Niklas Holmer to lead the Swedish expansion at Guard Automation

Following the recent acquisition of LMT Elteknik, the company is now focusing on continued expansion in the Swedish market with established automation systems and new solutions for cloud and security services. The Swedish business is experiencing strong growth, with offices in Stockholm, Vara, Svenljunga, Hässleholm and Kristianstad.

”I am really looking forward to working together with all our highly competent employees to drive the expansion of Guard Automation in Sweden. Through our automation solutions and services, we help reduce both energy consumption and carbon emissions while reducing costs for companies and the public sector. Now, more people will be able to achieve those benefits,” says Niklas Holmer.

Niklas Holmer has extensive experience as a leader in industrial companies. Most recently he served as CEO of Bossard Sweden, and prior to that he held the role of Sales Manager at ABB. The automation industry is not new to Niklas Holmer, who is a trained automation engineer from Malmö University and subsequently worked in the automation industry at Beijer Electronics for many years.

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

Chairman of the Board and owner Karl Kristian Sunde believes that the recruitment of Niklas Holmer is a very important component in the expansion of the Swedish business.

”With Niklas we gain an experienced leader who also has deep roots in our industry. Under his leadership we will now expand our efforts in Sweden by focusing on continued recruitment and further development of our existing staff. In the short term it is about ensuring that our customers benefit from the expertise we gained through the acquisition of LMT, and we do not rule out that acquisitions will be an important part of our growth,” says Karl Kristian Sunde.

Karl Kristian explains that Sweden is characterised by a few large actors in automation in an otherwise highly fragmented market with many small local suppliers.

”Here, Guard will be a challenger characterised by offering the best automation solutions and always being close to our customers locally.”

In connection with the acquisition of LMT, an expanded focus on service was announced to ensure that costly and socially critical disruptions can be avoided in critical facilities.

Now another initiative is being launched where Swedish customers will be able to benefit further from Guard Cloud, a market-leading platform that includes everything from data collection and analysis to control and monitoring, increasing predictability in maintenance. In addition, the company will meet customer demands for increased cybersecurity through new services, whether for connected systems or operational autonomous industrial systems.

”We will become the market leader in comprehensive automation solutions in the Swedish market by continuing our long-term development and thus meeting the demands of the industry for secure, robust and sustainable automation solutions,” concludes Niklas Holmer.

More information about the Guard Group

The Guard Group is an independent provider of automation, system integration and IT services. The primary focus areas are water and environment, energy and manufacturing industry, industrial cybersecurity, and industrial IoT and AI. The Group has good profitability and a strong equity ratio. At the end of 2023, Guard had 180 employees and a turnover of SEK 300 million (25 per cent growth). For 2024, the turnover of the Group is expected to reach approximately SEK 400 million.

Guard focuses on ESG as well as cybersecurity within critical social infrastructure and holds several quality certifications such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 27001.

The Guard Group consists of its parent company, Guard Invest AS, and the subsidiaries Guard Automation AS, Guard Automation AB and LMT Elteknik AB.