A little less work, please
Kinnarps CEO Robert Petersson sees it differently
The debate is gaining momentum. Shorter working hours, more leisure time, new models. What sounds appealing politically is raising eyebrows in industry. Especially in sectors that produce and compete internationally.
At Swedish family-owned manufacturer Kinnarps, the stance is clear. CEO Robert Petersson sees one primary effect of a statutory reduction in working hours: rising costs with unchanged output. The equation is simple – and uncomfortable for many companies.
“Every minute that working time is reduced corresponds to a wage increase and is a direct cost increase for us,” says Petersson. That’s how he puts it in a contribution for the employers’ organisation Svenskt Näringsliv – getting straight to the point: competitiveness.
Kinnarps is not a company that argues lightly. Founded in 1942, still family-owned, around 1,800 employees, about 1,200 of them in Sweden. Production is entirely domestic, spread across several locations. Even the headquarters remains deliberately rooted in the small town of Kinnarp.
Sweden as a production base is part of the company’s identity. And a conscious economic decision. “We’ve always believed it’s possible to produce profitably in Sweden – but you have to work for it,” says Petersson. Automation, efficiency gains, process improvements – everything is on the table. But not at any cost. A certain level of craftsmanship is deliberately preserved, for example in textile production.
That balance is coming under pressure. Kinnarps sells in around 40 countries. A large share of production is exported. At the same time, competition is intensifying – also on the domestic market. Suppliers from lower-cost countries are competing directly with Swedish manufacturers.
If costs continue to rise, that balance shifts. Petersson puts it bluntly: if Swedish products become more expensive, customers are more likely to turn to imports. Quality, sustainability and control over production remain arguments – but they are not unlimited.
The debate is gaining momentum. Shorter working hours, more leisure time, new models. What sounds appealing politically is raising eyebrows in industry. Especially in sectors that produce and compete internationally.
At Swedish family-owned manufacturer Kinnarps, the stance is clear. CEO Robert Petersson sees one primary effect of a statutory reduction in working hours: rising costs with unchanged output. The equation is simple – and uncomfortable for many companies.
“Every minute that working time is reduced corresponds to a wage increase and is a direct cost increase for us,” says Petersson. That’s how he puts it in a contribution for the employers’ organisation Svenskt Näringsliv – getting straight to the point: competitiveness.
Kinnarps is not a company that argues lightly. Founded in 1942, still family-owned, around 1,800 employees, about 1,200 of them in Sweden. Production is entirely domestic, spread across several locations. Even the headquarters remains deliberately rooted in the small town of Kinnarp.
Sweden as a production base is part of the company’s identity. And a conscious economic decision. “We’ve always believed it’s possible to produce profitably in Sweden – but you have to work for it,” says Petersson. Automation, efficiency gains, process improvements – everything is on the table. But not at any cost. A certain level of craftsmanship is deliberately preserved, for example in textile production.
That balance is coming under pressure. Kinnarps sells in around 40 countries. A large share of production is exported. At the same time, competition is intensifying – also on the domestic market. Suppliers from lower-cost countries are competing directly with Swedish manufacturers.
If costs continue to rise, that balance shifts. Petersson puts it bluntly: if Swedish products become more expensive, customers are more likely to turn to imports. Quality, sustainability and control over production remain arguments – but they are not unlimited.