72 | theceomagazine.com
The CEO Magazine: What was behind
your initial decision to work in the
lubricant sector?
Jonas: Well, to start with, it was a new area
for me with new challenges. I like to work
in B2B and, for us, lubricants are truly in
B2B. It was also more of a global concern
and that was attractive to me coming from
what was a local business in Sweden.
Another appealing aspect of this role
was the opportunity to cover the full value
chain, from development to production, to
marketing the products. That was new for me.
My experience before was in the end-phase,
so to speak. Also, it offered the chance to
work with different cultures outside Sweden.
Different cultures interest me, so it was an
opportunity I was happy to take.Before taking on the Managing Director job,
you’d worked across many aspects of the business.
Was there any area of the company that you felt
you had to learn more about when you came
into your current role?
Yes, I did have to learn because my background was mainly
in sales, finance, partly business development, and products.
What was new for me was the supply chain with production
and logistics, procurement and R&D. I wanted to do more
work in that field and gain more experience in it.Do you believe your company’s concentration
on lubricants is an advantage over competitors,
particularly those who are focussed on petrol?
Yes, definitely. I’ve worked at companies that had more
focus on the fuel retail business, so I can see a big difference
here. Being part of a core business also means you are
challenged and supported in a more constructive way, based
on deep knowledge of the lubrication business.
The willingness of the owners to invest in our business
has been incredibly beneficial. A good example of that
in the Nordic market is the new plant and warehouses.
Also, taking over the new food-graded business through
acquisition, focusing on product development, you benefit
from high-competency R&D, supply and central product
management. Finally, the global cooperation we enjoy
benefits international customers with global demands,
like Volvo and Scania. So, there are quite a number
of competitive advantages.How do you anticipate your product range will
develop in the next couple of years?
I think we will start to offer more value-added services
to customers. Being part of Fuchs now, we can offer more
specialised lubrication products we didn’t have in stock
before. For example, we have taken on full responsibility
to market products to the food-grade sector in the Nordic
territories. I also see that we will continue to develop
environmentally adapted lubricants. There will most likely
be an increased demand for that as well.What opportunities do you see to develop products
for new vehicles, such as electric cars, for instance?
That is a market that is only just getting started but at
Fuchs, we are already adapting our development strategies
and concrete working methods to meet this new demand.
I think it will generate the need for some lubricants, though
obviously not engine oils or gear oils. But there will still be
a need for transmission oils and increased demand for niche
products. In the coming years, we will most likely see a lot
of hybrid vehicles that still need traditional lubricants. »INSPIRE | Interview