Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role as an industry leader?
I’m Hanna Landell, and I recently stepped into the role of CEO and head of sales at Åkerströms. My background is in leading industrial and manufacturing businesses across both Nordic and international markets, often in phases where companies are scaling, transforming or sharpening their commercial focus. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of holding broad responsibility across sales, operations, production, supply chain and business development – functions that, when they work in sync, determine whether you deliver on your promises to customers.
Being an ‘industry leader’ to me is less about having the loudest voice and more about setting a clear direction and making the everyday choices that build trust: prioritising safety, quality and long-term customer value; being transparent when something isn’t right; and creating the conditions for people to do great work. In our world, technology may be wireless, but leadership can’t be. You need to be close to the people building the products, servicing customers and supporting operators out in demanding environments.
At Åkerströms, leadership also means understanding the responsibility that comes with what we deliver. Our remote-control solutions sit at the heart of our customers’ processes where precision and reliability are non-negotiable. So, my role is to help us keep raising the bar – commercially, technically and culturally – while ensuring we remain the partner customers call when the application is complex, the environment is tough and the cost of failure is simply too high.
Can you tell us how you got into this industry and why?
I’ve spent most of my career in industrial and manufacturing environments – places where progress is made through a combination of engineering discipline, operational excellence and people who take pride in doing things properly. What has always attracted me is the clarity of purpose: you can see how a better process, a smarter product or a safer way of working translates directly into performance for the customer and wellbeing for the workforce.
Åkerströms is a new chapter for me in terms of product category, but not in terms of the customer reality I’m used to – uptime, personal safety and total cost over the full life cycle. Remote control technology, especially when combined with connected services, sits right at the intersection of those needs. And because our customers depend on equipment that must often perform year after year in harsh environments, I’m drawn to Åkerströms’ strong focus on personal safety and its focus on robust, serviceable products designed with longevity – and the entire life cycle – in mind.
I joined Åkerströms because I see a company with a very strong heritage and a very current mission. From its roots in Björbo and more than a century of development, to its modern focus on robust radio control and digital services, Åkerströms combines craftsmanship with innovation.
What makes your company stand out?
Åkerströms stands out because we’re a small company with a big assignment: to give customers maximum control and safety in environments where the margin for error is minimal. That focus shapes everything – from how we design our systems, to how we support customers long after installation.
First, it’s our robustness and application knowledge. We build radio remote control solutions for both industrial and mobile applications, and we understand the reality of heavy industry: dust, vibration, temperature shifts, interference and the operational pressure of keeping production running. Our heritage is rooted in solving real problems in tough conditions, and we carry that into today’s portfolio – whether it’s our Remotus product line for safety critical applications like cranes and machinery, Sesam for flexible control of non safety critical uses like doors, gates and winches, or Access_Ctrl, our connected services for access management and logging production data.
Second, it’s our customer-centric approach in complex situations. Many suppliers can deliver a standard product. Our specialty is being the customer’s best option when it’s complex and difficult – when systems need to be adapted, integrated or configured for a unique process. We work closely with customers to create tailored, sustainable solutions that fit their specific setting, rather than forcing the setting to fit the product.
And finally, there’s our long view. Founded in 1918 and still based in Björbo, we’ve learned that trust is built over decades – one installation, one service call, one improvement at a time.
What do you like about the industry?
From a technology perspective, it’s an exciting time. The industry is evolving from ‘hardware-only’ solutions towards connected ecosystems – remote monitoring, access management, data logging and more structured ways of proving compliance and competence. That shift creates a real opportunity to reduce incidents, shorten troubleshooting time and turn operational data into smarter decision-making. For us, that’s exactly where solutions like Access_Ctrl become meaningful: not as an add on, but as a way to help customers make safety systematic and measurable.
Why should people want to join and work in this industry?
In the spirit of GLAD, I’d point to growth, learning and purpose.
In terms of growth, industrial operations are modernising fast – radio remote control, safety requirements and connected services are becoming standard. That creates long-term demand for people who can combine engineering with a safety mindset and customer understanding.
As for learning, you learn something new all the time: how robust radio systems are built to perform in harsh environments, how safety critical solutions like our Remotus differ from flexible everyday control like Sesam, and how connected services like Access_Ctrl support access management and logging for better control and uptime.
When it comes to purpose, this is technology with real impact. When operators can control equipment from a better position – at a safer distance, with improved visibility – you reduce risk and improve precision. That’s a motivating reason to come to work.
What are your expectations for the industry going forward? Any trends or challenges that you foresee?
I expect three themes to shape the next few years: safety becoming even more structured, connectivity becoming the norm and competence becoming the main differentiator.
Safety as a system, not an intention. Many companies already have strong safety cultures, but the direction is towards more evidence-based safety management: clearer authorisations, digital checklists, traceability and routines that are easier to follow and audit. Technologies that help ensure only trained personnel can operate equipment – and that daily safety checks are performed and documented – will move from ‘nice to have’ to standard practice.
Connected operations and data-driven uptime. Remote controls and lifting equipment are increasingly part of broader production systems. Customers will ask for better visibility: who operated, what happened, when and why. That drives demand for logging, integration and services that reduce troubleshooting time and unplanned downtime. For suppliers, it raises expectations around software quality, life cycle support, and security – because connectivity without trust is a risk.
Talent and capability gaps. A key challenge across industry is access to skilled people – operators, technicians, engineers and leaders. That means training, ergonomics and user-friendly solutions become strategic. It also means companies will invest more in tools and systems that simplify work and reduce reliance on ‘tribal knowledge’.
There are also macro challenges: cost pressure, supply chain complexity and the need to meet sustainability goals while keeping production resilient. But I’m optimistic. The industry has a strong track record of engineering its way forward. If we stay close to customers, keep safety at the centre and make digitalisation practical rather than complicated, we will see real progress – both in productivity and in protecting people.
Are there any projects or initiatives that your company is working on that you’re excited about?
What excites me most right now is how Åkerströms is combining robust radio control with connected services to raise the level of safety and operational control in a very practical way.
One clear example is the continued development and rollout of Access_Ctrl – our connected services offering for access management and logging production data. In many industrial environments, the challenge isn’t only the equipment; it’s ensuring that the right person uses it in the right way, every time. Access_Ctrl helps customers manage authorisations and create visibility around operation and checks, with the aim of increasing personal safety and reducing costly downtime. I see this as a major step forward for the industry: it supports a stronger safety culture by making routines easier to follow and by preventing unauthorised use.
As a new CEO, I’m also excited about internal initiatives: sharpening our customer focus, collaborating even more closely within the Allgon Group and developing how we bring products and services to market globally. Åkerströms has a long legacy of innovation – going back to our early wireless development – and my ambition is to honour that history by ensuring our next steps are just as relevant for the workplaces of tomorrow.
ABOUT ÅKERSTRÖMS
Åkerströms is a small company with a large assignment. For more than 100 years, the company has stood for exceptional service and customer care. It develops products and services adapted to meet both current and future needs. It offers its customers control and safety in their workplace thanks to its safe and robust remote control systems. The company’s aim is to nurture and develop the trust it has built up with our customers over the years.
Åkerströms strongly believes that creativity is the bridge to groundbreaking innovations. After more than 100 years, this has proven to be an important part of its offering. It applies to every product and every service, where sustainability, reliability and safety are essential for both productivity and people’s lives.
Åkerströms believes that the competence it offers in remote control and digital services for industrial processes in the long run will be the difference between operational uptime and downtime and between incidents and accidents. This is what it offers every customer regardless of size, industry or application.
It has given Åkerströms its position in the market, so it’s a promise the company can make.
