Satcube Officially Opens New Manufacturing Facility in Karlstad, Sweden

Satcube, a satellite communication company that develops lightweight terminals to provide satellite broadband, announces the completion and move to its new facility for mass-production of satellite terminals, both for existing product verticals and new ventures for on-the-move applications.

Due to an increased demand for Satcube products, the company has reached maximum production capacity in its previous manufacturing facility. The new facility was finished during the summer and the move was executed in August. Full production capacity has been reached by the end of September.

With an almost threefold increase in production area to 1500m2, plus 800m2 of warehouse, Satcube will have the possibility to recruit 50 new colleagues and increase production volumes drastically. The new automated production line will also enable the company to shorten the time between order and delivery.

As part of Satcube’s manufacturing approach, the new facility will have automated and semi-automated production based on Green Lean Digital and Agile philosophies. Combining those forward-leaning standards with the higher grade of automation in the production line, Satcube will have the possibility to quickly scale up manufacturing for high-volume orders while keeping production costs low, as well as adapt to customer-specific requirements.

Following Toyota’s lean and 5S methods, all the Satcube employees were trained to understand the approach and methodology. An action group was then appointed and carried out several projects in production within the 5S methodology with very good results both in terms of the working environment but also the reduction of waste in production, which increased production capacity.

“When manufacturing complex high-tech products that require expert engineering, it is without a doubt a major advantage to offer close proximity between development and manufacturing departments.” says Henrik Strandén, Chief Operations Officer & Production Manager at Satcube.

“This hands-on, integral, close approach and focus on teamwork leads to higher quality products and shorter time to market for new products,” confirms Strandén. There are far more benefits to having in-house manufacturing, including full control of supply chain stability, waste management, working conditions and safety standards. Through our strategy, we are able to realize a cost-efficient and reliable supply chain for our customers.”

The new manufacturing premises are perfectly adapted to Satcube’s production needs, which will allow the company to improve and bring the lean work to new levels. This will in its turn increase efficiency, quality and provide increased flexibility in the production process. All in all, this will increase the customer value of our products while minimizing the use of resources (materials), which is something Satcube strives for from a sustainability perspective.

As a further step, Satcube is also working with the ISO-9001 quality management system within the organization, to be able to meet and exceed our customers' needs and expectations and improve our internal operations and processes. The work is ongoing and hope to lead to a certification during 2025.

The new factory also displays a dedicated testing facility, making it possible to test up to 8 terminals simultaneously thanks to unobstructed visibility for transmission in all directions. Satcube terminals are IP65 or IP67 certified and thoroughly tested before delivery.

“Satcube achieved strong year-on-year growth in revenue for two years in a row and is already serving major NGO’s, media houses and government agencies. Due to significantly increased demand for Satcube products, we had reached maximum production capacity in existing facilities.” confirms Jakob Kallmér, Chief Executive Officer.

“With a nearly three-fold increase in production available at our new facility, Satcube will be able to deliver substantial new volumes while tapping a highly automated production line to shorten time between order and delivery.” continues Kallmér. The new, highly agile setup will enable Satcube to both rapidly and seamlessly establish production of new products and deliver on custom orders with specialized requirements in a winning scenario for customers and the company’s long-term strategy.”

The EU and the European Satellite Association alike currently actively support and encourage initiatives to develop strong regional supply chains within the EU as many products are sourced from other parts of the world. Satcube’s already established local production principles are well aligned with supporting a growing regional EU supply chain, tapping local technology, research, development, employment opportunities, and production.