Guard makes a major investment in the Swedish market

Following the merger, the combined company will have five branch offices, approximately 50 employees and a turnover of around SEK 80 million in Sweden. After the merger, the company will have offices in Vara, Stockholm, Kristianstad, Hässleholm and Svenljunga. The operations are led by board member and acting CEO Bo Engström.

Headquartered in Norway, the Guard Group is an independent provider of automation, system integration and IT services. The primary focus areas are water and environment, energy and production industry, industrial cybersecurity, and industrial IoT and AI.

Expanding significantly with a focus on growth within traditional industry

In the Swedish market, the primary focus areas for Guard have been water, wastewater and the environment. The company primarily works with customers in the public sector. In combination with the expertise and automation solutions of LMT for the industrial sector, particularly district heating plants, Guard is now set to grow in the Swedish market.

The objective is clear, according to acting CEO Bo Engström.

”We aim to become the market leader when it comes to comprehensive solutions in automation on the Swedish market. Our focus will be to grow our joint existing areas of expertise in water, wastewater and environment, as well as heating plants. In addition to this, we will expand within energy and production industry, industrial cybersecurity, and industrial IoT and AI. In 2 to 3 years we will be a leader in several of these areas and have a turnover of approximately SEK 250 million for the Swedish part of the group.”

Anders Engqvist, CEO of LMT, who will take on the role of division manager for energy and production industry, comments on the merger.

”The merger with Guard means we can continue our long-term development, and we are strengthening our delivery capacity to existing and new customers, while gaining access to new products and services through Guard. Together we will create stronger customer value and meet the demands of the industry for secure, robust and sustainable automation solutions.”

Service initiative

A major part of the Guard offering in the Norwegian market is service and support. As part of the growth strategy for the Swedish market, Guard will launch an initiative in the service area here as well.

”Our customers are often critical infrastructure operations, such as water treatment and wastewater treatment plants, where a stoppage in operations has devastating consequences. Proactive service and maintenance are therefore highly in demand in the market, and it feels very good that we are now launching an initiative in this area on the Swedish market as well,” comments Bo Engström.

Among other things, Guard will to an expanded extent offer service agreements that enable 24/7 service, involving both on-site service and remote digital service. With this offering, the company will target both Guard and LMT customers.