The deal is so big that Actia Nordic AB must increase its workforce from nearly 30 people to 50 and it needs to do it pretty quickly.
“We probably have more opportunities than we can even imagine. This is groundbreaking and really big,” says Christian Sahlén marketing director for Actia Nordic.
A done deal
Over the last year, Sahlén has negotiated with six different car manufacturers. In June he wrote contracts with two of them, and in August with the third.
All three manufacturers produce hundreds of thousands of cars each year. All three have written into the contract that their names not be revealed. In addition to these three, several smaller manufacturers are queuing up to buy.
The technology is not new, but it has evolved over the years. Volvo has bought it since 1998.
ACTIA Nordic's product is the size of a cigar box, made of black plastic and is usually found under the dashboard. Its job is to make an emergency call after a serious accident. The technology senses a collision and automatically calls for help. A built-in speaker and microphone enables an injured individual in the car to hear and to talk to an emergency operator.
Known as E-call, this innovation is being considered by the EU Commission as a required standard feature in all cars. Car manufacturers’ interest in E-call has therefore increased substantially.
Lost your car?
But car manufacturers also want to offer more features whose value go beyond just the legal mandates. And there is no limit to available ingenuity. With a mobile phone, you can control the car's heating system or even use it to find your car in a parking garage. If the car is stolen, it can be found. In Brazil there are already laws that require all cars worth more than 400000 SEK to be equipped with tracing features.Car owners can even control the motor throttle remotely!
“And that’s not all,” says Sahlén. “It’s like a two-way remote control—and we can do all kinds of things.”
Five years of work
The three orders that rolled in during the summer will bring over 700 million kronor to the Linköping division of Actia Nordic. Projected revnues after three years will reach approximately 1.3 billion kronor per year. The orders will take about five years to complete.
Sahlén is aware that this is just the beginning, but the opportunity for tremendous growth and revenues is on the near horizon. If Actia continues to care for their customers the way they have with Volvo since 1998, Actia Nordic will enjoy knowing success while knowing that motorists are safer than ever. “It is a pretty complex package,” says Sahlén, “probably the most complex software system in a car.”
What happens if you do not find more staff?
“Well, I have to find 20 people now. I will concentrate on finding them right here in Linköping.”
Article translated by M. Spaeth from the original Swedish published in Corren 29 september 2011.
