersson, made the decisive decision to venture into starting their own business. Hydroscand, or Hydraulikbolaget Hydroscan as it was first called, was started on the same day that Björn's second youngest son Martin was born.
“It was a whirlwind day that I will always remember with warmth. I was at the hospital and got to meet my son for the first time, I was at the bank to start up the company and resigned from my old job on the same day" said Björn Holmström.
For many years, Björn and Ivan worked hard to get the company going and traveled a lot to establish good business relationships across national borders. They were extremely particular about quality and wanted to find the best suppliers who could live up to their requirements. After some time, Hydroscand won the trust of more and more large customers who saw the value in the quality focus that Hydroscand stands for.
As the company grew, the basement in Örby became too small and the company moved to larger premises on Sjösavägen in Högdalen.
“It was a whirlwind day that I will always remember with warmth. I was at the hospital and got to meet my son for the first time, I was at the bank to start up the company and resigned from my old job on the same day" said Björn Holmström.
For many years, Björn and Ivan worked hard to get the company going and traveled a lot to establish good business relationships across national borders. They were extremely particular about quality and wanted to find the best suppliers who could live up to their requirements. After some time, Hydroscand won the trust of more and more large customers who saw the value in the quality focus that Hydroscand stands for.
As the company grew, the basement in Örby became too small and the company moved to larger premises on Sjösavägen in Högdalen.
The first branch is taking shape
After some time, one of Hydroscand's hose suppliers had problems with a customer in Linköping and wondered if Hydroscand could take over responsibility for the customer. This later developed into Hydroscand's first branch. The branch was right next to the railway station in Linköping and the business was conducted there until Hydroscand bought the property where the branch is located today.
Expertise and proximity to the customer
For Björn, it has always been important to stick to the company's clear niche - hose and line components.
"I think that we should be the best in the country at what we do and that we should therefore not spread out into unimportant product groups that cause us to lose our cutting-edge expertise" explains Björn.
Björn believes that the right competence is extremely important, regardless of whether it is hose for hydraulics, industry or pneumatics. He also quickly understood how costly it was for customers when a hose broke.
"We found that proximity to the customer is extremely important. The time from when a hose has broken, until the customer has received a new one and the machine is up and running again, is very precious. Through our excellence and our wide range of hose and fittings available in stock, we gained a good reputation that said we could always fix a hose problem quickly" said Björn.
"I think that we should be the best in the country at what we do and that we should therefore not spread out into unimportant product groups that cause us to lose our cutting-edge expertise" explains Björn.
Björn believes that the right competence is extremely important, regardless of whether it is hose for hydraulics, industry or pneumatics. He also quickly understood how costly it was for customers when a hose broke.
"We found that proximity to the customer is extremely important. The time from when a hose has broken, until the customer has received a new one and the machine is up and running again, is very precious. Through our excellence and our wide range of hose and fittings available in stock, we gained a good reputation that said we could always fix a hose problem quickly" said Björn.
Hydroscand is growing in Sweden
The organisation continued to grow and Hydroscand established itself in Västerås, Jönköping, Norrköping, Karlstad, Boden, Örebro, Ljungby as well as in Bergsjö, a branch that was later moved to Hudiksvall. During this time, a new company in the group, Hydroscand Machine AB, was also started.
In the early 2000s, Hydroscand established itself in Skåne after the acquisition of Slang och Maskin. The strong expansion meant that Hydroscand had now outgrown its premises and therefore moved to a large premises in Högdalen's industrial area. But the expansion continued and just a few years later the head office and Hydroscand's Swedish central warehouse were moved to the current premises in Sköndal. In connection with the move, Hydroscand also built its test laboratory, the Hydroscand Design and Test Center, which enabled the company to quality test hose under its own auspices.
During this time, Hydroscand also gained several large customers in the automotive area, which led to the start of yet another company in the group - Hydroscand Automotive. In the same year, 2007, Hydroscand's special hose production unit in Motala, Special Hoses, was also born.
In the early 2000s, Hydroscand established itself in Skåne after the acquisition of Slang och Maskin. The strong expansion meant that Hydroscand had now outgrown its premises and therefore moved to a large premises in Högdalen's industrial area. But the expansion continued and just a few years later the head office and Hydroscand's Swedish central warehouse were moved to the current premises in Sköndal. In connection with the move, Hydroscand also built its test laboratory, the Hydroscand Design and Test Center, which enabled the company to quality test hose under its own auspices.
