Designing refractories is an art, developed over the centuries – material composition, grain size and density are combined with precision; thermal conductivity, permeability, abrasion resistance and thermal expansion are measured meticulously. For close to 200 years, Höganäs Borgestad has mastered this art to perfection.
“We are a company with a long tradition, producing refractories since 1825,” says Managing Director Hanna Landell. “The Nordics have been our main market, but we have established a global presence over the years, serving customers in more than 70 countries. Many times, we have followed our customers to apply the concept used in their Nordic operations in their global production units around the world.”
Flexible and efficient
The Höganäs Borgestad Group today employs 300 people across several companies within the refractory and insulation sector. The focus is on providing a comprehensive solution that enhances the productivity and competitiveness of its customers; solutions that will deliver long lasting value. To this end, Höganäs offers turnkey solutions, working closely with customers all the way from design through to installation and support.
“We are a concept supplier, a solution provider offering a well-defined range of refractory products and installation that are applied across a range of industries. Our know-how in the development of refractories and high-temperature solutions, acquired over two centuries, is our main differentiator,” says Landell.
“With our technical expertise we focus on developing concepts that create added value for our customers. As a relatively small company, we can be close to them and provide a high level of service suited to their needs, responding swiftly and flexibly to their requirements.”
As for any company in Europe, one of Höganäs’s challenges is the shortage of human resources, specifically within the refractory sector. However, the company strives to handle the challenge from a long-term perspective, looking for people with the right mindset and training them internally.
Market uncertainty remains another major challenge, admits Landell. “Potential geopolitical risks may impact any business today, including ours, but this does not hinder us from pursuing a number of initiatives, including a preliminary study for a new plant. Making sure these initiatives do not interfere with daily operations is also a challenge, but an exciting one!”
Ground-breaking investment
To remain competitive, continued investment in technologies is a must. In 2016 the company launched a monolithic production line in its Bjuv site, the most modern of its kind in Europe at that time. Now a major project in under way that will fundamentally change the shape and form of the company, preparing it for future development.
In October 2023, Höganäs Borgestad announced the decision to build a new, advanced refractory plant to allow for more sustainable production. The company has shared a long and rich history with the municipality of Bjuv, going back almost two centuries. As the site is located right in the town centre, the current factory blocks further development of the town and its infrastructure. Against this backdrop, a decision was made to relocate and build a modern production plant in the immediate vicinity. The new plant, the biggest investment in the Höganäs Borgestad Group’s history, is expected to commence production in three to five years.
“We will continue to offer the company’s wide range of products and competitive offerings, throughout and after the construction process. The project presents a great opportunity for both the municipality of Bjuv and our company; it will allow Bjuv to grow and will allow us to expand our product range with new solutions for the future,” says Landell.
She reflects that while the Nordic market may be small, it is in many ways driving the green shift. “Refractory technology is developing fast, with focus on innovative ways to minimize its environmental impact in order to make the refractory process more sustainable.”
“Refractories are sometimes seen as commodities but they are high-value products that need to be durable while providing high performance and environmental credentials. Advances in AI technologies continue to drive innovation across multiple sectors, including the refractory industry, and these will be also utilised in our company to stay competitive.”
“Our advantage is that we are both producer and installer, providing a total solution from concept and design to installation, across the whole value chain. Together with our customers we can make a bigger impact,” she affirms, adding that sustainability is a top priority for both the company and its customers as they strive to becoming carbon-neutral in the future.
Poised to grow
A great example of how a joint effort can make a big difference is Höganäs’s recent project with Interwell, a renowned Norwegian oil service company and a pioneer in the field of temporary and permanent closure of oil and gas wells – its RockSolid technology, a ground-breaking sustainable innovation for the oil and gas industry of the future and the past, involves developing and testing very high temperature molten materials.
For Interwell, Höganäs became a natural partner of choice, not only contributing in-depth expertise and customized refractory products but also continuing to lead key R&D projects that help to push the limits of this novel technology to widen the scope of its application.
“While the increasing pressure on greener solutions and related legislation may be regarded as a challenge, we see it as an opportunity as well,” says Landell. “We are currently strengthening the team and increasing our presence in the northern parts of Sweden and Finland to make use of the numerous opportunities arising in that part of the Nordics, especially in the steel industry.”
“Apart from that, we have a number of interesting projects and new products that are coming to their execution phase at the end of the year. With a positive outcome to these, I would expect the business to grow next year.”
