Hanza – A Global Industrial Player with a Strong Local Presence
A global company with a local heart. That is the essence of the industrial group Hanza. With 21 factories in nine countries, it is Europe’s largest publicly listed contract manufacturer in electronics and mechanics. Four of the facilities are located in western Värmland, strategically positioned close to the Oslo metropolitan region and in the heart of Scandinavia. Growth is strong here, and confidence in the future is high. In just a few years, Hanza has invested SEK 400 million in southwestern Värmland.
Hanza’s business model has been strengthened by recent years of global crises, including war, tariffs, sanctions, and other geopolitical conflicts. More and more customers see the value of having a production partner on the right side of the oceans, in Sweden and Europe. Since the pandemic, a shift toward more regional manufacturing has been underway.
“It is a clear competitive advantage to be able to offer end-to-end solutions with multiple manufacturing technologies in geographically clustered hubs close to the customer,” says Morgan Sahlin, Regional Manager for Hanza Sweden. Shorter lead times and greater delivery reliability are strong added values.
“Swedish manufacturing also means a lower climate footprint. This is a natural effect of shorter transportation distances and our generally higher environmental standards.”
Hanza was founded in 2008, and in the following two years both Elektromekan and Elos Precision in Årjäng were acquired. In 2018, Wermland Mechanics, with factories in Töcksfors and Svanskog, also became part of the industrial group. With nearly 500 employees, Hanza is an important local player in these communities.
“We often say that we are our customers’ workshop. They can focus on product development, while we take responsibility for manufacturing—often handling the entire process from technical preparation to finished product.
“In addition, we contribute our expertise at the development stage to design manufacturing solutions that are economically and environmentally sustainable. We have a strong focus on efficient resource use, traceability, and reduced emissions.”
Investing in Growth and Talent
Morgan Sahlin took on the role of Regional Manager for Sweden in 2020.
“Hanza has grown rapidly. It has been an incredibly exciting journey where we have made investments of around SEK 400 million in machinery and new buildings here in western Värmland.”
Through a major expansion of the factory in Töcksfors by 8,000 square meters, Hanza can now meet increased demand, improve the working environment for its employees, and create more efficient production flows. During spring 2026, expansions at both factories in Årjäng will also be completed.
“Our expansion in Värmland is closely linked to rising demand in growth sectors such as energy, AI and digitalization, as well as security and defense. Our strategy is to stay one step ahead of our customers, which is why we build in 20 percent excess capacity. We are ready to scale up as needed.”
These investments also require additional expertise, including technicians, engineers, operators, and the leaders of tomorrow.
“We are often asked how we manage our talent supply. I am happy to talk about the young people growing up here, often in families that run forestry operations or other businesses. They gain practical experience and develop initiative early on. Many are interested in motors and have knowledge of both mechanics and electronics.
“We aim to find the right people and are skilled at training them internally. There are exciting jobs in industry that suit the young people here. The municipalities have a strong understanding that collaboration between local businesses and schools is essential.”
A Culture of Ownership and Initiative
Despite its global perspective, the company culture is characterized by decentralization and strong trust in each individual factory.
“The basic idea is that those closest to the operations make the best decisions. This creates action and courage within the organization. It is important to us that our core values are not just empty words but provide real direction. At Hanza, it is always better to make a mistake than to do nothing at all. As long as we learn and correct our mistakes, we improve.
“It is about entrepreneurship and a sense of ownership. All employees were involved in the project to develop our core values, which is why they truly matter to everyone.”
Hanza is engaged in several collaborations and networks. Together with Teknikcollege, the company works to spark interest in industry and offers students internships during their studies.
“Another exciting collaboration is Clear River Racing at Karlstad University—a project where engineering students build a race car from scratch. These are exactly the kind of technicians we want to get to know better.”
HANZA Group
HANZA is a global industrial group with operations in nine countries. Five of its factories are located in Sweden – HANZA Mechanics and HANZA Electronics in Årjäng, HANZA Mechanics in Töcksfors, HANZA Mechanics in Svanskog, and HANZA Electronics in Ronneby. The business model is based on combining different manufacturing technologies in local clusters to offer customers end-to-end solutions with shorter lead times, a lower climate footprint, and high delivery reliability.
Number of employees: Approximately 500 in western Värmland, around 5,000 across the group in total
Revenue: SEK 6,500 million (2025)
www.hanza.com
Written by: Katarina Averås
Photo credits: Per Groth