On a sunny autumn day in November, we meet Stefan Lindby and his son Hugo, from the Gotland contracting company “Väg och Byggnadsgrus på Gotland AB”, who have taken the boat over to the mainland to pick up a new excavator. Their family business was started by grandfather Gösta, and is now run by the third generation. Business is going well, and about seven months ago they decided to make one of the company’s largest investments ever by purchasing a total of 18 units of the Makin’ 3D machine system, something that would not only increase efficiency but also increase the profitability of the company.
The thought of replacing the machine systems had been going on for a while, as the current systems were becoming obsolete, resulting in more and more repairs resulting in costly downtime. At the same time, they had bought in a machine that already had a Makin’ 3D system installed. Since they didn’t know about the system before, they called MaskinSystem’s support to get help getting started. They then quickly realized that they could find solutions with more modern systems that allowed the projects to flow more smoothly through all the flows.
Stefan took in and compared several different makes on the market, and was curious about what functions and advantages could be offered.
– We thoroughly evaluated which system we should choose, we wanted to know which functions were available and how useful it would be for us, says Stefan.
The decision was not easy. There were many hours of discussions, testing and evaluations. They also felt that it was very important to find a supplier in whom they felt strong confidence, and could count on a good collaboration for a long time to come. The choice finally fell on MaskinSystem and their system Makin’ 3D.
– The most positive thing is that any machinist understands it, but also that the office gets access to all information from the projects. Everything happens in real time and everyone becomes more involved and the flow becomes much smoother.
Regarding hardware, Stefan says that what stands out the most is the extremely strong reception on the GNSS receiver, it is fully functional even out in the forest when it should actually go out. This has made it much easier because they basically always run with GNSS.
We all know that Gotland is an island, and those of us who are familiar with the industry understand that it can be a lengthy process to deliver and install 18 systems. But MaskinSystem managed this in record time! Four technicians delivered 16 systems in four days, with the final two systems in a follow-up round. Stefan describes it as a wonderful Rock’n’roll experience.
– It was long days and many quick turns in the McDonald’s Drive Thru, but it was a very fun experience for both parties.
When we ask Stefan if there was anything he was unsure about before choosing Makin’ 3D, he first thinks about it, but then comes to the conclusion that there was initially some concern about one of their biggest investments being made in a relatively new product and that they could not set an exact resale value.
– Makin’ 3D was developed in Scandinavia and has only existed for a couple of years if compared to some other players who are “worldwide” where it is easier to calculate, but the future will tell. However, this is not something that worries Stefan today:
– We strongly believe in Makin and already see that they continue to take more and more market shares and grow strongly. With the launch of Makin’ Surfaces, a solution for automatically calculating volumes, the future looks even brighter.
The projects are largely about quantities. Stefan explains that this will be an important thing in the future, as developers can spend about 10-12 hours a month per project, on measuring volumes. When this is now automated and can be read directly via the system, it will mean big savings and efficiency will increase in the projects.
– Then it doesn’t get any worse that in the seven months we’ve had Makin’ 3D in use, we’ve only needed service on one cable and one sensor. It was far beyond my expectations, says Stefan.
As a child, Stefan spent all his free time on the farm, and he remembers his first mission as a little boy. It was to go and gather snowdrops, and it was extremely important according to grandpa that there were exactly 25 in each bundle. The interest in machines and entrepreneurship grew every year, and in 1990 the first excavator was purchased, from which the excavation side of the company began to develop further. It was then that Stefan became a partner in the company with grandfather Gösta.
Väg och Byggnadgrus på Gotland AB offers everything in land and construction and is constantly expanding its machinery. The company has around 50 employees and of course Stefan’s entire family works in the company. Both Stefan’s wife Lotta and their four children; Gustav, André, Tom and Hugo. When we ask Hugo, who is the youngest in the group of siblings, which machine is the most fun to drive, no time for reflection is needed, but he exclaims wittily “excavator of course!”. Stefan is also keen to pay tribute to his customers:
– Without our customers, we would be nothing, says Stefan. We have many loyal customers who have been with us for over 30 years, but it is always as much fun to meet both new and old customers. And no job is too small or too big.
We dare to ask Stefan if he manages to have any free time, as he is obviously passionate about his job and the industry. Then Stefan laughs a lovely laugh.
– You know, I have been blessed with four grandchildren. Which I want to spend as much time as possible on. Little moments like when, for example, three-year-old Nils hangs out in the workshop with me and tinkers with my vintage cars are fantastic. And the wife and I have the kind of camper that we at least dream of getting away for a week a year. But being able to spend the days with my family and sometimes take a ride on the bike, that’s quality of life for me.
We are nearing the end of our interview with Stefan, and therefore take the opportunity to thank him for getting to know both him and the entire company. And of course we are very proud and happy that they chose MaskinSystem and Makin’ 3D, with such success as a result.
