Our year in brief 2025
Welcome to our summary of last year, a year marked by uncertainty and rapid change. Through close collaboration with our customers and a focus on their needs, we created value together. As we approach our 120th anniversary in 2026, we do so with confidence, knowing that our greatest strength lies in our people and in our joint achievement.
Download the report
Comments from our CEO
Strength, commitment and progress – together
2025 unfolded in a world shaped by uncertainty, from geopolitical tensions to uneven market conditions. Yet at Suzuki Garphyttan we continued to move forward by staying true to our long-term strategy. We strengthened our competitiveness through innovation, new investments and a broader portfolio beyond the combustion engine.
Important steps were taken toward cleaner, safer and more efficient production, alongside the launch of our internal machine design capability. But the most meaningful progress happened within our organization. Through strong collaboration, growing competence and shared commitment, our people made everyday work more connected and effective. As we approach our 120-year anniversary in 2026, we do so with confidence – knowing our greatest strength lies in our people, and in what we achieve together.
Ad Raatgeep,
President and CEO
Highlights
2025
Next generation hardening
Our second production line with oil- and lead-free hardening is in operation at our site in Suzhou, China.
Equipping the operators of the future
We roll out our Operator program across our sites, strengthening skills, engagement and a shared way of working through the Suzuki Garphyttan Academy.
OneShare reaches Site South Bend
This year, it was time for Site South Bend, USA to become part of OneShare, our common business system.
New record year for safety
Two of our five production sites achieved 365 days without accidents during the year.
An investment in joint development
The co-worker program has reached its goal, now all our employees globally have completed the three modules.
2.6
Billion SEK in revenue
70 100
Metric tonnes of wire produced
120
Years of experience
GROWTH AND DIVERSIFICATION
The power of listening
Over the year, Suzuki Garphyttan took several steps to strengthen its position as an active and leading partner in a changing market. Innovation, flexibility and responsiveness are at the heart of this transformation. Our mission here has been to change our mindset, asking what the customer needs and really listening to the response.
Ulf Quadflieg is Business Area Manager EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) at Suzuki Garphyttan. From his office in Düsseldorf, Germany, he looks back on a year characterized by external changes, particularly in the automotive industry where electrification is redrawing the map.
READ THE ARTICLE
Our people
Over three decades of development, commitment and joy
After more than 32 years at Suzuki Garphyttan, David Thureborn is approaching retirement. He began his journey in December 1993 and will end his employment in January 2026. With a background as a mining engineer from the Royal Institute of Technology, in Stockholm and experience from, among other things, Volvo's foundry in Skövde, he applied to what was then Garphyttan Wire AB – a choice that came to shape his professional life.
Over the years, David has held a number of roles that have given him a unique overall view of the business. He started as a process developer close to production and has since worked as head of product development and lab, process manager for pickling, scaling, patenting and coating. He has been Head of Quality and Development as well as Business Manager for various areas. In the later years of his career, he has been Vice President Research & Development, Program Manager Automotive and now finally worked as a Senior Advisor. For David, the variety, development and colleagues have been the best thing about the job.
Capacity
Close to our customers in an uncertain world
We are navigating a time of geopolitical uncertainty where unstable trade relations and measures such as tariffs are challenging the industry. It is an environment where resilience and adaptability are essential. 2025 was a turbulent year in which we proved the value of our global presence. With production close to our customers, we have the flexibility required to deliver, regardless of the fluctuations in the outside world.
Our facility in South Bend, USA, is a concrete example. Here we are breaking new ground by expanding our range of shaped wire products and delivery methods. This contributes to a more sustainable production locally. By offering products with the same high quality in several places in the world, the security for our customers also increases.
Being close to customers is not just a principle – it's our strategy. With operations in several regions of the world, we are getting closer to the core and the common goal of working together to transform the industry. Each market has its own regulations, conditions, and requirements. By adapting our products to unique local conditions, we create solutions that are relevant and deliver on their promises, today and tomorrow.
Innovation
Strengthened testing capacity in our production
The ability to conduct tests without disrupting production helped to increase the pace of innovation in 2025.
Our engineers need access to a test environment that resembles real production, both to be able to test new innovations and to ensure that our high quality is maintained. The ambition is to enable this without compromising our production. For example, there is now an oven dedicated to testing and we have also expanded the opportunities to test for drawing.
For a long time, the company's own laboratory has a broad range of expertise, which is equipped with state-of-the-art instruments, testing and simulation capabilities. All in all, there is now a platform for thorough investigations, accurate simulations, and reliable results.
If you could innovate without budget or technical constraints, what “impossible” product would you create with our wire – and why?
Ulf Quadflieg
Business Area Manager EMEA , Düsseldorf, Germany
"I would invent a wire with an integrated sensor system to be able to follow the spring performance in real time and make predictive maintenance."
