MEET: MAFI Americas

MAFI´s office in Lewisville outside of Dallas has been up and running since beginning of November.
We meet up with the team in their office.“By opening a regional office and warehouse in US, MAFI takes next step in the journey to be the preferred strategic partner to market leader customers” initiate Tony Lane, VP MAFI Americas. He continues, “with MAFI Inc. we are now closer to our customers in the Americas than ever before. Giving our customers excellent day-to-day support, developing technical solutions based on local needs and reducing delivery time thanks to local suppliers. It will be a great journey for MAFI Americas and for MAFI Group” Tony ends.

What sets MAFI apart from other companies?

Tony Lane: It´s a small company that moves quickly and is flexible, still working with structure and well implemented processes. I have never seen that in any other company same size as MAFI.

Raphael de La Soujeole: Most of our competitors use very little pre-galvanized steel in their production. This means they need to hot dip everything. When MAFI uses pre galvanized steel in combination with FEA analysis on all components we can use material thinner than 3 mm and be 100% safe in the solution’s capacities. Here MAFI is unique in the American telecom market

What are MAFI´s greatest strengths?

Michelle Dartez: The atmosphere is very ambitious, and everyone seems to have each other’s back. You want to make progress, move the ball forward all the time.

Chris Reynolds: The ability to work with customers.

Catherine Roadcap: The good people. There can be needs out there for 5G equipment but if you don´t have good people to fulfill these needs it´s all for nothing. MAFI is growing really fast and to put together good people in all regions across the globe in such a short time is impressive.

Tony Lane: The company’s sustainability work is a unique advantage, this work is for real and not for showing off.

Raphael de La Soujeole: It is a high innovative company, always willing to do things differently and have a urge to come up with new types of solutions. MAFI is not afraid to be a thought leader and that is a real strength.

“To develop innovative and sustainable, high-quality products for the telecom industry has been our focus throughout the years and it has taken MAFI to where it is today. We now also look into broadening our scope of developing sustainable mounting solutions into to other industries, and that is a challenge we welcome” Tony ends.[blockquote text=””This shows that we are
a serious player in the US market”
will offer incredible potential for MAFI´s solutions.”” show_quote_icon=”yes”]

NATE UNITE 2020; a great success

This year NATE UNITE was held in Raleigh, North Carolina, US.
MAFI attended for the sixth time with a mix of people from the headquarter
in Sweden and from MAFI Americas.At NATE Unite all the tower climbers, riggers and installers meet up to see and learn about the latest developments in their business.

“We caught a fantastic interest in the fact that all MAFI products follow the new classification TIA-222H (which currently is being implemented across the US) on all our solutions as well as all part included. This classification is originally meant for larger installations, although MAFI took the decision as early as 2013 to conduct a complete FEA analysis on everything from u-bolts, threaded rods to the complete solution before bringing them to the market. We think this puts MAFI in pole position on the US market since we help the designer in his/her work to design a sustainable and safe site solution”, says Tony Lane, VP MAFI Americas .

MAFI Group thanks all visitors at NATE Unite 2020 in Raleigh NC; see you next year in Memphis, Tennessee![blockquote text=”“We think this puts MAFI in
pole position on the US market“” show_quote_icon=”yes”]

MEET: Graham Knight, new Sales Manager UK

Have you been warmly welcomed?

Yes, I have received a very warm welcome from everyone at MAFI. My introduction week was a great experience, it gave me the chance to meet the team in Mora and understand our systems/processes. I have received very good support for starting my new role.

Who´s Graham Knight?

I have been selling communications infrastructure in UK telecoms market for the last 5 years. In my previous role I worked for a tower manufacturer and focused on selling telecoms accessories. This has provided me with good foundation of experience for coming to MAFI. Outside of work I spend most of my time looking after my son Henrikas, he is 3 years old and keeps me very busy! I also enjoy reading, films, technology and swimming.

What is your perception of MAFI?

There is a strong positive culture in MAFI. This creates a fun working environment where information is shared among colleagues to help drive the business forward. I feel that we are an ambitious and cohesive team working together to succeed.

Your role in MAFI?

As Sales Manager for the UK, I will be developing sales for our products across the UK market. This will be achieved through influencing the Operators, Infrastructure Owners, Vendors, Construction Companies and Design Consultants.

You’ve been in the headquarter located in Mora, Sweden, your first experience, what did you think?

Firstly, it’s a lovely part of the world and the area is rich with history. I was impressed to learn about the strong industries that thrive in Mora. Also, a big thanks to Niklas taking me to my first Ice Hockey game, I am officially a fan of the Mora Ice Hockey team!

The only 3-sector antenna mount utilizing double brackets.
Check it out!

MAFI adapted to the Covid-19 situation on day one!

MAFI has from day one of the Covid-19 outbreak thoroughly followed and adapted to local guidelines/legislation to ensure the health and safety on all our employees, customers and suppliers. Being a global company acting on local markets, MAFI remains able to deliver and fulfil all our customer orders and requests thanks to our strategy of keeping manufacturing close to our focus markets. During these circumstances MAFI employees avoid travelling and work based from home if anyone suspect they have the slightest cold, all to prevent spreading of eventual Covid-19. All meetings are conducted by conference calls, Skype or similar, to ensure public safety.

