Wood Products & Technology 2022 – KG List among exhibitors
KG List will participate in the Wood Products & Technology fair from 30 August – 2 September 2022.
Wood Products & Technology is the Nordic region’s largest meeting place for industrial woodworking and social construction in wood. This year’s fair focuses on some exciting themes – digitalization, skills development and training, sustainability and circular solutions, and architecture with wood as a basis.
KG List, Sweden’s leading manufacturer of edge-glued panels and hardwood components, will participate as an exhibitor at this year’s fair. We will have our experts from sales, purchasing, orders, and marketing on-site to introduce the company’s capabilities – from processing top-quality Swedish timber to delivering finished products for final installation.
We hope to network with colleagues, new and existing customers, and be inspired by leading experts in the wood industry!
Wood Products & Technology takes place at The Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre in central Gothenburg on 30 August – 2 September 2022. Visit KG List’s stand at location C01:17.
Sales and purchasing team – a dynamic duo in a dynamic company
KG List has had a satellite sales and purchasing team at our southern neighbours Denmark for the past two years. Yet, the father-son duo Bogdan and Slavisa Stojkovic has a combined long history in the wood business.
Slavisa Stojkovic and Bogdan Stojkovic
Bogdan started in the wood industry as long as 25 years ago when he began importing timber from the Balkan countries. Having worked both as an agent and self-employed, he has built up an impressive experience in this line of work. Even Slavi’s interest was established early by following along on his father’s business trips. The red thread for him has been sales with a side of marketing and logistics in a range of fields. When the time was right, they were invited to be part of KG List’s sales and purchasing team.
“The way Johan is building up the company and the work philosophy is very interesting. We jumped on the idea and then started slowly, of course. But we have been going deeper and deeper into the market and within KG List. First, you must know KG List. Because if you want to buy for a company then you have to know the company,” the beginning of the collaboration is described.
Shortly said, the main task of the sales and purchasing team is to buy and sell wood and wooden products, where Bogdan is mainly responsible for purchasing materials, and Slavi has taken on the sales of KG Lists products. Beginning their work with KG List right at the start of the pandemic has of course affected their activities. However, when many halted their projects, the duo stuck to their bold approach and after the first six months, things started happening fast.
“During the pandemic, many stopped buying. And we didn’t stop buying. We bought. Because we are keeping them alive. And without them, we don’t exist. And they do not exist without us – so it’s a chain, a circle of people. If you have the material, you can also gain new customers because you have something to sell,” Slavi describes their forward approach.
Wood processing is not done overnight. Sometimes the journey from a forest to a ready-made product stretches over several years, which makes the wood business a business of established relations and long agreements. Even though they thoroughly know KG List’s market, both are actively looking for new customers and contacts. Sometimes nothing is sold to new customers over six months to a year. But the importance lies rather in building a good relationship with the people. Because when the time comes for the market to turn, the customers turn to the company they have a positive connection with.
“The wood business is a very small world. Everybody knows each other. Even across all of Europe and also the world. So, people know each other, and it’s the same players. So, what can I say – if you want to have a long life in this business, you must play fair,” Bogdan describes the wood industry.
Bogdan has always been careful about the sources of raw material. Having a personal connection to the suppliers creates a specific caution and awareness towards corruption and the work environment of the labour force. Meeting the companies he buys from, enables him to also see the conditions of the staff. No business is done if it’s apparent that the workers are breaking their backs and have no safety equipment. One does not feel good about buying wood from places like that, Slavi adds.
The sales and purchasing team demonstrated their ability to handle complicated situations during the pandemic. However, they are again faced with navigating difficult times due to the horrific events in Europe. It results in a chaotic market and unstable prices while also having to compete with big players like China. The low supply is also pushing many to investigate other materials like plastics and vinyl, with the wood supply reaching another low, they claim.
Do you see any positive development possibilities in these difficult times right now?
“Yes, of course we do! The market has become more local in recent years. And this gives KG List a positive position on the market in Scandinavia. Because we have our own sawmill and our own production, we are not forced to go elsewhere. The customers here in Scandinavia are seeking to have a local supplier. So, what we do right now is that we buy. Even though the prices are high, we buy, because we have to buy. We have to keep on moving. We cannot stop just because of the prices,” Slavi explains.
For a long time, wood and wooden products have been very cheap, compared to the time it takes for the material to form on top of the effort and care put into production. Now we come to a situation where we have to start valuing wood more, states Bogdan. They both look forward to witnessing the change in consumption patterns and expect to see more appreciation for longevity and valuing of quality products.
What do you do when you’re not working?
“I am spending a lot of time with my family. I have a little kid, a little boy – two months old. So, my focus right now is very much on him and on my wife. Otherwise, I spend time with some friends or go to the gym. My wife and I like to go to nature as well. We take trips to the sea or to the woods. And we have a husky dog. Going out in nature with the dog as well – this is what I do,” says Slavi.
Of course, Bogdan is at present very much enjoying spending time with his two-month-old grandson as well. He also has a hidden talent of being a grill maestro and enjoys preparing grilled food for the family at his newly renovated house.