Kirk Manning
Business Area Manager Americas , South Bend, USA
"I would invent a self-healing, ultra-light, high-strength steel wire that could repair microscopic fatigue cracks on its own and maintain its mechanical properties over decades of use."
Louise Roberthson
Summer worker, Garphyttan, Sweden
"The environment truly matters to me. Imagine if our wire could help improve the climate — within water, wind, and solar energy or enable smarter, practical solutions. With the right reinforcement, even parking lots could be grass instead of asphalt, allowing rainwater to return naturally to the groundwater."
Digitalization
OneShare connects South Bend to the world
Switching business systems is rarely a straightforward journey. For the team in South Bend, in the USA, the 2025 launch of OneShare didn’t just entail new software – it required a mental shift.
SUSTAINABILITY
Measurable success for sustainability work
Although efforts to reduce climate impacts are long-term, 2025 was the year Suzuki Garphyttan demonstrated that changes are possible here and now. Driven by demands from customers and the external community, sustainability initiatives have become more concrete and measurable. Through smart technical solutions, efforts to reduce the climate footprint have become part of everyday life and more integrated into business decisions.
READ THE ARTICLE
Safety first
New record year for safety – positive trend since 2021
2025 meant a new record year for safety at Suzuki Garphyttan. Two of our five production sites achieved 365 days without accidents during the year. Looking at all our sites, this is a big improvement and in total the number of accidents has decreased by 93% compared to 2021.
During the year, the company continued to learn from experience and develop routines with a focus on risk awareness and practical solutions. Lessons learned from previous incidents are actively used and knowledge is shared between the various production sites to prevent new accidents. The commitment of our employees has been crucial and has made us even better at preventing accidents in everyday life. In 2025, representatives from our production units gathered for our first global safety conference. There, we shared experiences, strengthened cooperation and ensured a common direction for the entire organization.
“The results are not just numbers – they reflect a workplace where employees can feel safe, focus on their work and contribute to the company's success. It clearly shows that our long-term focus on learning, collaboration and practical efforts really makes a difference. The development in 2025 marks an important step towards Suzuki Garphyttan's goal: a completely accident-free operation,” says Johan Marberg, HSE & Facility Manager at Suzuki Garphyttan and globally responsible for driving safety work forward.
The workforce of tomorrow
Collaboration that builds the Suzuki Garphyttan of the future
In 2025, Suzuki Garphyttan increased the pace of collaboration with universities and Vocational colleges. With new agreements and a clearer way of working, the company meets the next generation of engineers – to secure competence, drive development together and give both students and employees more ways to grow. The industry today places higher demands on material knowledge, quality and sustainable production. Therefore, bridges are built between education, research and everyday life in the company's production and R&D – early and close.
Agreements are in place with KTH Mining Section, Örebro University and Bergsskolan in Filipstad. In addition, an in-depth dialogue is being conducted with Arboga Vocational colleges. This has been seen in job fairs, activities on campus, factory visits and training sessions where our employees have shared knowledge.
"The direct contact with the students makes a difference – we can show who we are and what we offer at an early stage. When we link Thesis projects to our real problems, we get both new ideas and measurable benefits in the lab and production," says Dan Larsson, Head of Lab, R&D.
The result of the collaboration is, for example, more qualified applications for summer jobs and Thesis projects. An increased internal commitment when colleagues lecture, coach and interact with students is also noticeable. Finally, Suzuki Garphyttan has strengthened its presence at job fairs, which has led to more relevant contacts, faster selection and higher quality in the candidate flow.
Responsible production
Further expansion of next generation hardening in China
In 2025, Suzuki Garphyttan took another important step in our commitment to more sustainable and safer production by installing a second oil and lead-free hardening line at the site in Suzhou, China. It is based on our previous work with the next generation hardening technology that has been in operation at this site for a few years now.
Oil and lead-free hardening improve the working conditions for our employees, and it is better for the environment - while maintaining the high quality our customers expect. The new line demonstrates our continued commitment to innovation and sustainable production on a global scale.
The production line is also the result of our ability to develop and build our own machines for production , tailored to our specific processes and quality requirements. This investment clearly demonstrates how our internal technical expertise drives sustainable innovation across our global operations.
When you make everyday choices – such as shopping, travel, or lifestyle decisions – how much does sustainability influence you, and what matters most?
Christoffer Becker
Facility Manager , Garphyttan, Sweden
"Well, I think a lot about it actually. One thing that is significant is that I try to cut down on unnecessary driving. For me and my friends, it has become a habit to always carpool instead of everyone driving a half-empty car if we are going somewhere."
