Expert interview with Peter Falk, Managing Director Extena AB (Sweden). This article recently appeared in our egeNews .
In March 2020, egeplast acquired a majority stake in Extena, the market and quality leader for plastic pipes in Sweden. egeplast warmly welcomes all new members to the egeplast family and introduces Extena with Managing Director Peter Falk.
Brief introduction
The history of today’s company Extena begins in the early 1970s with an entrepreneurial family from Norsjö, a young man named Kurt Fransson, and a company called Nortena Plast with a small polyethylene pipe production. In 1990, the Finnish pipe manufacturer KWH Pipe acquired Nortena Plast. Kurt Fransson remained with KWH Pipe until 1992, then he founded Extena at the other end of Norsjö. When KWH Pipe relocated to southern Sweden, Extena moved into its current headquarters. The expansion then came in the late 1990s with fiber optic cables – with pipes for Sweden’s ambitious strategy to provide all households with high-speed internet access by 2005. In 2003, Extena was acquired by the regional investment company Treac from the neighboring town of Skellefteå. Treac pursued a long-term concept when acquiring the company, with the strategic decision in 2006 to place a stronger focus on the water and wastewater market and to invest in a new production line for polyethylene pipes up to 630 mm. Since then, Extena has proven to be a reliable partner for infrastructure projects with high quality standards.
Interview with Peter Falk
Peter, what makes Extena special?
Without a doubt, the individuals who make up the company! It is truly remarkable that we were able to assemble such an incredible team in this small town in northern Sweden.
And what is your passion, or who is Peter Falk?
An enormous driving force in my life has always been to improve things. Finding better and smarter ways to approach something, whether at work or in private life. I have always been interested in machines and mechanics, and my favorite hobby is snowmobiling. I started early and have witnessed how snowmobiles have evolved to the point where they now offer me an excellent opportunity to train, constantly pushing my own boundaries of what’s possible, not least mentally. Should you ever get the chance to try out such a high-performance snowmobile, you will understand what I mean!
What constitutes Extena’s typical business?
We excel in large projects; we have a close relationship with our customers and a production facility that can be adapted to customer needs. Over the years, we have also developed our continuous business to gain a broader base, while simultaneously maintaining the long-standing customer relationships that we consider so important.
How is business in the far north during winter?
Well, for us, I must say, everything is running as usual! Most of us were born here, and we have learned to live with the seasons. I also like to think that it strengthens one’s character when the weather literally whips your face as soon as you step outside in winter. …
What do your customers gain from belonging to the egeplast Group?
That we are now finally able to offer a complete range of products for their polyethylene pipe systems, and the egeplast product range truly complements our own products perfectly!
Could you tell us a little about your team? Who is responsible for which area?
For pressure pipes, we have a great team consisting of Anders Mattsson, Anders Rydén, and our newest addition, Patrik Berg, who originally comes from egeplast. They are all capable of managing the pressure pipe business; Patrik is the specialist for the egeplast product range, Anders Rydén is the contact person for Polar Pipe, and Anders Mattsson handles all other matters as well as international business. For power and cable protection pipes, Edde Johansson works closely with our customers, and everyone can rely on the support of a strong back-office sales team consisting of Anna-Karin Stenlund, Håkan Lundgren, and Tomas Berg. They are all happy to personally support our customers at any time.
And what should we know about doing business with Sweden?
Keep it simple! We are very informal; everyone uses first names, and we are also quite relaxed about the dress code at work. Here, people come dressed casually almost every day!
