Defem mesh trays - a part in Polarbröd's fast reconstruction of the bakery

Since the project arose unexpectedly, the project team had to rely primarily on their experience from the previous bakery during the limited planning phase they had. Jonas explains,

"We started digging right after the site was cleared of fire debris. While the area affected by the fire was being cleaned at one end of the construction site, we began digging at the other end. At that point, we had only made a plan for the size of the structure. We didn't know how it would look; we had almost no drawings or calculations. It was a blank slate."

Jonas estimates that a reasonable timeline for the project, under more normal circumstances, would have been at least three years. During that time, they would have had the opportunity to analyze the needs, prepare documents, plans, request proposals, and find a contractor. However, now they had to establish a new production line in just 11 months. Construction and planning had to run in parallel. Leif Carlsson, the responsible salesperson for the project from Wibe Group, quickly became involved in the construction when the company was chosen as the supplier of cable trays and wire ladders. He was present during the construction period, participated in project meetings, and was physically on-site when needed.

"Älvsbyn is a small community, and it was great to see so many local contractors and residents come together to quickly restart the bakery. But when many people have to work simultaneously under time pressure, you need to be available to solve issues on-site. It's easy to be the cheapest, but quality and personal support win in the long run, especially in projects of this magnitude." 

Reliable deliveries from Wibe Group

For the project, Wibe Group delivered over 2000 meters of wire and cable trays through Elektroskandia. Despite the current global shortage of materials and the short deadline, everything was delivered on time. Jonas Holmgren from Polarbröd says:

"It was our main contractor, Hellströms bygg, and the electrical installer, Nelab, who managed the purchases of cable trays. We are very satisfied. At most, we had 200-250 people working simultaneously, so it was a challenge to install everything in the right order, especially when it came to cable trays crossing water and ventilation pipes. Wibe Group's products are easy to install and worked well in combination with other accessories when quick adjustments were needed on-site."

Mikael Carlsson from Nelab in Piteå agrees:

"Wibe has good product quality and a wide range of products. Moreover, the products are easy to adapt to the installation requirements, especially when dealing with significant level differences. The deliveries went smoothly, and we received everything on time."

The first bread is baked in the new bakery

Despite the challenging starting point, the project was successfully completed. In the fall of 2021, 11 months after the start of construction, a production line was ready in Älvsbyn, and the first bread was baked. Was Polarbröd's property manager the first one to taste it?

"No, they didn't want to eat that bread. It's a trial-and-error process with many adjustments to get all the details right. But we saved the very first bread, which is now on my colleague's desk, even though it has become quite hard by now," Jonas laughs.

But he is satisfied with the project nonetheless.

"Yes, I am. The challenge was to keep track of time and costs. After the vacation, we were a little worried that we wouldn't meet the promised deadline, but we managed to speed up the process. Everyone really gave their all, and we are so happy with all the parties involved," says Jonas.

Leif Carlsson from Wibe Group agrees:

"Good quality and reliable deliveries are essential, of course, but building good relationships, collaborations, and supporting each other are crucial factors, and I would say they were one of the success factors in this project."

Leif has been working at Wibe since 1989 and therefore has extensive experience in extensive construction projects. And fortunately, because it won't be quieter in the future:

"Now I'm moving on to even larger projects, such as Northvolt, LKAB in Norrbotten, and SCA's gigantic facility in Obbola, outside Umeå. These projects are equally time-consuming and complex, but it's exciting to have some challenges," concludes Leif.