When 2021, Hydria Water chose to gather their brands Mellegård & Naij and VA Teknik Sweden under the sales company heading, three companies turned into one, and the production moved to a modern plant in Borås, Sweden. The purpose of this merger was always to improve the complete package the firm wants to offer the customer by creating more innovative processes, pooling their product development and utilizing synergy effects and competence.
“As we now summarize and review the merger, we can see that we have achieved our overall goal with the fusion at all levels. Not only have we built a world-class production facility and successfully moved the manufacturing there, but we have also managed to utilize the vast competence within our corporation, not least by kickstarting our Competence Center in Skövde”, says Robert Bjursten, CEO of Hydria Water.
Mellegård & Naij specialize in products and solutions for the inlet side of wastewater, and VA Teknik Sweden are experts in sedimentation solutions. As a result of this merger, all the competence is integrated into one research and development department, ensuring an even more efficient process when bespoke solutions are developed.
“We can now carry out our work much more efficiently and holistically with solutions unique to each customer, where all the competence will collaborate in one single company. The great technological competence at Mellegård & Naij, as well as VA Teknik Sweden, has now been concentrated into one comprehensive R&D department, where our new technology hub in Skövde will play an important part”, Robert Bjursten explains.
Mattias Ahlstrand, Mechanical Design Engineer and site manager for Hydria Water Competence Center in Skövde, Sweden, confirms that the merger has been very successful, even if it has involved a big adjustment and lots of work. Partly the physical move from one facility to another, and partly the implementation of the new, digital system to secure access to drawings, blueprints and other documentation.
“The best thing is that we finally become one company, which will make things easier. We can now focus on the future and what we do best; developing bespoke, sustainably optimized solutions for wastewater facilities for our customers both in Sweden and abroad”, says Mattias Ahlstrand.
As the merger was being rolled out, all staff members employed in the production team at the previous facility in Skövde were offered new jobs without the need for transition measures.
“We are delighted that all our previous employees could move on to new jobs. That is certainly proof of how extremely competent our staff members are”, says Robert Bjursten.
