An investment in Swedish indutry – Woolpower is building a new factory in Östersund

“We are demonstrating that clothes don’t need to be manufactured in low-salary countries. Running a successful textile manufacturing company is possible here in Sweden. We are the only Swedish brand that knits and sews all our clothes in Sweden and Östersund, despite our size. We’ve done so since we first started in 1969 and we’re proud to keep our production here,” says Linus Flodin, CEO at Woolpower.

Swedish production focused on the highest quality is the very foundation of our business concept. Customers increasingly demand garments that are manufactured fairly and that last a long time. To meet the growing demand for our products we need to expand. We cannot extend our current premises which is why we’re making our largest ever investment and building a completely new factory in Östersund.

Construction of the factory started in April, and we estimate that production will be underway in the new premises during 2022

May 2021

The ground is prepared and challenges are discovered

In May ground preparations started for the new factory, which is now being built in Verksmon. Right after the ground preparations had started swelling shale was discovered in the land.
Swelling shale is fairly common in Jämtland, in particular around Lake Storsjön. As the name suggests, the shale swells when it is exposed to oxygen. This means that buildings that are constructed on swelling shale that has not been treated properly will later crack. So it was very important to treat the swelling shale correctly before the process could continue.

What is swelling shale?

Alum shale, or swelling shale as it is commonly known, is a form of rock that has a varied composition of organic matter, calcareous minerals and iron sulphides. The swelling is caused by oxidation of the iron sulphides which forms gypsum. Östersund hospital is also located on an alum shale area and it is an obvious example of a building that has been deformed and damaged due to the shale. Permanent management of the swelling shale is needed there.

Laying the foundation for a future within the Swedish textile industry

Ground preparations continue and the road to the future staff car park is taking shape.
Are you curious about how the work looks at the construction site?
Take a look at the ground preparations being finalised and the framework going up, photos from weeks 27-35.

Summer of 2021

A building starting to take shape

Cementing of the foundation for the factory’s framework structure started in August. Once that work was complete, the framework could be erected – starting with what will be our warehouse that we will now be able to have under the same roof as our production.

Selection of articles about Woolpower’s new factory:

April 2021

Woolpower investerar i ny stor fabrik – Vdn: “Vi går mot strömmen” , Länstidningen Östersund,
Woolpower gör sin största satsning någonsin – Öppnar ny fabrik i Östersund, Östersunds Posten
Woolpower trotsar textildöden – bygger ny fabrik i Östersund, Sportfack
Woolpower bygger ny fabrik – kan ge 200 nya jobb, SVT
Woolpower bygger ny fabrik i Östersund, Dagens Arbete
Woolpower bygger ny fabrik i Östersund, Sveriges Radio
Så mycket personal behöver Woolpower till nya fabriken: “Vi har annonser ute”, Länstidningen Östersund

Juni 2021

Östersundsbaserade Woolpower expanderar: “Vi ser en ökad efterfrågan”, Expressen
Woolpower: “Svårt att hitta rätt kompetens i Östersund”, Sveriges Radio

Juli 2021

Nysvenskar fyller Woolpowers dubblade fabriksyta, Dagens Industri

Augusti 2021

Woolpowers fabriksbygge går som på räls – Linus Flodin: “Det har blivit trendigare med välanvända och noppiga kläder”, Länstidningen Östersund, Plus artikel