Petter Grubbström started at Svensson in 2017 in the knitting department and moved to weaving in 2020. More recently, he took on the more senior role of loom operator before recently taking on the role of Production Leader for weaving and warping.

Petter brought his experience of beekeeping with him to Svensson. Previously, he ran a small business called Grubbströms Bigårdar, which rented out beehives to housing associations and companies.

Today he sees certain similarities between the precision that a hive demands and the requirements of the machines. “A hive has a kind of personality and machines have their own individual characteristics,” he says. “A machine can have aged in its own way, so it’s almost as if they have a personality too.”

Petter says he really enjoys the culture at the company.

“I think the atmosphere is fantastic. There’s a lot of laughter,” he says. “And when I go around to the other departments, it’s the same there.”

And he likes being part of the weaving tradition.

“Weaving has been automated, but the basics are the same as they have been for hundreds, or even thousands of years,” he says. “It’s just that they’ve connected motors and gears and everything goes faster.”