IBS and Sandviken Energi - partners for more than 30 yearsCustomer Story As one of the oldest IBS customers, Sandviken Energi has witnessed and shared in three decades of progress. Sandviken Energi produces and transports electricity, district heating and drinking water to homes and businesses. Its businesses also include road maintenance, hydroelectric power and even broadband distribution.
With its varied offerings, the Sandviken, Sweden-based company has relied on financial solutions from IBS and its predecessor, Ekonomisk Företagsledning (EF), for more than 30 years to help run its business efficiently. Managing director Krister Söderberg explains why the company has stayed with IBS. “It boils down to having a great relationship with good communication. IBS cares about the services it offers, and it’s apparent that they try hard to stay on top.”
A history of change
While IBS celebrates its 30-year anniversary this year, Sandviken Energi has been in business for more than 90 years. After it lost its monopoly in electricity distribution with the onset of industry deregulation in 1996, it was more important than ever to have a good financial system to handle the dynamic new environment.
Choosing IBS financial management software, Sandviken Energi was able to successfully use automated high-volume processing, accounting and reconciliation, closing and reporting. The company also takes advantage of the solution’s capabilities for invoicing, billing, tax and fee handling, complete credit, cash, budget asset and banking management.
Anita Jonsson, who started at Sandviken Energi in 1969 as a business accounting assistant, remembers simpler days. “We had a debit system whereby everything was written, received and sent in manually,” she says. “Our first financial system was called e-base 80, which we bought in the early 1970s from IBS [then EF]. Since then we have had multiple upgrades, and together with our IBM hardware server we are very satisfied. IBS has great customer service and we trust them to do the job. Otherwise, we wouldn’t still be with them.”
Industry awareness
Anna Wikström has been business manager at Sandviken Energi for 15 years. She is especially happy that IBS consultants are conveniently stationed in nearby Gävle and that they are specialists in the energy sector. “It makes such a big difference when consultants understand our branch,” she says. She is glad that she gets plenty of help from IBS financial solutions, especially now when doing the year-end accounting.
Söderberg says he would recommend IBS solutions to other companies and hopes to continue the good relationship the two companies have had for more than 30 years.
Sandviken Energi Milestones
1979
- A new power station begins operating in Järbo
1987
- Sandviken is named Sweden’s best energy municipality in a study by AB Svensk Energiförsörining.
1989
- The company celebrates 75 years as an electricity distributor. The name is changed to Sandviken Energi AB.
1990
- The company’s heating plant invests in environmental measures to reduce emissions from furnaces
1996
- De-regulation in the electricity market leads to the formation of Sandviken subsidiary, Energi Elnät AB.
2001
- The company becomes responsible for Sandviken municipality’s water and streets.
Text: Joanie Rafidi
Ota yhteyttä, kerromme lisää » | 
