Fifteen years ago the goal was a turnover of 100 million SEK. HydX has now tripled that, and the company has offices in four different cities in Sweden. 
Yet, the foundation and the future of the company still lie in Ystad. 
“The key to success lies in competence management, and now we have built new premises to continue our growth,” says CEO Mikael Andersson. 
In the third part of the series of interviews with the founders of HydX, the company’s CEO reflects on their journey to the top and their plans for the future. 

 

Mikael Andersson still recalls how he drove to a shop on the outskirts of Ystad to buy paper and pens. They needed them to make plans for their newly founded company. 
He started HydX together with Patrik Broman, Håkan Erlandsson, Henrik Pålsson and Stefan Holmberg in 2009. 
“Already when I came back with pads and pens, our goal was a turnover of 100 million SEK, and our business plan was very ambitious right from the start. Our strategy was to make solid preparations to avoid rebuilding. We set the structure, organisation and business plan of our company back then, and even though we have developed our organisation since then, we have never had to revise it,” he says. 
“At the time, our boots were too big for us, as we had a management team but no employees. But with hard work, competence and engagement we grew into our boots and have kept on growing. We have never needed to change our structure or business plan; we have only made some minor adjustments along the way. This has meant a great deal to us.” 
Like his co-founders Henrik Pålsson and Patrik Broman, he talks about the importance of setting high goals to grow towards and of building a sustainable structure and organisation that allows for organic growth and corporate mergers. 
“We have been smart in recruiting employees with special expertise and in managing to continue our growth. In 2017, our turnover was more than 100 million SEK and we have integrated two more companies into our family and almost tripled our turnover since then. HydX has reached a whole new company size.” 

•The company has grown immensely. How do you avoid growing pains? 
“The stability of the company is very important. When we recruit, we look for personalities as well as for competence. Our employees must enjoy driving our company forward, taking initiative and being a part of it all.” 

•You have merged with several companies and, in addition to your head offices in Ystad, you now have offices in Gothenburg, Stockholm and Halmstad. How do you make them all a part of the HydX family? 
“It takes a great deal of engagement as well as understanding and respect from us and from our new employees. So far has everything worked out great, but it takes a lot of engagement and work to uphold the team spirit.”  

•How do you see your future? 
“Our goal is to double our turnover in five years, and to succeed we must keep recruiting the right people, establish completely new roles in the company and even streamline some existing roles. Since I am now also in charge of Volito Sweden, it has become apparent that our owners are pleased with our work and that we can continue working with the same enthusiasm.” 

•What is the key to HydX’s continued growth? 
“Passion, engagement, heart and competence. We who founded HydX believe in long-standing relationships – with staff, customers and suppliers. We need to be professional and work with our hearts.” 

•HydX is moving into new premises but will stay in Ystad. What is the biggest challenge? 
“Competence management. If we had moved our company to Malmö, we would have lost a lot of competence, as several of our competent employees wouldn’t have followed us. Here we work close by the technical upper secondary school and have hired several young talents after the fourth year of technical studies at Ystad Gymnasium. We train our personnel and let them grow with us. It is also easier to recruit in Ystad. We are a large company, and our employees have the opportunity to seek new challenges by moving to Gothenburg, Stockholm or Halmstad while still working for us. If, after a couple of years, they want to move back to Ystad, they are free to do so.” 

•You are building new premises, new headquarters with production and warehouse facilities, in Ystad.  The plan is to move in autumn 2024. What does that mean for HydX’s future? 
“The move opens up completely new opportunities for us, it will benefit recruitment, improve the working conditions of our employees and increase our collaboration opportunities with our suppliers and customers. The new premises will also give us more space to reach our ambitious future goals.”  

•Where do you see HydX in ten years? 
“We are facing a big challenge, above all with competence management, as I mentioned. For us to succeed, we must attract young people to come work for our organisation straight after graduation. We work in a competitive field, and I believe that it is important to take care of our employees, make sure they are well-trained and that they enjoy a high level of well-being at work. We must give them the opportunity to grow – something that will benefit both us and our customers. Size-wise, I believe that HydX could double its size within ten years. For our part, the work is also about preparing for the future, for the era that comes after us who founded the company fifteen years ago.”