It all started when Anders Olsson, sales manager at Proton Finishing, and Niclas Tjäderborn, development engineer at Thule, came up with the idea of spreading knowledge about surface treatment to a wider audience. With its slogan “Bring your life”, the Hillerstorp-based company is one of the world’s leading lifestyle companies, whose products make it possible to transport equipment: roof racks, roof boxes, bike and ski carriers are among Thule’s best-known products. Many of them have to withstand harsh conditions with rain, snow and salt. The right choice of surface treatment, carried out with quality, is essential.

Participants from across the chain
‘Niclas and I started talking about how everyone in the value chain could gain better knowledge about surface treatment and, not least, that they should have the same knowledge,’ says Anders Olsson.
Previously, shorter training courses had been run for Thule employees. But this year, it was decided to invest heavily in a joint training day at the rubber factory in Värnamo. Under the name ‘Thule with friends’, both Thule’s suppliers and the organisation’s own employees from the development and production sides were invited to a knowledge-filled and inspiring day on the theme of surface treatment. A total of around 70 people took part in the training, which was led by Åsa Svanholm from Win3.

A stronger partnership
Organising an event like this is not without its logistical challenges, but we received really positive feedback from the participants, says Martina Ny, Communications & Sales at Proton Finishing, who was responsible for the event:
By offering our customers added value in the form of knowledge, networking and new types of forums, we are creating a stronger partnership, which is incredibly important to us. Our events over the past three years have not only been appreciated by customers, but have also contributed to new business. This shows us that we are investing in the right things.

A view shared by Niclas Tjäderborn and his colleagues at Thule:
“Our intention with the day was to increase the knowledge of designers, technical managers, test engineers and purchasers regarding technical surface treatment. We turned to Proton because we know that their knowledge in this area is very high. I found the day very rewarding, and Åsa, as an expert in the field, went through both important aspects of surface treatments of interest and what needs to be taken into account in the design in order to succeed.