Swedish manufacturer Proplate with strong German business

Proplate Oxelösund AB, a Swedish manufacturer of complex steel parts and assemblies for the construction and special vehicle industries, has announced the results of its 2021/22 financial year. Total assets increased from approximately EUR 21 million in the previous year to approximately EUR 34 million. This corresponds to a growth of almost 62 percent. At the same time, the pre-tax result made a big leap from 210,000 EUR to almost 1.8 million EUR. The German business with components made of high-strength steels grew from 7.7 to 13.3 million EUR and thus by almost 73 per cent, which contributed significantly to the good result.

60 percent (previous year: 51) of the company's turnover in the 2021/22 business year (1.5.2021 to 31.5.2022) was achieved in exports. The growth has also increased the average number of employees from 89 to 126. CEO Max Björk: "The most important factor for the positive result was the strong demand in 'Cranes/Heavy Lifting' especially in Germany, Austria and the US."

Proplate Oxelösund AB, based southwest of Stockholm, manufactures machine components from heavy plate including high-strength steel. Proplate's state-of-the-art production facilities are located on a 59,000 square metre site. The spectrum ranges from foundations for wind turbines, construction machinery, support rods for cranes, parts for special machinery in logistics, equipment for the mining industry, long and heavy steel components for infrastructure, protective steels and components made of heavy plate.

The company cuts, machines, welds and paints ready-to-assemble components from heavy plate for customers around the world. Its production facility has, among other things, one of the most modern cutting systems in the world. The company's customers include Liebherr, Kobelco, Manitowoc, Toyota Material Handling, Epiroc, Metso Outotec, Nordex and Corpower Ocean.

The turbulence of the pandemic and the Russian war on Ukraine has also left its mark on the steel industry. CEO Max Björk: "Steel prices have skyrocketed and the shortage situation for sheet metal was and is noticeable. The reason for this was, on the one hand, the high demand for steel that arose as a result of the recovery after the pandemic. On the other hand, the shortage of sheet metal has arisen due to the war in Ukraine, as both Russia and Ukraine are major suppliers of raw material."

Source: Proplate, Photo: Fotolia