Pa-So Produkter Creates Structure in Production with Prosmart
Pa-So Produkter in Avesta has for over 40 years developed products to make construction sites safer and more efficient. In recent years, they have done so with Prosmart as system support.
Pa-So Produkter was founded in 1983 with one goal: to improve construction in Sweden. With their own workshop and short lead times, they can go from idea to product ready for sale in just a few weeks. To achieve better structure in production and full control over cost estimates and margins, they have chosen to work with Prosmart as support throughout the entire workflow—from cost estimation to finished delivery.
Patrik Björk is CEO of Pa-So Produkter and has been with the company for many years. The company was founded by his father and a partner and has in recent years been part of a larger industrial group.
– Much of what we do comes from real needs on construction sites. Carpenters and installers have ideas for products and tools that improve their work, and since we have our own workshop, we can test and develop new products quickly. That’s a major strength for us, says Patrik.
From Notes and Gut Feeling to Structure and Traceability
Before Pa-So Produkter started working in Prosmart, their working methods were based on manual routines. Production staff walked rounds in the warehouse to see what was missing, inventory was done with paper notes, and much knowledge resided in the heads of individual employees.
– It became vulnerable. When so much sits with one person and not in a system, it’s easy to lose both control and pace, says Patrik.
Today the situation is completely different. With Prosmart, a complete structure has now been built with articles, sub-articles, and semi-finished products that together represent the entire product range.
– Now we see the margin on each product directly. If a semi-finished product is missing in the chain, it shows up and we can produce or order items well in advance. It provides great confidence in both production and sales, Patrik continues.
Production and Cost Estimation in the Same System
A major advantage for Pa-So Produkter is that cost estimation, inventory, and production are connected. Production staff work in work orders and clock time on these directly in the system, while production management can monitor both capacity utilization and costs continuously.
– Our production manager Robin works in Prosmart all day. That’s where we have all the information about margins, time consumption, inventory balances, and also information about the products’ CO₂ footprint.
From a sales perspective, it also provides greater flexibility that all data is actually in the system:
– If a customer calls me, I can immediately see how things look in production or inventory. I can quickly provide a price without risking discounting too low, Patrik continues.
For Pa-So Produkter, it is also an advantage that production and finance are connected. Prosmart is integrated with the company’s financial system Fortnox, which means that information about orders, invoicing, and follow-up flows between the systems without manual duplication of work.
Support for Delivery Requirements and Sustainability Tracking
Many of Pa-So Produkter’s largest customers are major rental companies. There, delivery reliability, documentation, and follow-up are important parts of the collaboration.
– Our customers place high demands both on deliveries and on how we can track our products. There it’s a great advantage to have structured data directly in the system.
Prosmart is also used as support in the company’s sustainability work, and they have the ability to produce the information requested by customers and partners.
– Prosmart makes it easier for us to meet the requirements that are coming more and more, without having to spend a lot of time on manual compilations, says Patrik.
Time Savings and Better Decision Support
In addition to better structure in production, he finds that they save a lot of time in daily operations.
– Take, for example, when we have meetings with the group. We can easily retrieve order intake over a certain period or see how a particular product group is selling, he explains.
The overview also makes it easier to manage purchasing and inventory.
– We can see which products are moving quickly and which are sitting idle. It helps us both in purchasing and production planning.
A System That Grows with the Company
Patrik’s advice to other manufacturing companies facing the choice of business system is clear:
– For small and medium-sized manufacturing companies, Prosmart is very good support. It’s important to use the system correctly and build up the structure properly. If you do that, you get really good control over your company, both in production and finance, he concludes.