We thank you for your understanding

 

Have a look at our short clip about FEA.

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Pierre Bengtsson appointed CEO for MAFI GROUP

The board for MAFI Group has decided to appoint Pierre Bengtsson as acting CEO for the
company with immediate effect. Pierre is the main owner and board member in MAFI Group.
He was until September 2019, for a period of 20 years, the CEO for MAFI Group.​​​​​​​

 “MAFI is an international company that develops, designs and delivers mounting solutions mainly used within the telecom industry. MAFI is well acknowledged for its smart solutions, high delivery performance and overall competence. The board wants to secure the development of the company’s strategies and market position. With Pierre Bengtsson, MAFI gets an experienced leader with a high level of market knowledge and we are satisfied that he has chosen to accept the position as acting CEO” Kent Hansson, Chairman of the board MAFI Group says.

“The strong position of the company allows us to see a high demand from our large customers for our solutions during the harsh conditions the world finds itself in today. I have experienced similar volatility before and know that MAFI’s longstanding relations are the result of development, design and delivery of high-quality mounting solutions to our customers. We are grateful for our customers trust and I look forward to developing our different customer projects, Pierre Bengtsson, acting CEO MAFI Group continues.

“Mats Thörnqvist has during his short time at MAFI Group contributed to the company’s strengthened position and implemented several important internal processes. He has also, together with the management team, built a long-term strategy with clear focus. Since he has now chosen to end his employment due to personal reasons, the board wants to thank him for his efforts and wish him best of luck in his future career. MAFI is a financially strong company active in expanding markets. With Pierre as acting CEO we can secure the continuity and leadership to ensure the future development according to our plans”, Kent Hansson summarizes.

 

For further information 

Kent Hansson
Chairman of the board
+46 (0)70 284 43 48
kent.hansson@mafigroup.com>

We would like to thank everyone who visited our booth, especially all you who entered our contest. THANK YOU!

We also want to give a big thanks to the organizers who made NATE to what it is today. THANK YOU!

We had two fantastic days at NATE UNITE. See you next year!

 

Wrapping up the last day at NATE UNITE 2020.

At the end of the day we will announce the winner of the DJI Mini drone contest. At the moment the fastest time to assemble our Roof Butler is an incredible 4 minutes and 27 seconds.

 

Welcome to booth #823 where we show you our 5G-ready solutions.

Hope to see you!

#mafiis5Gready

 

Click to enlarge

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, especially the kids at Kenswad Academy in Kenya.

 

Edition 2 of our product catalogue is now available for downloading

Download it here

MAFI welcomes emerging growth with the help from Optilon

MAFI, The Scandinavian market leader in the antenna and support engineering, teams up with Optilon, the independent Nordic supply chain advisor, to support MAFI’s projected growth.

“It is important that we are fully prepared in order to keep up with our predicted growth, and that’s why this project is so important. By gaining a centralized decision-making process that helps us forecast and control all material flows, we can remain efficient and responsive despite the global expansion.” – Carin Werkmästar, Chief Supply Chain Officer, MAFI Group.

The joint journey includes a key implementation of an enhanced process for supply and demand planning. The process is supported by world-leading supply chain technology*. Some of the improved planning capabilities that MAFI will gain are the following:

• A better overview and understanding of the market need due to improved and automated demand planning capabilities
• Optimal inventory levels for each product in each location, freeing up inventory investments without compromising product availability
• A more automated planning process that will give the supply chain managers and planners more time and an increased scope to focus on deviations and analytical tasks

A partial driver for MAFI’s growth is the construction of the emerging 5G networks. Optilon is proud to be a part of MAFI’s journey and the creation of future networks that will be a key enabler for the future connected community and industry 4.0 among other significant digital concepts.

About Mafi

MAFI Group is an engineering company that designs, develops and sells infrastructure solutions to the telecom sector worldwide. MAFI was founded in 1992 and has played a vital role in helping operators and vendors to build thousands of telecom sites.

About Optilon

Optilon focuses on helping their customers utilize their resources where they generate the most value. We are a company founded by engineers, that combines world-leading technology with Nordic expertise in Supply Chain.

Optilon was founded in 2005 and is today active throughout the Nordic region with offices in Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Since the beginning, Optilon has completed over 500 projects, and currently employ close to 50 people.

*SO99+ by Optilon’s trusted partner ToolsGroup

 

MAFI Group appoints new CEO 

Pierre Bengtsson, the majority owner and current CEO of MAFI Group has decided to focus on his role as board member.
The board has appointed Mats Thörnqvist to take over the CEO role. 

 From its start in 1992, MAFI Group has grown from a small, local, company into a global enterprise. The company is now taking the next step in its continued expansion on the global market. 

 “I am very pleased to present Mats Thörnqvist as the new CEO,” comments Kent Hansson, chairman of the board. “Mats is a skillful leader and has showed deep understanding of how to nurture growth and development in an international, technical operation during his previous management roles.”

