Roxtec is a company which was founded in 1990 and is based in Karlskrona, Sweden. The company manufactures seals for cable and pipe transits. Roxtec is active in 80 countries and has around 750 employees.

Roxtec’s seals are used for transits designed to protect both people and property. The transits may be complete units with one or more lines or cables that pass through a wall or another surface. These are, for example, used on ships and oil platforms as well as in power stations, trains and industrial buildings.

Roxtec values long-term relationships

Roxtec makes around 10 million sealing modules per year. Besides manufacturing sealing modules, the company also makes transits tailored to the customers’ needs, where the sealing system includes other components, such as stayplates from Ruukki.

“We have selected our subcontractors in such a way that we are able to plan for the long term. The price is obviously an important factor in our purchases, but it is not the only criterion, says Helene Wahnström, strategic purchaser at Roxtec.

The personal chemistry also works

Ruukki and Roxtec met at the Elmia Fair in Jönköping more than 25 years ago, and Ruukki has been manufacturing stayplates for Roxtec’s transits ever since. Stayplates are used for transits with several cables or lines with separate sealing modules. At the ends of the plates, there are profiled thresholds that prevent the modules from being displaced when the pressure changes. Roxtec annually receives around 2.5 million such plates, which are made of steel, stainless steel or aluminium depending on their purpose.

“My predecessor felt that Ruukki wanted to actively support us in the development and manufacturing of our products. Good personal relationships was also an important factor in the selection of a subcontractor”, Helene Wahnström explains.

Forwards together

Helene Wahnström has worked as a purchaser for seven years and praises the cooperation with Ruukki.

“It think that the best thing about the cooperation with Ruukki is that they take initiatives and are active, regardless of the matter at hand. This applies both to products and to other factors that affect the business, such as logistics. I appreciate this”, she says.

Helene Wahnström stresses the importance of open and honest cooperation, also in situations where ideas cannot be implemented.

One thing that Roxtec and Ruukki have in common is that both focus on quality, but also on service and flexibility. Helene Wahnström has found that Ruukki has flexible production and that the basic production does not become any slower even in situations where they are making some tailored product for Roxtec at the same time.

“The strengths are flexible service and adaptable production. Ruukki has know-how that we can use in our own products. The cooperation with Ruukki gives security.”