Since Anders Tiger took over as maintenance manager at Stena Stål three years ago, emergency shutdowns have been halved, and maintenance costs have fallen by 40 per cent. At the same time, the company is gearing up with one of northern Europe’s most modern production lines.

When Anders Tiger took over, Stena Stål lacked both a maintenance strategy and internal organisation. Maintenance was outsourced to external contractors, which led to short-term and expensive solutions that made it difficult to get an overall picture of production and hindered efforts to identify the root causes of downtime.

Four activities laid the foundation for a new maintenance plan

With a focus on preventive and operator-oriented maintenance, Anders Tiger has changed both working methods and culture within the organisation. The first step was to take control of the situation – to create structure, build internal expertise and put an end to routine call-outs.

– Previously, we were completely at the mercy of subcontractors. Today, it’s me, a mechanic and an electrician. That’s our team. We decide for ourselves what needs to be done and have a plan for preventive maintenance, he explains.

The plan is based on four activities: cleaning, lubrication, inspection and replacement of worn parts. The first two form the basis, according to Anders.

– It’s something that has to be done every day and every week to prevent the equipment from breaking down. While you’re doing that, you also have time to inspect it to see if anything is coming loose or cracking, he explains, adding that in the beginning, they put a lot of effort into getting the daily maintenance routine up and running.

– And it has actually worked very well, as we have halved the number of emergency stops for three years in a row and reduced maintenance costs by 40 per cent.

Europe’s most modern production line

Maintenance work has also played a key role in Stena Stål’s largest investment to date, an investment of more than SEK 200 million in an automated production facility in Västerås. Even at the planning stage, the focus was on maintenance issues to ensure that the new technology would not only increase capacity, but also be sustainable and reliable over time.

Today, the new production line is in place in Västerås: a 150-metre-long, 6,000-square-metre facility that handles blasting, painting, drilling, milling and cutting. Every beam that passes through the process is fully traceable, making the line one of the most modern in Northern Europe.

– In addition to building the new line, we conducted a complete review of logistics and warehousing. We now place the materials we deliver most frequently closest to the loading area, which means we use the overhead cranes less and achieve both greater efficiency and less wear and tear, Anders says.

The investment has also opened the door to a new market. Stena Stål can now deliver finished products directly to construction projects, without customers having to make any further interventions.

– We thought about maintenance right from the start. It’s not just about building capacity, but about ensuring that the equipment can run efficiently and reliably for a long time, Anders says.

Anders Tiger’s ‘maintenance star’

The advanced facility in Västerås places high demands on structured maintenance work in order to function in a long-term and sustainable manner. For Anders Tiger and his team, this means translating the strategy into clear routines and working methods day in and day out. At the centre is what he calls his ‘maintenance star’, where each part is connected and contributes to the whole.

– It includes six activities: corrective maintenance, preventive maintenance, improvement maintenance, root cause analysis, spare parts strategy/preparedness, and the maintenance system. These are the six things that guide my work, he explains.

Digital support is an important piece of the puzzle.

– We have implemented a maintenance system and entered parts of Stena Stål into MaintMaster. When something breaks, it should be reported there, so we have all the history, spare parts, work order management and preventive maintenance gathered in one place.

At the same time, Anders emphasises that technology should always enhance human work, not replace it.

– For me, it’s about ensuring that the same mistake doesn’t happen again. We switch to stronger components or carry out more frequent checks – whatever is necessary to avoid breakdowns. You can spend weeks finding the right sensor to measure something, instead of eliminating the fault straight away.

Looking ahead, he sees how new technology can play an increasingly important role in maintenance work, but always with the same basic principle at its core.

– Technology can tell us when something is wrong, but it can’t fix it. We still need to understand our machines and do the groundwork right from the start. It’s about combining smarts with ingenuity. Sometimes the best solution is an advanced sensor, sometimes it’s a simple routine change.

The future is all about digitalisation and sustainability

Maintenance is not just about keeping production running. For Anders Tiger, it is just as much a question of long-term economy and environmental sustainability – of looking after the company’s capital.

– Our machines are major investments. If we take good care of them, they can last for decades. If we let them fall into disrepair, it costs both money and production time.

When asked what issues will dominate the 2026 Swedish Maintenance Fair, he responds immediately:

– I believe we will see even more focus on how digitalisation and sustainability can go hand in hand. Using technology to reduce both costs and climate impact is the future.

The next edition of Underhållsmässan, the Maintenance Fair, will take place at the Swedish Exhibition & Congress Centre in Gothenburg on 10–13 March 2026. Four current themes will be in focus: sustainable maintenance, industrial safety, future production and skills development in maintenance.

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