Prior to Suzuki Garphyttan being acquired by Nippon Steel almost a decade ago, the company’s Swedish roots (formally, Haldex Garphyttan AB) date back to 1906. Established in Garphyttan, a small town west of Stockholm, the company produced steel wires for the Swedish mining and railway industries.
By the 1920s, the company had begun producing high-quality steel wire used for valve springs in engines. They soon became the global market leader, a position they retain to the present day.
Jan Pieters, SG’s former chief executive officer notes the company collaborated with Japan long before the acquisition.
“Since the 1980s, we have enjoyed strong relations with our partners in Japan and engaged with the Japanese market to source high-quality raw materials for the production of our valve spring steel wire.”
SG has doubled its revenue within the last decade and established two additional plants in Mexico and China, and acquired an existing wire maker in the U.K., adding to their plants in North America and Sweden.
“Our corporate governance over the last 10 years has remained focused on our business strengths while retaining close cooperation with our parent company,” said Pieters.
“Today we supply many key Japanese spring manufacturers in North America and China. As we develop our international business, we receive support from our parent company, an important factor in our success.”
As the automotive industry and others continues to innovate, SG is investing in research and development in order to deliver cutting-edge solutions.
“We have developed our product range to penetrate new applications such as fuel-saving components in the automotive industry and automation industries,” said Pieters. “As we grow, we remain committed to delivering solutions to our international clients.”
“Sweden and Japan have a long history of working together within our industry and both sides have learned from one another through close collaboration,” SG Deputy Managing Director Toichiro Kumagai concluded. “As we continue to strengthen our collaboration, we are excited about the future.”
