Ahead of the curve since 1873

17 March 2020

SCC patron Atlas Copco is one of Sweden’s largest businesses, with the highest stock-market value among businesses headquartered in Sweden, but is still relatively unknown to the general public. As the company celebrated its centenary in the UK, we met with Kevin Prince, General Manager and Director at Atlas Copco Power Technique UK & Ireland, to discuss innovation in a changing world and how Atlas Copco after more than 100 years continues to stay ahead of the game.

When founded in 1873, Atlas Copco started as a manufacturer of products for railways. Since then, the Swedish business has grown to be a global, industrial company providing compressors, vacuum solutions, generators and pumps to industries all over the world. “We are an industrial company and we make equipment that is often tucked away and hidden in factories and on sites. I think people in the manufacturing industry, in the industrial and the construction sector know us, but your average consumer doesn’t,” Kevin says.

He often finds himself explaining to uninitiated people what the company actually does: “I always say that Atlas Copco is an industrial company making equipment that pretty much touches every aspect of your life. Whether you go to the dentist, the hospital, have a car or a mobile phone; somewhere, Atlas Copco has touched your life, even though you didn’t know it. Every factory in the world uses compressed air. Whether it is in the process, or in supporting the process through bolting or using air as part of the manufacturing system, it touches everything.”

One step ahead of competition
When discussing the reasons behind Atlas Copco’s growth and long-lasting success, Kevin’s answer is plain and simple: “There are two main things. The first is innovation. Atlas Copco has always been the innovator, always one step ahead of the competition with the latest technology and ground-breaking concepts, which makes it difficult as a competitor to keep up. The second thing is the absolute commitment to the customer. Atlas Copco has always been a company that has put the customer at the heart of our business. We are there supporting the customer through thick and thin and they know that, and we build close relationships. A hundred years of history proves that.”

Exciting time for engineering
In a world with rapid technological advancements, how does a large company with a rich heritage like Atlas Copco keep pace with development? “The pace of new product development is clearly ever increasing, and we have to think about how we can reduce the time to market for new products. How do we increase the pace? And how do we look at new technologies for the future that might be interesting? In all of this, it is important to listen to and work with your customers, to hire the best minds you can get and align with universities for academic thinking,” Kevin says and goes on describing the company’s approach to new product development of its business. “We fund the R&D to make a prototype, which takes about three to six months. The prototype is then tested, and if it passes the tests, it is funded to go to serial production. By then, you might have tested three to four prototypes. It’s an exciting time for engineering. There are so many new ideas and concepts that they are playing with. And that is great for attracting graduate engineers to the company.”

Working in a Swedish business setting
Before joining Atlas Copco, Kevin worked for another Swedish company, SKF, and he shares his impressions of working in a Swedish business setting: “I have only worked for Swedish companies. They really care about their people and they really care about the environment. Environmental aspects are now really at the forefront of consumers’ minds, whereas 20 years ago they weren’t. But Swedish companies have always been like that.” Throughout his years at Atlas Copco, he has worked in several positions, in product marketing, sales management and business management, and was given the chance to study for an MBA. “Atlas Copco is really good at giving you opportunities, to grow as an individual and develop your career,” Kevin says and continues: “We usually say that you can go somewhere else and make a lot more money, but would you have as much fun, and would you have the same opportunities? Would you be able to work for a company that is as socially conscious as Atlas Copco and many other Swedish companies? That is one of the reasons I have stayed.”

People at the core
For Atlas Copco, the element of its people is at the core, which is embodied through its graduate programmes. “What is really important for the future is to bring more young people to secure the future. We know that our graduates today don’t see it like I did some 40 years ago, there aren’t jobs for life. If you can’t keep them motivated and engaged, they move on. The great thing about Atlas Copco is that there are so many opportunities in the group that they can stay and find that next step in their career,” Kevin says and explains that the company is working actively for diversity: “It’s still a male dominated industry, but we see that changing. We have a lot of activities and initiatives to promote our company into schools and universities, to both male and female graduates. For example, my management team is 50% female, I think that’s very healthy.”

Continued innovation
Looking ahead, Kevin believes that the facets that have made Atlas Copco special in the last 100 years, still apply for the foreseeable future. “It is about continued innovation, none of us want to be a Kodak. They never anticipated digital photography. Imagine something happens and you don’t need air compressors anymore. It is not likely, but it could happen. The mindset at Atlas Copco is that there is always a better
Atlas Copco’s riveting applications are used in e.g the automotive industry. Photo: Atlas Copco.
Kevin Prince, General Manager and Director at Atlas Copco Power Technique UK & Ireland, at the centenary celebration at The Shard in London.
way. I think that is a good mindset to have for everything you do. No matter how good you are, you can be a bit better.”

And it seems it is this constant willingness to embrace change, that has kept Atlas Copco relevant and ahead of the curve to this day. Kevin says: “If we look at where we started with steam engines and railway equipment, we don’t make any of that today. Change is inevitable, and I think you have to. If you cannot accept change, you’re going to struggle. I think the world of work is changing, technology is ever changing, and innovation is increasing. It’s a really exciting time.”

By: Jonas Eklund

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