Meet Torbjörn Börjesson
From engineer to entrepreneur: Torbjörn Börjesson and the journey with BPS
What once started with a warehouse in a 20-foot empty container at Torbjörn Börjesson has today developed Börjesson Pipe Systems (BPS) into one of the leading players in the market for flow technology solutions and products. Read about Torbjörn’s journey as an entrepreneur, from the start of BPS to the company becoming part of Momentum Group in October 2022.
Torbjörn Börjesson, managing director and former owner of BPS, has always had a strong interest in technology and people. With a background as an engineer, he started his career designing piping systems, but he quickly realised that it was meeting people that interested him the most, which led him to a sales role in the valve industry. After working in sales and building up a department for water and sewage systems, he felt it was time to stand on his own two feet.
In 2001, at the age of 35, Torbjörn founded BPS with the help of his own savings. “I started from scratch,” says Torbjörn. “I bought and sold products without any inventory and built the business gradually with the money I earned.” Gradually, he was able to build up a warehouse and hired his first employee in the finance department after just a few months, and another person in the warehouse four months later. The company grew rapidly and had a turnover of more than SEK 6 million already in the first year.
The driving force behind BPS
“I felt that this was something I wanted to do myself,” says Torbjörn. “When I was 24 years old, on a trip between Karlstad and Skattkärr, I felt that I wanted to start my own business one day. It took a few years, but finally the timing was right.” His strong entrepreneurial drive and ability to find a niche where few others saw potential, such as water and wastewater systems for wastewater treatment plants, have been instrumental to BPS’s success. “Several of my early suppliers believed in me and gave me favorable payment terms, which made a big difference in the beginning,” he adds.
Why sell?
After almost two decades of success, the thoughts of a sale began to mature. “I didn’t really have any plans to sell, but when a competing company of Momentum Group showed interest and made a bid, I started to consider the future of the company,” Torbjörn explains. An important factor in the decision was concern of my family. “If something were to happen to me, my wife would be left with a company she didn’t want to be responsible for, and my children are too young to take over.” A total of 11 companies showed interest in buying BPS, but despite other bids being higher, Torbjörn chose to sell to Momentum Group.
“Momentum Group felt right on several levels,” says Torbjörn. “We share the same values, and the fact that the main owner, Nordstjernan, distributes a large part of its surplus to charity, felt very good. Momentum Group is not too big and not too small – just right in order to continue to develop without losing the personal touch. I wanted to be part of the exiting journey and therefore the offer to take part of the purchase price in shares was very attractive. It makes me still feel like a partner, but in something bigger.”
Being part of Momentum Group
Becoming part of Momentum Group has been a positive experience for Torbjörn. “It’s nice not to be alone anymore. Now there’s always someone to share ideas with,” he says. Momentum Group’s network of experienced entrepreneurs and leaders has given him access to both knowledge and resources that were previously unavailable.
A clear example of this is the acquisitions of Cobalch and Minrox, which Torbjörn has been a driving force in. “I had long wanted to expand through acquisitions, but without sufficient financial resources, it was difficult. When I became part of Momentum Group, we were able to quickly move forward with these acquisition plans.”
The acquisition of Cobalch, which has a strong position in Denmark, opens new doors for BPS. “Cobalch has unique products and extensive experience, and through them we can now reach more customers in the Danish market,” says Torbjörn.
Minrox, which specializes in solutions for the mining industry, represents another great future potential for BPS. “Minrox works in an area where we have a small foot print, but their network and know-how can take us much further. The mining industry is a market with great growth potential for us,” he says.
The future of BPS and Torbjörn
In the future, Torbjörn plans to take a step back from the daily operational work. “From next summer, I will take summer vacation to spend more time with my family,” he explains. Despite this, he plans to continue to be active in the company’s strategic development and looks forward to being part of and continuing to drive BPS forward. “I still love doing business, and there’s a lot left to be done,” he says.
BPS will continue to grow, not least through the acquisitions and collaborations that Momentum Group enables. “It’s exciting to be part of a larger context, but at the same time maintain the entrepreneurial feeling. My goal is to continue to be involved in building BPS and the cluster of companies around us,” concludes Torbjörn, who already has his sights set on the next deal.
About BPS
BPS is one of the leading players in the market for flow technology solutions and products. The company was formed in 2001 and has been successful with own products such as WHP (Water Hammer Protector) to reduce water hammers, jet spray nozzles, design-patented jet spray lances and flow meter wells to reduce water leakage on drinking water networks. The own products complement the offer of products from leading manufacturers. The operations is based in Gothenburg, where the company also has its warehouse and can offer customers a wide selection of products and quick deliveries.