History

The company was formed from the chaotic relationship which the co-owners had with their former employer. There were originally two owners, but in 1989 two became one.

The vision at the very beginning in 1986 was a limited number of engineers focusing on development-intensive assignments in the field of special purpose machines. Our slogan, ‘Engineers with passion for technology’, is a good description of what the company stands for and has always stood for. With the suggested name of SATCON being changed to CONSAT at the initiative of the Swedish Patent and Registration Office one Friday afternoon, the company was born.

We won our first assignment from Volvo Buses, with MecoPak and Forbo Forshaga following soon after – clients that are still with us today. Long-term relationships with our clients is and always has been our motto, and that has been the case from the very first day.

Right from the start, it was important for us to invest in staff activities outside of the business with families being involved as much as possible. Specifically to reinforce the ties to the company and create a feeling of solidarity.

During the late 1980s, a number of engineers were taken on who had a background in material handling, an act which eventually became the foundation of our expertise in this area. At this point in time, our main focus was primarily on the design of special purpose machines, vehicles and material handling.

In 1992, we were hit by the loss of several clients in conjunction with the financial and banking crisis. Looking on the positive side, though, we did learn some lessons from these tough times and in certain areas adapted the business accordingly.

In 1994, the economy began to recover and we started to expand from being a group of 20 engineers, with this expansion still underway today.

The plan for the continued expansion was that the clients would to a large extent be industrial manufacturing companies focused on product and process development in sectors with potential for growth.

In 1995 the first engineers with electronics expertise were hired to perform assignments at Volvo Cars. In the same year, our process to create a quality assurance system also began. This resulted in a certificate being awarded in 2000.

In 1996, a board was appointed which still runs the company and, in connection with this, the first three-year plan was also discussed.

In 1997, when the company consisted of around 45 engineers, three divisions were formed: Mechanical Engineering, Automotive Technology and Electronic Engineering. The idea behind this was to make continued expansion possible and to create the conditions for working in and developing each business area.

In 1998, the first three-year plan was launched. We were also given the opportunity to join the network company Vehiculum, whose mission statement was to develop vehicle concepts.

In the same year, the profit-sharing scheme was set up, which reflects the board and owner’s view that every employee should be able to share in the company’s profits.

In 1999, discussions were begun with a number of companies about forming a common front in order to offer Volvo Cars an alternative to the major consultancy firms. The intention was also to safeguard the associate companies’ chances of doing business with the Volvo world. As a result of these discussions, NetGroup Engineering was launched in early 2000. The outcome of this has been ensuring the company’s expansion/development without it having to become a market giant.

During the autumn of 2000, the Mechanical Engineering and Electronic Engineering divisions were restructured, becoming Industrial Automation and Electronics & Systems in order to realise the three-year plan of the time. That autumn also saw a position being created to allow more dedicated work on staff needs in all areas.

Over the course of 2001, work started on our new three-year plan which focused on staff/clients as well as greater expertise in each area. As a consequence of this, Industrial Automation split its operations into specific areas where special purpose machines and material handing are the building blocks, just like they were when the company was founded about 15 years previously.

During 2002, Electronic & Systems split its operations into more client-oriented areas, while Industrial Automation came up with the area called Product Development.

At the start of 2002, we had a total of around 110 members of staff working in Automotive Technology, Industrial Automation and Electronic & Systems. The range of services and skill areas mainly cover clients’ short-term needs.

Over 2005 and 2006 we were given the opportunity to take over the majority of Volvo Buses’ staff from the Telematics area in a so-called outsourcing move and at the same time the current form of Consat SES started to take shape.

In 2007, our Stockholm office was founded when we took over staff from a client. In the same year, we also opened an office on Lindholmen in Gothenburg, with both Electronic & Systems and the future Consat SES moving there.

2009 saw the world being hit by one of the worst financial crises it had even seen; Consat cut back on staff and for the first time in the company’s history we made a loss. The crisis turned out to be fairly short-lived though and in 2010 the business experienced positive growth once more.

According to a set plan, there was a change of Managing Director at Consat Engineering at the turn of 2008-2009. As part of this process, the Telematics division became a separate new company – Consat Telematics AB.

In the autumn of 2009, the Sustainable Energy Systems division also became a separate new company – Consat Sustainable Energy Systems AB. Both these companies originated from Consat Engineering’s operations, and Telematics in essence sprang from the business we took over from Volvo Buses in 2005-2006.

Between 2008 and 2010, we also started up three subsidiaries of Consat Telematics AB in the USA, Canada and Brazil. The current structure of operations, in combination with our staff and their cumulative expertise and clients in four subsidiaries, provides the opportunity for strong focus in each area of expertise, something which has created the conditions for continued development and expansion in future.