Mats has held various senior management positions in Scania and, since 2014, has been living in São Paulo. There, he was a key person in the industrialization and production planning of Scania’s new truck program in Brazil. He is an engineering graduate and will be setting up home in Mora with his family. Mats will start his service no later than October 15, 2019. 

“I feel honored to be taking over from Pierre as CEO and leading one of the most exciting companies in this sector. We are facing a journey with many challenges. Working with my colleagues in MAFI Group, I am looking forward to creating innovative and sustainable solutions,” reveals Mats. 

“As the company’s chairman, I would like to thank Pierre for having literally devoted 20 years of his life to developing MAFI Group into what it is today. We now sell our products globally and have operations in four parts of the world. Pierre laid the foundations for the journey the company is to continue with Mats in charge. I’m looking very much forward to continuing to work with Pierre on the board,” concludes Kent. 

For further information 

Kent Hansson
Chairman
+46 (0)70 284 43 48
kent.hansson@mafigroup.com

In-depth interviews with Pierre and Mats can be read at www.mafigroup.com. Mats Thörnqvist, new CEO of MAFI Group

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Mats Thörnqvist – New CEO of MAFI Group

“Who is Mats?”
“Well, I’m 37 and I grew up in Avesta. I left home at 16 to specialize in energy and technology at a residential, upper-secondary school. After that, I studied materials technology for 2 years at Dalarna University. I went on to complete my engineering degree at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. In 2006, initially focused on materials technology, I started as a trainee at Scania. Just a year after my traineeship, I was promoted to be the manager of Scania’s largest materials technology group. 

“In 2014, having led several organizations in, for example, product development and business development, I was given the responsibility of starting and running the production planning and industrialization of Scania’s new truck program for the Latin American market. This assignment was based in São Paulo, Brazil. It ran for 5 years. At the end of June, I, my wife and three children moved back to Sweden.” 

“What will you be bringing to MAFI?”
“I’ve gained a great deal of expertise and experience from one of Sweden’s most respected, major companies. This will be very useful on the journey ahead of us. Working abroad for a long time also gave me international experience and an understanding of other cultures.”  

“What’s your response if I say goal-oriented?”
“Yes, I’m extremely goal and results-oriented. Quite simply, I like to compete,” answers Mats, laughing. 

“However, at the same time, I value people highly. Results, yes, but the most important thing is to have fun along the way. This helps things go well and it is how we’ll reach the goals we set. I put a lot of energy into promoting a creative and congenial work environment for all employees. We must have fun!” 

What sort of leader are you? 
“A selfless coach. I believe in the philosophy that the person who has a problem also most usually has the answer. It’s simply a matter of asking the right questions and coaching the person towards the answer. This is how people grow, gain in self-confidence and learn how to encourage and coach others to develop. Still, management sometimes has to be asked for advice or decisions. We’re always here when necessary. Discussion is very open at MAFI. It will continue to be so.” 

Do you have any leadership role models?
“I have many; some in Scania and some outside. I often encourage managers and other workers to find a role model, analyze what they find impressive in this person and challenge themselves to be at least as good. I myself have always had the personal goal of being good at addressing audiences, something that scares most people. If you expose yourself often enough to these uncomfortable situations, I guarantee that, sooner or later, you will, as I do now, appreciate the experience you’ve gained.”  

“What do you expect of your fellow workers?”
“That everyone takes up the organization-wide challenge of company growth in existing and new business areas. Additionally that, in accepting this challenge, we all see the opportunities for developing personally by taking more responsibility and making more decisions ourselves.” 

“Have you been able to gain an idea of what MAFI’s biggest challenge is?”
“We now have a clear company structure and organization with many new functions. We have also started operations in both North America and Asia. As regards structure and organization, the challenge is to ensure that roles and responsibilities are crystal clear and that everyone knows what is expected of them. In North America and Asia, we have to create scalable organizations and boost sales. Another challenge is to continue to grow organically while maintaining our delivery and quality levels. As said, to reach our long-term goals, we also need to explore new business areas.” 

“What is Mats like away from work?”
“Still extremely goal-oriented,” replies Mats with yet another laugh. 

“When I was young, I did a lot of snowboarding, mostly big jump. Having injured my shoulder, but having escaped relatively unharmed compared to many others in the sport, I decided to quit. However, I’m never slow to accept challenges. 

“I appreciate having an active life. I’ve done three Swedish Classic races. The Lidingöloppet cross-country race is in the diary every year. I’ve also done the Stockholm marathon, the Göteborgsvarvet half marathon and taken part in the world’s most amazing running experience, the Rio de Janeiro marathon. 

“When my time’s not taken by job or family, I like to work with my hands. Though I say it myself, I’m quite handy. I like creating, modifying or rejuvenating things, a hobby I share with my wife, Lena. Before the children came, we used to visit major do-it-yourself stores just to get ideas for new projects.” 

“How does it feel to be taking over from someone who has given half his life to getting MAFI to where it is today?”
“It is, of course, a huge honor. At the same time, it’s a fantastic opportunity to develop operations and to take Pierre’s legacy further into the future.>