People
One year with Herenco – Alpab in Brandstorp
A warm meeting with Christer and Magdalena, the couple behind Aluminiumprodukter i Brandstorp AB
People
A warm meeting with Christer and Magdalena, the couple behind Aluminiumprodukter i Brandstorp AB
When you turn into Brandstorp, you are met by the calm that often characterises smaller communities. At the same time, this is home to a business that for many years has been at the very heart of the village. Alpab has become a natural part of Brandstorp and a symbol of the kind of entrepreneurship that can grow when determination, expertise and care go hand in hand.
Today, one year after Herenco acquired Alpab, Magdalena and Christer talk about the journey from the first press brake in a small shed to a new future for the company they built together.
When the couple talk about the early days, it is clear just how much has changed. Christer was twenty years old and doing his military service. Magdalena was in her final year of technical upper secondary school and expecting their first child, Matilda. The need to earn a living quickly became very real.
Christer’s father had recently sold his own company and still had valuable contacts, including with a local furniture manufacturer. Through these contacts, the first small assignments came in and the work began in a simple outbuilding, using older machines.
“The conditions were basic, but the determination was there,”
– Christer Isaksson, founder of Alpab.
It did not take long before they realised the business could grow. The municipality believed in Christer’s investment and developed an industrial area in Brandstorp, where Alpab built the facilities in which the company still operates today. From there, Alpab grew into an important employer in Brandstorp and a valued production partner for many companies in Jönköping County.
– We have always worked very closely with our customers and often acted as a kind of advisory extension of their design departments, Magdalena explains, and contiunes, we have been flexible and able to solve both large and small problems, always starting from what is best for the customer.
Over time, Acticon became Alpab’s largest customer and has always enjoyed a strong reputation among Alpab’s employees. One reason is Acticon’s practice of always bringing new salespeople to Alpab’s production facility, giving them a hands-on understanding of how components are manufactured and what lies behind each product. This created a close relationship and a shared, practical view of quality.
– Those kinds of collaborations really matter, says Christer. We have had good people around us, and that is a big part of why Alpab has become what it is today.
For a long time, a change of ownership was not on the horizon for Christer and Magdalena. Quite the opposite.
– We had never planned to sell. We were very attached to the business and wanted it to continue here in Brandstorp, says Magdalena.
Large investment companies had approached them over the years, but the interest was simply not there. It was only when the question came via Acticon’s CEO, Tommy, that they began to reflect more seriously.
“We are not getting any younger,” they say with a laugh, before explaining that they did not want to place the responsibility on their three daughters. Only Matilda worked in the company, and they wanted to avoid a situation where siblings might feel pressured or end up in difficult roles. They were also aware that the company needed to grow in order to remain competitive, which would require a larger organisation than they could manage on their own without risking the close, hands-on way of working that had always defined Alpab.
“We also think it is great that Matilda has the opportunity to continue developing together with Alpab,” say Magdalena and Christer.
“We truly found a dream buyer”
Herenco is local, they share our values, and they wanted Alpab to remain in Brandstorp. That meant everything,” says Christer.
Magdalena describes the decision as bold, but absolutely the right one.
“You have to dare to move forward for a company to keep developing. Development has always been important to us. Now there are completely different resources and capabilities that can take Alpab to the next level.”
The day the acquisition was announced was an emotional one.
– When we shared the news, the employees were shocked and we all stood there crying together. There were a lot of emotions, but they were good emotions, says Magdalena.
There was also a strong sense of pride. Christer describes how the fact that the company’s largest customer, and Herenco, chose to acquire the business felt like a confirmation of everything they had built. It felt safe and reassuring to present the new owner to the employees.
One year on, much in the workshop feels familiar. Many employees have been with the company for twenty years or more, several since the late 1980s. The culture of taking responsibility, solving problems together and working with a high degree of trust remains intact.
– We have always let our employees manage their own areas. When you give responsibility, you also get commitment, says Christer.
At the same time, Herenco has contributed new structures and improvements to the working environment, including a clearer meeting structure, occupational health services and various skills development initiatives.
– It is both reassuring and inspiring when new perspectives come in. New ways of thinking help the business grow, says Magdalena.
And one tradition that has always held the workplace together remains unchanged.
– The coffee break at nine o’clock. That’s where you hear how things are really going, what is happening in production and how people are doing. That’s what builds community, says Christer.
Handing over the business also marked a new phase in life for Magdalena and Christer.
Christer describes the feeling as a mix of relief and pride.
– I feel done with Alpab. It feels right, deep down. I don’t miss anything, but I look forward to spending more time on other small businesses I have been involved in alongside this one. And honestly, I would gladly do it all again. It has been fantastic fun.
Magdalena has stepped in as a temporary replacement for one of her daughters at a haulage company that she owns together with her brother. It is a completely different kind of work, but something she enjoys greatly.
– It is nice to finally have more time to devote to this family business as well, one that has been close to me ever since I was young, says Magdalena.
One year into the new ownership, the founding couple remain positive and hopeful.
– We hope the company continues to grow and can employ more people here in Brandstorp. For us, it has always been important that Alpab is doing well and keeps developing, says Magdalena.
Christer sums it up:
“It feels safe. Herenco wants the same thing we have always wanted. For Alpab to keep moving forward.”
Today, Alpab is fully owned by Acticon as a part of the business area indoor-climate
