From pioneer to market leader

As a developer and manufacturer of light construction machinery for ground compaction and concrete processing, Swepac was an early adopter of electrification. As early as the beginning of the 2000s, the company developed its first battery-powered machine and was granted a patent for the solution. However, demand was limited and it would be some time before sales began to take off.

During the second half of the 2010s, the company stepped up its efforts. A small battery-powered vibratory plate was launched in 2018, and two years later Swepac moved on to larger machines in the 200–500-kilo weight class. Since then, development has progressed rapidly.

“We’ve seen it evolve from mere curiosity to genuine demand over the past five or six years. It’s now a natural part of our sales,” says Anders Johansson, CEO of Swepac.

When the market began to catch up

Today, electric alternatives are available across Swepac’s entire product portfolio, and demand is particularly evident in Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands. Regulations and public procurement are driving demand, whilst customers’ own requirements are becoming increasingly important. For contractors, electric machinery may be a prerequisite for participating in green construction and civil engineering projects.

At the same time, there are clear benefits for the user. Lower noise and vibration levels, no local exhaust emissions and lower operating and maintenance costs make electric machinery attractive even beyond the issue of climate change.

“For our customers, electric machinery is increasingly becoming a prerequisite for taking part in various projects, particularly green construction and civil engineering projects,” says Anders Johansson.

The system is the key

Electrifying an entire product portfolio proved to be more complex than Swepac had initially anticipated. The company decided early on to take significant responsibility for the development itself and to integrate several separate components and subsystems. As the number of machines increased and they became larger, the interaction between the motor, motor control and battery, in particular, became a challenge.

An important lesson learnt from this journey is therefore to start with a clear set of requirements and view the machine as a coherent system. Rather than tackling each part individually, Swepac would now have chosen to seek the help of a partner with the expertise to see the bigger picture and ensure that the components work together.

“If we were to repeat the journey today, we would start by setting out clear requirements for what we actually want to achieve and how we want the machine to work,” says Anders Johansson.

This is also at the heart of ETP’s role as a systems integrator. Electrification is about ensuring that the motor, motor control, battery, electronics and other functions work together in line with the machine’s requirements and intended use. ETP supports machine manufacturers throughout the entire process, from requirements specification and system architecture to sizing, component selection and integration. By resolving system issues at an early stage, development time can be reduced, risks minimised and costly rework avoided.

Electrification as part of the deal

Today, Swepac is the market leader in Sweden for electric ground vibrators and sees good opportunities to continue growing as demand increases. The focus is on further developing its solutions and optimising product costs to make the total cost of ownership even more attractive. Electrification is also opening up new opportunities through, for example, connected machines and fleet management services.

“For us, electrification has been incredibly important in future-proofing our position in the market,” says Anders Johansson.

Swepac’s journey demonstrates the value of starting with the big picture. With a clear set of requirements and the right systems expertise from the outset, it becomes possible to make faster progress and develop an electrical solution in which performance, cost and application are all aligned.