BLS Industries
LEaDing nordic industry in plumbing PRODUcts
Purus is one of the brands within BLS Industries, a group in the plumbing industry that comprises some of Scandinavia’s leading manufacturers of sanitary products for bathrooms, kitchens and other demanding environments. The main product areas include floor drains, floor channels, indoor drainage systems, pipes and installation accessories, stainless steel interiors, and stainless steel sanitaryware. Through a dedicated focus on product development and a consistent strategy for new acquisitions, the group now has a portfolio of several strong brands.
The group has a turnover of over 600 million SEK and currently employs around 300 people. The headquarters are located in Ystad, Sweden.
STRONG BRANDS
Our brands in the plumbing industry are JAFO, Purus, Unidrain, and Trio Perfekta. Each brand drives its own product and concept development in close contact with customers and the market. The brands are represented with sales offices in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway and the United Kingdom, but they are also available in other parts of the world through our export department.
MADE IN SWEDEN
BLS Industries is one of Scandinavia’s leading manufacturers of sanitary products for bathrooms, kitchens, and other demanding environments, with production facilities in Sweden. The subsidiary manufacturing companies have extensive experience and expertise in technology, manufacturing, and high-capacity production resources for plastic injection moulding, stainless steel sheet processing, and surface finishing. Each year, the companies focus on minimising material waste, and all waste is recycled. All production units are certified according to the requirements of ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
YSTAD
Ystad is home to the manufacturing unit, which involves plastic injection moulding and extrusion of plastic products, as well as assembly and central warehouse operations. Our production facility in Ystad has extensive experience with the group’s product range and the entire production chain, working closely with the brand companies. Approximately 800 tonness of plastic are processed per year at this facility, and over 10,000 floor drains are produced per week.
SMÅLANDSTENAR
In Smålandsstenar, we manufacture our stainless steel range, including stainless steel floor drains, stainless steel sanitaryware products, and stainless steel interiors. Approximately 600 tonnes of stainless steel are processed every year at this facility. We have extensive expertise, particularly in stainless steel sheet processing, and we offer bespoke high-quality products for both private residences and public environments.
LÖNSBODA
The brand company Trio Perfekta is located in Lönsboda. The company’s main activity involves surface finishing of trivalent chrome-plated copper pipes used for exposed piping installations, such as in bathrooms. The facility is the largest producer of trivalent chrome-plated copper pipes in the Nordic region. Thanks to a flexible production process with very high delivery reliability, it is capable of manufacturing up to 25,000 pipes per week.
Warehouse
The BLS central warehouse is located in Ystad. The central warehouse serves the group’s sales companies with goods. The warehouse delivers approximately 600,000 items per week. There are over 3,000 products in stock ready to be shipped shortly after ordering, to Sweden or the rest of the world.
GOAL-ORIENTED INVESTMENTS
BLS Industries is a family-owned organisation with deep roots in entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. These values have been passed down from generation to generation, and today, it is the twelfth generation of the Spånberg family that is actively involved in the company.
THE ROAD TO SUCCESS
The product that has greatly contributed to our success and is most associated with the group is floor drains. It is a product that has become a staple in every home today. In 1945, Sjöbo Bruk in Scania, Sweden, was acquired, initially manufacturing cast iron pipe fittings. Ten years later, the CEO at the time, Bengt Spånberg, initiated a collaboration with builder Harry Karlsson, who had been to the USA and learned about the latest advancements in modern floor drains. The new floor drain concept was named Purus, which means “clean” in Latin.
Initially, Sjöbo Bruk manufactured the Purus floor drain in cast iron, but in the late 1970s, they switched to producing it in plastic. As several brands were incorporated into the organisation over the years, the group changed the name from Purus to BLS Industries in 2015. Purus then became one of the brand companies within the group.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP & BUSINESS RUNS IN THE BLOOD
The path to the present-day business can be traced back as far as the 17th century in Lilla Spånhult, Småland, where the Spånberg family originated. Several generations were engaged as blacksmiths and craftsmen. During the rise of industrialism in the early 20th century, Sven Spånberg established large-scale factory manufacturing through the acquisitions of the Norrahammar and Ankarsrums mills. In 1910, Ankarsrums mill, in collaboration with Norrahammars mill, introduced the first enameled cast-iron bathtub. For a period, Ankarsrum bathtubs could be found in nearly every bathroom in the welfare-state buildings of Sweden. Other popular products included the Viking-stove and the first electric stove, which was launched in 1947.
