Simrishamn Manufacturing positioned the 90th anniversary of its founding as an important milestone as it looks towards its 100th anniversary and beyond. Earlier this month, over 200 team members gathered to celebrate the location’s 90th anniversary with food, music, and dancing. Many laughs and stories could be heard as they reminisced with friends and family.
Simrishamn Manufacturing was established in 1934 and has been operated by Plasman since 2016. Today, approximately 350 employees work there. The factory delivers both injection-molded and surface-treated products to customers such as BMW, Volvo, and Scania.
“I am honored to be part of this anniversary celebration!” said Niklas Berntsson, President, Europe. “The dedication and engagement of our team in Simrishamn is true proof that we can continue to be successful for at least 90 more years!”
The legacies of locations like Simrishamn are built off the hard work and dedication of team members. It is their collaborative mentality and focus that drive the growth and prosperity of the future of our company.
A family affair
The Lindqvist family has been a part of the Simrishamn legacy for more than half of its community presence.
They have had three generations work for the now Plasman location in Simrishamn. It all started with Britt Lindqvist’s father, Gunnar Lindqvist, a production leader on the night shift in Injection Molding over 55 years ago. Britt came on board 45 years ago in production and became pregnant with her daughter, Jenny, in her first year in the job. After 10 years in production and two more children, she then worked in the Logistics department as a forklift driver for 30 years before moving into Injection Molding where the Lindqvist employee dynasty began.
Jenny Lindqvist, Britt’s daughter whom she was pregnant with when she first started, followed in her grandfather and mother’s footsteps, starting out as an operator in the paint shop 25 years ago. Over the years, Jenny came to learn the business at Simrishamn and grew within the company. After eight years as an operator and having two children of her own she worked in Quality for a year and then a year administrating their maintenance system. During that period the then plant manager had encouraged her to apply for the production controller position. After only three years, Jenny once again advanced herself and has been the Plant Controller for Simrishamn ever since.
Although the mother-daughter duo work opposite shifts, they are very close outside of work and feel grateful for their continued growth and success at Simrishamn Manufacturing and for the opportunity to be a part of its 90th Anniversary celebration.
“Simrishamn is a very small town with lovely nature and no other large industries,” explains Jenny when asked what the favorite part of her job was. “The best part is that I am so close to work-only five minutes from home and family. Not to mention the possibility to grow and develop within the company and the many people we both have encountered and created relationships with in Simrishamn, Gothenburg, and around the world!”
The 90th anniversary of being in the small community of Simrishamn has been their most memorable moment working together.
A memorable milestone
It is the hard work and dedication of past and present employees like the Lindqvist family that make companies like Plasman evolve, stay successful, and continue to celebrate great milestones like this one.
“It is truly inspiring to learn that we have team members who have worked for Plasman from less than a year up until 45 years. It makes me feel very humble,” said Kristina Korsgren, Vice President, HR, Europe. “You can almost touch the sense of pride and commitment when listening to some of the stories from such a long career with us as a company.”
To help commemorate this amazing milestone, in true Plasman spirit, our team members from across the globe sent congratulatory messages to their colleagues in Simrishamn. Congratulations Simrishamn! Here is to another 90 years!
About Plasman
Plasman is a leading global manufacturer in bumpers-fascias, grilles, exterior trim, and subsystem components. As One Driving Force™, our diverse team of talented employees in 11 countries is driven by a commitment to outperform in all areas from engineering design to state-of-the-art manufacturing processes. Plasman’s headquarters are in Oldcastle, Ontario. Further information about Plasman is available at plasman.com or follow us on LinkedIn.