”We must concentrate on the details, what’s required now is fine tuning”, says the new President of ElectroluxWascator, Håkan Johansson. ”That fine tuning is going to be centred around R & D, developing new applications, upgrading older machines and introducing new ones as the product replacement cycle speeds up.  “Investing more in R&D means we can expect to see more new products and functions”, he comments. “But that’s not enough. We have professional customers who expect us to work together with them improving their business and helping the environment. It makes sound business sense in the long run.”

Håkan Johansson is 41 years old with an MBA from the University of Gothenburg and a background in treasury and corporate finance. Most of his working life has been spent at large corporations including Volvo where, when he left the company in early 1994, he was Director of Finance.
He joined Electrolux in April 1994 as Senior Vice President responsible for Mergers and Acquisitions and took over as President of the company’s Industrial Laundry operations in June of this year.
“There are similarities between the auto industry and industrial laundry equipment”, says Håkan Johansson. “Modularisation and standardisation, sourcing, R & D, logistics and brand positioning are all things that this company is good at, but which can be further refined.”
Electrolux Industrial Laundry has steadily increased R&D spending as a percentage of sales over the past 7 years and this has paid off.
“We have a good product base and relatively few problems in production, but more effort is needed in the logistical chain. We’ll work on shortening lead times and speeding deliveries. Also resources will be concentrated on expanding in markets where Electrolux is already represented like South East Asia, Latin America, South Africa, Eastern Europe and China.”
Growth, although of primary interest, is not likely to happen through acquisitions, says Håkan Johansson.
“We aim to continue to consolidate on a fragmented market and will, naturally, watch developments very closely. But we would rather grow by increasing market shares and here it is important to have quality products.
”We already have a leading range. What we’re focusing on now is perceived quality, how the customer is met and what we can contribute to help their business work better. The same applies to the environment reducing water, energy and chemical consumption.”
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For further information contact:
AUSTRALIA
Electrolux Laundry Systems
Mr. D. Wilson
123 Lewis Road
Wantirna South
Victoria 3152, Australia
Tel 938 871 406
Fax 938 871 710

DENMARK
Electrolux-Wascator A/S
Lundtoftegårdsvej 99
DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark
Tel: 43 96 56 55
Fax: 43 45 93 24
or
Nyborg Vaskerimaskiner A/S
DK-5690 Tommerup
Tel: 64 76 12 34
Fax: 64 76 12 89.

FRANCE
Electrolux Blanchisserie SNC
M. J. Mesureux
10, Rue du Colisée
F-75008 Paris, France
Tel: 142256390
Fax: 145633805
or
Dubix-de-Souza
M. Y. Guillemot
Rue Pasteur, B P 6
F-10430 Rosieres Près Troyes
France
Tel: 325829133
Fax: 325825044

ITALY
Electrolux-Wascator Spa
Sig. T. Sarvia
Strada Fornacino 152
PO Box 20
I-10040 Leinì (TO), Italy
Tel: 011 996 9494
Fax: 011 996 8922

NETHERLANDS
Food Service Equipm. Nederland b.v.
Wascator Division
Dhr. R. v.d. Linden
Postbus 188
NL-1110 BD Diemen, Netherlands
Tel:020-5692100
Fax:020-5692380

NORWAY
Electrolux FLC A/S
Herr T. Heitnes
Postboks 115, Økern
N-0509 Oslo 5, Norway
Tlf: 22635500
Faks: 22659505
SPAIN
Electrolux-Wascator S.A.
Div. Lavandería Industrial
Sr. J. Puy
Caballero 5 y 7
08014 Barcelona
España
Tel:93-4909703 4910206
Fax:93-4907757
SWEDEN
Electrolux-Wascator AB
Håkan Johansson, President
SE-341 80 LJUNGBY, Sweden
Tel: +46 372 66100
Fax. +46 372 13390

SWITZERLAND
Electrolux AG
Wascator Cleis Wäschereitechnik
Mr. U Meier
Industriestraße 10
CH-5506 Mägenwill, Switzerland
Tel: 062-8899450
Fax: 062-8899460
or
Rosal Roland Salomon AG
Industrie Neuhof 12
CH- 422 Kirchberg, Switzerland
Tel: 034-456011
Fax: 034-456017

UNITED KINGDOM
Electrolux Industrial Laundry Systems Group
Mr. D. Wright
Humphry's Road
Dunstable, Bedfordshire LU5 4TP, England
Tel: 0158-259 3273
Fax: 0158-258 8871

USA
Washex Machinery Corporation
Mr. M. Dreher
5000 Central Freeway
Wichita Falls, Texas 76306, USA
Tel: (817) 855 3990
Fax: (817) 855 9349
or
Wascomat of America
Mr. N. Milch
461 Doughty Boulevard
Inwood, Long Island
New York 11096, USA
Tel: (516) 371 4400
Fax: (516) 371 4029

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