During this time, Hydroscand also gained several large customers in the automotive area, which led to the start of yet another company in the group - Hydroscand Automotive. In the same year, 2007, Hydroscand's special hose production unit in Motala, Special Hoses, was also born.
Hydroscand is expanding globally
In 1978, Hydroscand took over the operations of Europower's Norwegian agent from a company called Anton Basberg. This then laid the foundation for Hydroscand's Norwegian company, which today includes 38 branches from Kirkenes in the north to Farsund in the south.
The next country to establish operations in was Finland, in 1997. During the 10 years that followed, Hydroscand established itself in Estonia, Denmark, England and Latvia. In addition, a service company was now started for the company's largest customer in China and a production unit in the Czech Republic.
After a successful establishment in Estonia and Latvia, Hydroscand took the step to establish operations in Russia as well in 2006. From this basis, Hydroscand has since been able to expand operations to other countries such as Lithuania, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Armenia.
Between 2009 and 2019, Hydroscand also started operations in France, Ireland, South Africa, Romania and Iceland.
The next country to establish operations in was Finland, in 1997. During the 10 years that followed, Hydroscand established itself in Estonia, Denmark, England and Latvia. In addition, a service company was now started for the company's largest customer in China and a production unit in the Czech Republic.
After a successful establishment in Estonia and Latvia, Hydroscand took the step to establish operations in Russia as well in 2006. From this basis, Hydroscand has since been able to expand operations to other countries such as Lithuania, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Armenia.
Between 2009 and 2019, Hydroscand also started operations in France, Ireland, South Africa, Romania and Iceland.
The successful concept of SlangExpress is rolled out
In 2007, Hydroscand started its mobile hose service service SlangExpress (in the United Kingdom (UK), known as HoseExpress) and the first service bus (van in the UK) thus started rolling in Stockholm. The service quickly became popular with the company's customers and expanded at a steady pace, both in Sweden and globally. Today, Hydroscand is the largest in mobile hose service in Sweden as well as in Denmark and Norway.
Hydroscand in the future
When Björn is asked: "What do you want from the company in the future?," is he as sure of his answer as he has always been of the vision that has characterised him as a company leader?
"First and foremost, I want the company to remain a family business that children and grandchildren can take over for generations. I also want us to be true to our basic business concept, to sell hose and line components from a decentralized and customer-oriented organisation" he replies.
Björn emphasises that proximity to the customer will always be incredibly important to Hydroscand. "We will simply be the customers' nearest hose service" he concludes.
"First and foremost, I want the company to remain a family business that children and grandchildren can take over for generations. I also want us to be true to our basic business concept, to sell hose and line components from a decentralized and customer-oriented organisation" he replies.
Björn emphasises that proximity to the customer will always be incredibly important to Hydroscand. "We will simply be the customers' nearest hose service" he concludes.
Hydroscand's timeline
2019
We establish ourselves in Iceland and in Armenia
Hydroscand turns 50 years old
E-commerce is launched in Sweden
2010
Our global expansion continues.
2015 Georgia, Czech Republic
2012 Romania, Kazakhstan
2011 South Africa
2010 Ireland
2000
We are establishing ourselves in a number of new markets.
2009 France, China
2007 Lithuania, Belarus
2006 Russia
2003 Latvia
2002 Great Britain
2001 Denmark
2000 Estonia's Industrial Division is established, which includes Hydroscand Automotive, Hydroscand Machine and Hydroform Design Light.
Our mobile hose service service SlangExpress is being rolled out for the first time in 2007.
1990
In 1994, Hydroscand celebrates its 25th anniversary.
Hydroscand Machine starts.
We establish ourselves in Finland.
1980
During the 1980s, Hydroscand expands strongly, growing from 4 branches to 19 branches in just 10 years.
In 1989, Hydroscand celebrates its 20th anniversary and passes 100 million (SEK) in turnover. During this time, Hydroscand has just over 90 employees.
1975
The company is renamed Hydroscand AB.
1969
The company is started in a basement in Örby and named Hydraulikaktiebolaget Hydroscand.