History
Since SLP’s founding in 1991, the company has developed customer contacts around the world. On continent after continent, in country after country, SLP provides the essential components for repairs of heavy vehicles. Our high product quality and availability and our quick deliveries have earned us a good name in the heavy vehicle industry around the globe.
Lars Hedlund, founder of Swedish Lorry Parts
Lars Hedlund, the founder of Swedish Lorry Parts, is a self-made entrepreneur who has started and run a variety of successful companies. Growing up in Stockholm, he showed a talent for technology and business early on. A love of cars and driving led him to take both his taxi and truck licences and work as a driver alongside his studies as a young man. This gave him insight into the industry, and he realized there was a need for vehicle accessories. Car makers focused on selling new cars, and there was an underserved demand for spare parts at an affordable price. Soon Lars was up and running, buying and selling replacement parts for Volvo cars.
The business grew quickly and he soon needed to set aside his law studies at Stockholm University in order to run it full-time. In order to turn his ideas into reality, he started doing his own design drawings, visiting manufacturers and following every step of the production process. Thanks to his attention to detail and passion for quality, his growing range of products was ever more in demand.
Founded 12 companies
It was the 1970s and the vehicle industry was changing fast. Lars’ business grew, and by the 80s he had added spare parts for marine engines and power systems from Volvo Penta. In the 90s, he added spare parts for Volvo trucks and buses, and in the early 00s, parts for Volvo heavy equipment. The latest addition to the range is accessories for Scania trucks and buses. In total, Lars Hedlund has founded 12 companies, not only in Sweden but in the UK, the US, Brazil and Egypt, all in the vehicle parts business. Several of the companies have since been sold, and in the early 00s, he and his employees decided to focus on Swedish Lorry Parts.
Important to find the right partners
“My inspiration has always been developing parts of truly high quality,” says Lars Hedlund. “They should be as good or better than the original part, but at a more reasonable price. I love finding new technological and business challenges, traveling around and finding new production opportunities and seeing what can be improved.”
He is a past master at finding skilled employees and partners. “Associating with the very best people in every area has been an important key to our company’s success,” he says. “If I were going to give one piece of advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, this would be it. Only when you are surrounded by very good people can you make the most of your own potential as a businessman.”
Swedish Lorry Parts is growing
Since SLP’s founding in 1991, the company has developed customer contacts around the world. On continent after continent, in country after country, SLP provides the essential components for repairs of heavy vehicles, which turn out to be the same everywhere in the world. Our high product quality and availability and our quick delivery have earned us a good name in the heavy vehicle industry around the globe. Our skilled team now makes over 100,000 deliveries annually to more than 91 countries around the world. Our already extensive product range is growing by about 1,500 articles per year. We now offer almost 16,500 products. The company currently records sales of some SEK 200 million with 50 employees.
Lars Hedlund with Swedish King Karl XVI Gustav at ConExpo in Las Vegas in 1978. The company was then known as Orbitrade, which later became Swedish Lorry Parts.