Exclusive Feature ______________________________________________________________________________________________
has also expanded its product offering and capabilities . Having partnered with German company , Smart HMI for several years , Beijer acquired the business in April 2023 to add web technology-based visualization software to its portfolio of expertise .
With lessons from the pandemic highlighting the importance of proximity to customers and decentralized supply chains , Beijer is set to open a new production facility in Malmo , Sweden this year to further support its global operation .
Custom capabilities
We ’ re joined by Axel Gustafson , Vice President of Product Management , Ali Rezaei , Vice President of EMEA , and Jørn Degn , Head of Marketing , to discuss the company ’ s evolution and product offering , as well as gain their insights into how Beijer Electronics is navigating market changes .
“ Beijer was founded in 1981 , and started off as a distributor of automation solutions , mainly in the Nordic region ,” Ali opens . “ The operation gradually grew across Europe , and we began to develop and manufacture our own products in the 1990s , eventually becoming an independent entity listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange .
“ Throughout the years , we expanded our portfolio of HMI products and our geographic reach via acquisitions in Germany , USA , Taiwan , and Turkey .
Axel adds : “ We released our X2 HMI range in 2016 , which consolidated our HMI panels offering and has been our most successful product launch to date . Most recently , we acquired Smart HMI in Germany after recognizing an opportunity to expand our portfolio of HMI and web-based products , especially as demand for modern and interactive HMI solutions is continually increasing .
“ From a technology point of view , we believe that Smart HMI ’ s innovative solutions will give us a competitive edge in the marketplace . Its additional technical capabilities allow us to better address the evolving needs of modern customers as they adopt new technologies like responsive low code design system integrations . In fact , it ’ s transformed our relationship with some of our customers , who now see our combined capabilities as being at the forefront of technology .”
Having narrated the history of Beijer ’ s growth , the trio turn their attention to what factors they believe have enabled such success and longevity . “ We work very closely with our customers ; it ’ s ultimately their needs that drive what we do ,” Axel states . “ Through collaboration , we can identify what our existing and potential customers are striving to achieve and use this data to fuel our product development .
“ Over the last few years , for instance , it became apparent that the move towards a responsive , low code , design system integration was a fantastic fit with our WebIQ product . With more than 50 built-in widgets , WebIQ offers customers a ‘ drag and drop ’ approach to coding instead of writing code manually . Although WebIQ is suitable and user-friendly for individuals with no relevant experience , it also allows those with programming expertise to edit and integrate code , as well as create custom widgets .”
38