UPM: “The volumes were small at first but things have grown exponentially”

When UPM – one of the world’s largest plywood producers – chose Ljungberg Fritzoe as its partner, both mutual trust and the prospect of a long-term partnership were given high priority.

UPM is a global company that wears many hats. Its primary business, however, is the paper industry and the company produces almost everything that can be made from timber, with plywood being of particular importance. UPM was one of the first companies that Ljungberg Fritzoe contacted when it launched in 2013 and today the company distributes tens of thousandths of cubic metres of UPM’s WISA Plywood.

“Their WISA brand stands for quality and has firmly established itself among traders. It is a brand that we absolutely are happy to work with,” says Thomas Ljungman, CEO of Ljungberg Fritzoe.

Long-term partnership

One of the reasons why Ljungberg Fritzoe chose UPM was that it saw the potential for a strong and long-term partnership considering the high-quality plywood they produce. The feeling was mutual, as head of sales at UPM Sweden, Åsa Björnsdotter, explains:

“It is always a risk to begin collaborating with a new company, but we didn’t really think of Ljungberg Fritzoe as being new in that sense given that everyone there had such extensive experience in the industry. They were well positioned to take a large share of the Swedish plywood market so when the question came we didn’t hesitate to respond. The volumes were small at first but things have grown exponentially over the years,” she says, before going on to add that:

“Here at UPM, we only choose to work with partners we know we can work with in both the short and long term. We need to be able to deliver the volume our customers demand – not just next month but for many years into the future. The ability that Ljungberg Fritzoe has to predict the market is something that has been incredibly important to us.”

Their development has been fantastic and we are really glad to have been a part of it.

Something which characterises the partnership is the trust that has been built up over the years. Regular dialogue and a solid understanding of each other’s needs and challenges have allowed the collaboration to progress smoothly and confidently.

“Trust is key for things to work, and we know that Åsa has a really good understanding as to how our business works and what our needs are.”

“We know each other well and we know how to run projects together,” adds Åsa Björnsdotter.

How has the partnership developed over the years?

“Very strongly. They have succeeded in helping our products to reach out all across the country. We have a very strong brand in WISA Plywood and together with the knowledge and experience of Ljungberg Fritzoe, we have been able to really get it out there,” says Åsa Björnsdotter, adding:

“Their development has been fantastic and we are really glad to have been a part of it. It is great for them and it is great for us, so it’s an all-round win-win.”