Linda Jonsson
Category Manager, Garphyttan Sweden
"I would say that the most obvious is how it affects my way of shopping. I love shopping, but to minimize my environmental impact I often choose second hand for clothing, kids accessories, books, home styling and so on. I think it is important to be a role model to my kids and show them that you don’t always need to get the newest and latest all the time."
Björn Persson
CEO, Vilax AB, Staffanstorp, Sweden
"Quality is everything. We delivered a bed to the Royal Palace in Stockholm in 1961. It was not replaced until 2021. Today, we manufacture our beds in the same way."
Digitalization
A data platform for the sustainable business of the future
For over a century, Suzuki Garphyttan has shaped the industry with precision and craftsmanship. The company is now gearing up for the next 100 sustainable years. In this process, the new data platform represents an important piece of the puzzle.
A GREAT PLACE TO WORK
The big picture
What do basic metallurgy and paper airplanes have in common? Answer – they are both elements of the Suzuki Garphyttan Operator program. In 2025, operators at most sites been in this competence development initiative to get a better understanding of the big picture and how everything fits together in the company’s future direction.
The Operator program is a global initiative to give participants a common foundation to stand on and a clearer grasp of their own mission from a broader perspective. The program has been developed within the framework of the Suzuki Garphyttan Academy and has now been implemented at all sites except Leeds (planned for the first quarter of 2026).
READ THE ARTICLE
Our sales office in Düsseldorf
An organization equipped for the future
In 2025, a new organization with refined responsibilities in customer service and sales was successfully established in the sales office in Düsseldorf, Germany. Strengthening the focus on accounts and account management brings our organization closer to our customers. This creates a foundation for a, even more, responsive and efficient way of working. Managing Director Kerstin Neuwald, explains:
"I am excited about the change. The ambition has been to create an organization equipped to handle today's market and respond faster to requests. Our ongoing journey requires flexibility and continuous development".
A central part of the work has been to involve employees in the change and give them the opportunity to follow new career paths. Something that strengthens both the individuals and the business. It also leads to an increased commitment in the daily work.
"I think we have created a good structure that has resulted in a more customer-oriented sales office in Düsseldorf. An organization that is well prepared for the future. The past year has been turbulent, but this new structure has helped us stand strong despite challenges," concludes Kerstin.
The co-worker program
A common ground for cooperation and development
The majority of employees have now completed all three modules in the co-worker program. This is an important milestone in Suzuki Garphyttan's long-term work to develop both people and the organization. Through increased understanding and improved conditions for collaboration between functions, space is created for new ideas and sustainable solutions. This strengthens the ability to meet change and helps to retain and develop skills over time.
The co-worker program is a central part of Suzuki Garphyttan Academy. It is carried out in cross-functional groups, employees meet to learn from each other and build relationships. This is a prerequisite for creating an inclusive culture based on trust and openness.
The program covers themes such as coworkership, stress, communication and methods for building effective teams, areas that contribute to a sustainable and successful organisation. The basis for the program is taken from the extensive leadership program that was previously rolled out within Suzuki Garphyttan.
Next step for people development
When experience meets development
In parallel with the co-worker program, Suzuki Garphyttan has started a pilot for an upcoming mentor program. This will create opportunities for knowledge exchange, personal development and strengthened collaboration between different roles and experience levels. By sharing experiences, perspectives and insights, mentoring contributes to increased confidence in the professional role, faster learning and a stronger commitment.
The pilot program represents an important step in the continued work on skills and long-term development of both employees and the organization. In 2025, test mentoring sessions was carried out that provided valuable insights and experiences. The next step involves formalizing the mentor program and roll it out the coming year.
What do you need to feel safe and motivated when things change – at work or in other situations?
Tony Farley
Business Development Director, Leeds, UK
"I feel more secure and motivated when I understand why change is happening and what we’re trying to achieve. Clear and honest communication, especially about how it affects my role and the team, makes a big difference. Being included, able to ask questions, and knowing support is there helps me stay positive and focused."
Dasiy Li
HR Manager, Suzhou, China
"When I understand the background and purpose of the change, I feel safe and motivated. Transparent communication that prevents rumors, clear roles, responsibilities, and reporting structures all help. A strong, trustworthy leadership is also important."
Maria Karlsson
VP Communication & Sustainability, Garphyttan, Sweden
"For me, security and motivation in times of change are very much about clarity and involvement. I need to understand why we are changing, where we are heading, and what is expected of me. When there is dialogue and space to ask questions and contribute perspectives, it becomes easier to stay focused. And in a supportive, human-centered environment where we are allowed to test, learn, and adjust, I can turn change into concrete results."
Digitalization
“We can be proud of our direction”
With a keen interest in technology and an ability to see the people behind the systems, Andreas Rendius is driving Suzuki Garphyttan’s digital journey forward.