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3G OPENS UP NEW OPPORTUNITIES
– Cutting fast is simple enough in a
straight line, it’s the bends that are a
problem. Any manufacturer who succeeds
in developing a control system
that makes it unnecessary to slow down
in bends will get the jackpot.
Although Water Jet Sweden is quite a
small company, it is involved in intense
collaboration with higher education institutions,
mostly with Blekinge University
of Technology, which is in the next
town. Exchanges are mutual. Sometimes
Water Jet Sweden wants help with calculations,
at other times the university
asks the company to let students do their
degree projects at the company.
– Having access to a regional university
is a great advantage for us. They are
very much involved in our development,
which would hardly be the case if it was
a bigger university.
The fact that Blekinge University of
Technology is small does not mean that
it lacks capacity. There are five waterjet
cutting companies in Ronneby, a small
town with 30,000 inhabitants. As a
result, a natural cluster has been formed
that enables the companies and the university
college to develop side by side.
– They are also very good at information
technology. We are now incorporating
this knowhow into our machines,
says Jan Ryd. With 3G technology we
can use a web camera to control our
machines. We can see, hear and control
them without an operator being present.
COOPERATION WITH MANY PARTNERS
60 per cent of Water Jet Sweden’s
contacts in academia are with local
researchers. But when their expertise is
not sufficient, Jan Ryd applies to a university
that has the specific knowhow
that the company needs.
– We often use the universities in
Stockholm or Gothenburg. But just as
often we use universities in other countries.
Today the workshop is full of German
voices. Jan Ryd and his colleagues
are working on an advanced project, and
the only universities with the specialist
expertise are the universities in Berlin
and Hannover.
– Having access to a regional university
college that can help us with our
long-term development work and being
able to take advantage of specialist
expertise for specific problems enables
us to get all the help we need.
A traditional problem for many
SMEs is the lack of time and money
for research and development. In order
to strengthen and stimulate research in
such companies the Swedish government
has set aside 10.5 million euro in
direct aid, which is administered by
VINNOVA. The overall objective is to
help the companies so that they can
compete in global markets. Increased
research will hopefully enable companies
to bring new products or services to
market more quickly.
STRATEGIES FOR STRENGTH
Sweden is a world leader when it comes
to knowledge-intensive industrial
production. Together with representatives
of key industries and trade unions,
the Swedish government is now
working on common strategies that
will help Sweden maintain its leading
position. The goal is to reach agreement
on important challenges and
comparative advantages in research,
production etc. The industries concerned
contribute more than 80 per cent
of Swedish industry’s total investment
in R&D, generate 57 billion euro in
export earnings and provide about
600,000 jobs. Here are some examples
of important growth areas.
• The aerospace industry is an
international growth industry in
which Swedish companies have
doubled their sales in the period of
10 years. R&D accounts for a high
proportion of costs in the industry.
• The automotive industry is one of
Sweden’s most important industries
and one of the most dynamic and
knowledge-based in the world. The
Swedish automotive industry is
better prepared for the future than
many of its competitors.
Waterjet cutting technology makes it possible
to cut detailed patterns in almost all types of
material. The water passes the cutting head
with a speed of 900 metres per second.
• The Information & Communication
Technology industry in Sweden
includes several very successful
companies and accounts for almost a
third of R&D in the industrial sector
as a whole. Apart from large export
earnings, the ICT sector also helps to
improve productivity in other sectors.
• Sweden’s mining and metal industry
leads the world in certain strategic
areas. Leading-edge technology,
highly processed products and
sustainable resource use ensure
international competitiveness.
• The pharmaceutical and biotechnology
industry is strong in Sweden,
and collaboration between research,
industry and the health service is
very well-developed. This collaboration
has led to several world-class
innovations.
• The forest and timber industry
is very important for Sweden’s
economy and also accounts for a
large percentage of the balance of
trade. Sweden is the world’s fourth
largest exporter of pulp, the third
largest exporter of paper and the
second largest exporter of sawmill
products.
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