What was the year 2023 like for Hedengren Group, and what will the next year look like? We asked Marek Hintze, Group CEO, to elaborate on these questions.
“Considering the challenging market conditions we encountered this year, the Group’s result was relatively good. We were able to maintain a level of activity that allowed us to invest into improving the business.”
Thanks to its long-standing customer and partner relationships built on a strong foundation of trust and its long-term commitment to research and development activities, the Group has been able to maintain good results. These factors keep the company afloat even in challenging situations while also allowing it to undertake new initiatives, a key part of Hedengren’s growth strategy.
In 2023, the Group focused on creating optimal conditions for growth.
“A good example of this is our acquisition of Prosec in Stavanger. We have seen double-digit growth in the Norwegian market for three years in a row now, so it was a natural choice to focus on. As a result of our efforts, we have been able to achieve a 6 per cent market share.”
In addition to Finland and Norway, Hedengren also operates in Estonia and Sweden.
Sustainability at the core of all operations
This year, Hedengren was also awarded the silver medal in the EcoVadis sustainability rating system. EcoVadis is one of the world’s leading sustainability rating systems. It takes a comprehensive look at the way companies handle environmental matters, labour and human rights, how well they take ethics into account in their operations, and how responsible their sourcing methods are.
Hedengren had not previously received a rating from EcoVadis.
“The silver medal goes to show that sustainability and responsibility have always been at the core of Hedengren’s operations. However, we will not be stopping there: next year, we go for the gold.”
Hedengren’s sustainability team will guide the Group towards continuous improvement. Among other things, the team is tasked with defining what responsibility and sustainability mean for Hedengren and creating a systematic framework for sustainability work.
“Business and real estate always leave a footprint. We must learn to optimise and minimise this footprint and help our customers to do the same.”
Towards service business
In terms of organisational development, one of the security expert Hedengren Security’s highlights for the year were the comprehensive organisational changes based on customer insights.
With these changes, Hedengren Security will focus more on providing services for its customers. In the new year, the company is planning to further increase its focus on its service business.
“We want to deliver a new kind of value to our customers and partners. The collected feedback also confirmed that we have already managed to progress in line with our customers' expectations.”
Digital services: more important than ever
At Hedtec Oy, which focuses on importing building technology, the past year has highlighted the need to develop digital services and make use of new technologies in the customer interface.
“We must be able to produce data that supports our partners’ businesses.”
The company will be striving to reach this goal under the leadership of its new IT Director, Juha-Matti Virkkula, who joined the ranks in October 2023. Virkkula wishes to improve the integration opportunities between Hedtec and partner systems.
So far, the company’s investments in automation seem to have produced the desired results.
“We have seen a significant increase in the number of commercial products under development.”
Hintze wishes to thank all partners, customers and staff for the year 2023:
“Thank you for putting your trust in Hedengren. A very special thank you to our staff for your continued effort in building lasting relationships with our customers and building trust. I strongly believe that our business will continue to grow and flourish in the years to come.”