Moelven Byggmodul AB

Operating exclusively in the Scandinavian market, Moelven Byggmodul AB is Sweden’s leading manufacturer of wooden modular buildings, under the trademark Kilsboden
Time for timber

Operating exclusively in the Scandinavian market, Moelven Byggmodul AB is Sweden’s leading manufacturer of wooden modular buildings, under the trademark Kilsboden

Modular design is ideal for temporary structures in connection with construction and building sites, as well as for permanent buildings such as offices, service buildings and residential housing. An advocate of these ideals, Moelven is Scandinavia’s leading provider of modular buildings, and its production takes place inside five factories – one in Norway and four in Sweden. The modules are supplied ready for installation at the building site.

As a consequence of successful development efforts, Moelven has created a wide range of products suitable for module-based building. Moelven Byggmodul forms part of Moelven’s building module division and the company has long been a market leader within its market segments.

Lars Atterfors, managing director of Moelven Byggmodul, tells Construction Today Europe more about how Moelven’s building module division is organised: “The four production facilities in Sweden are organised into one company with joint sales and
marketing force. Moelven Byggmodul, from the city of Kil, forms part of this single company and specialises in the creation of wooden portacabins. Under the Kilsboden trademark, we have been producing portacabins since 1953 and have helped set the standard in both Sweden and Denmark. We have a long history and lots of experience, so it seems natural we enjoy a good position in the market.”

Moelven Byggmodul’s building process is completely industrialised and the company produces ready-toinstall modular solutions. “Modular buildings are a cost effective way to build and reduce construction time,” explains Lars. “What’s more, heated and dry indoor production facilities, easy to manage and control, ensure a high quality product, reduce the risk of errors and moisture damage, while at the same time provide a better work environment for our employees.

“A further benefit of our industrialised process is that we can standardise the system and its components. It is far easier to do such tasks when you have ultimate control over the construction process – a benefit gained only by working in a factory environment.”

Moelven Byggmodul’s portacabins are made entirely of wood, be that solid wood or laminate timber. Compared to other materials of equal weight and dimension, laminate timber and solid wood are extremely strong materials that allow for high flexibility in architectural design. Their solid environmental and fireretardant properties are often decisive factors when customers select them.

“Despite obvious benefits, not least from an environmentalists’ point of view, wooden portacabins are very popular in the Nordic countries for another reason,” continues Lars. “Wood, because of its solid properties, is much better as a material where you have a cold climate. I think that might be one of the main reasons why we use more wooden portacabins in the Nordic countries. However, the further south you go, the warmer the climate gets and the less you see wood being used. It seems in these markets steel is the material of choice.”

The environment comes very high on the company’s agenda. Major shareholders, Eidsiva, Glommen, Viken Skog, Mjøsen, Adger-Telemark Skogeierforgening, Havass and Ovrign, own Moelven Industrier ASA, the company’s parent, and the group is organised into three divisions – timber, wood and Byggsystem. Moelven Byggmodul, which falls under the Byggsystem banner, guarantees its materials come from sustainable sources, due to many of the groups’ majority shareholders being forestry owners; a unique selling point.

2006 was the most successful year in the company’s history. Profit figures for Moelven in 2006 reached record highs. Indeed, figures doubled when compared to profit figures in 2005. Rising profits have seen investment in processes increase.

Benefiting from this upward trend, Moelven Byggmodul has invested considerable sums over recent years in improving its processes: “Over the last five years, we have steadily improved the technology and finetuned our manufacturing methods,” says Lars. “Thanks to this investment, we have gained an important competitive edge.”

Looking to the future, Lars concludes: “Our future strategy is to become an even more competent supplier of building systems to the construction industry, serving more customers than we have ever done before.

“Our vision is to remain the market leader for wood based portacabins in Sweden and Denmark. We are focused in achieving results and willing to take on responsibility, while working openly and honestly. Going forward, I would definitely love to highlight the benefits of wood in countries where wood is largely ignored and I think the market is currently developing in a way which may open that possibility.”

By challenging alternative materials such as steel and concrete, timber and solid wood elements are poised to gain further market share in Scandinavia, so the future looks bright for Moelven Byggmodul.