To sum up, the duo is very glad to be part of the KG List team. They describe that the best thing is having the balance between freedom in one’s work together with having responsibilities.
“There is space to think, there is space to come up with new ideas – there is room for these kinds of things. There is room to be creative. And there is room for growth. So, I think this is a dynamic company. And I think it’s a pleasure to be a part of that,” concludes Slavi.
Exhibition about local production – The Future is Local
Welcome to the exhibition ‘The Future is Local’, curated by the companies VERK and A NEW SWEDEN, in close collaboration with Stockholms Auktionsverk. The exhibition, which will take place during Stockholm Design Week 7–12 February, is about local production from raw materials to finished products. KG List is proud to be among the companies participating in the exhibition.
The finishing touches on the chair V.DE.01 at Stolfabriken in Tibro. Photography: Nicho Södling
The Future is Local is about is about local production and takes an inspiring and transparent look at the process of VERK’s and A NEW SWEDEN’s completely sustainable products.
“We want to share our knowledge about manufacturing 100% Swedish-produced products and to show that sustainable production is actually possible. Total transparency benefits everyone,” says Simon Anund, founder of VERK.
Both VERK and A NEW SWEDEN only use Swedish materials, which are transformed into products of the highest quality through local production.
“We want to show the benefits of local production. Not only does it provide increased transparency and traceability, but it substantially reduces the carbon footprint, too. The supply chain of our garments is less than a fifth of the length of the typical supply process,” says Lisa Bergstrand, founder of A NEW SWEDEN.
The exhibition highlights the players involved, the producers of the raw materials: wool, leather, glass, wood, and steel, as well as the craftspeople and manufacturers of the actual products. Seminars with different themes based on local production will also be held over the course of three evenings.
“This is an excellent way to visualise and educate more people about what a Swedish production society can look like today. We must take care of the few Swedish players we actually have in the processing industry and safeguard their existence,” says Simon Anund, who underscores the demand for locally produced products.
With The Future is Local, VERK and A NEW SWEDEN aim to both educate and inspire, at the same time as they hope to make the concept of “Made in Sweden” stand for something really good again.
Wednesday 9 February. Theme: Local production – competitive local production is created through increased demand. We take a deeper look at the subject.
Thursday 10 February. Theme: Local materials – there is a real need to develop the processing process in favour of local materials. How do we go about it?
Friday 11 February. Theme: The future – new consumption patterns demand adapted production strategies. How do they take shape and how do they become competitive?
The panellists are carefully selected specialists in each field
The new cross-cut line in full operation at KG List in Norrhult
The new cross-cut line is now fully operational in KG List in Norrhult, Sweden – a result of an investment of approximately SEK 20 million. This provides an increased refinement of oak, birch, and ash in KG List.
In 2021 KG List invested approximately SEK 20 million in a new cross-cut line. This will enable increased processing of, above all, oak, but also Swedish birch and ash that is sawn in Österbymo Hardwood. The cross-cut line contributes to an advanced adapting to the customers’ wishes and needs, which is a substantial part of KG List’s business.
The cutting capacity will increase three times compared with the previous volumes. In addition, the investment results in increased flexibility. Higher yields also lead to a step towards less waste in production. Thanks to the development, KG List has also recruited 4 new employees to the production facilities in Norrhult.
As a next step, we expect to increase the processing of raw material in Österbymo Hardwood by 20%. Next year, the intention is to increase it by another 20% thanks to the expanded production capabilities, says Johan Ingvarsson, CEO of KG List.
The cross-cut saw on the new set-up was delivered by System TM – a leading global supplier of tailor-made solutions for the wood industry. The scanner was delivered by Microtec in Linköping – a leading supplier of quality control systems to the woodworking industry. In collaboration with Sågspecialisten, the line has also gotten a planning solution with outstanding quality from Weinig.
The investment is an advancement towards the ambition to refine more of Swedish hardwood and thereby meet the increased demand both within and outside the country’s borders. It increases KG List’s capacity to further develop cooperation with existing customers and to be able to expand to new markets.
Our partners from System TM have been at KG List capturing the new cross-cut line in operation.
Jan Kindblad to join KG List
We welcome back Jan Kindblad among KG List’s fantastic employees! Jan will work with orders and purchasing in his new role at KG List.
Jan Kindblad to join KG List.
Thomas Hardebring has finished his employment with us. His last working day was December 31, 2021.
Thomas has been working in sales for KG List for a long time. He has been involved in and contributed to the positive development of recent years. Thomas has chosen to retire now, and we wish him all the best!
We welcome back Jan Kindblad among KG List’s fantastic employees! Jan comes most recently from Åseda Värme & Sanitet, where he worked as a project coordinator. He has a background in accounting and orders, as well as a couple of years as an advertising and industrial photographer. Jan will work with orders and purchasing in his new role at KG List.
I think it’s fun to be back in KG List and I am looking forward to learning more about the whole group. I hope to be part of the team that through work and expertise contributes to the development and strengthening of the company, Jan says ahead of the new role.
We are happy to welcome Jan to be part of our team again!
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
