The road to success: Carl-Axel Roth

At the turn of the new millennium, Carl-Axel Roth was a man who spent his days staring at the bitumen and white lines of Europe’s highways. For many years, a knack for face-to-face communication and a drive to build his company from the coalface saw Carl-Axel not sitting at a desk in his office, but in his car driving from region to region to meet with potential new clients and suppliers, or to connect with business partners.

"There were many late nights and early mornings; many missed dinners," he chuckles. "But if you want success, you have to work hard." Often reaching close to 10,000 kilometres on his odometer every month, each journey played a part in Carl-Axel’s numerous leadership roles with Europe’s ACT Group, directing seven companies until he landed the role of CEO and Managing Director for ACT Logimark — a Swedish firm specialising in industrial marking equipment and maintenance.

Logimark now the ‘most flexible company in our sector’

Having always held an interest in mechanics, Carl-Axel began his career selling cars in the 80s — a venture he grew into a successful business. It was in these early years that he learned that long days were part and parcel to building a successful business, and he has applied this method of success to ACT Logimark, which was privately established in 2002 by Carl-Axel and is a part of ACT Group. "Today, after fourteen years, Logimark is definitely a leader in its market and it is the most flexible company in our sector," says Carl-Axel.

Today, ACT Logimark is a leading provider of industrial marking, control, and system solutions in Scandinavia, including inkjet printers, laser marking, labelling machines and printers, thermal transfer printers, and all consumable items like ink, solvent, ribbons and labels. It offers a one-stop-shop for clients with its large central warehouse adjacent to its headquarters in Malmö, and Carl-Axel has strategically selected customer locations where the company has sales and service facilities.

One of our strengths is our ability to be responsive to our customers’ needs and create solutions based on these.

A marriage of great minds

In 2009, Carl-Axel decided that his leadership responsibilities paired with his travel was too much so he handed over the Managing Director role to someone whom he trusted to run the show in his absence — his wife, Vesna Roth. "With all the coming and going, I was ineffective in the office so this change was great for the company," he says. "When Vesna took over that role, I was able to spend more time focusing on expanding into new markets and following through on strategy and innovation ambitions; that’s my strong point."

"The best use of his time is going out and talking to new clients. We don’t want him sitting in the office; it’s a waste of time," Vesna adds.

As the company continued to grow, and with Carl-Axel always on the road, Vesna became a trusted partner in life and business, and Carl-Axel highlights how she was best placed to take care of current operations while he sought new ones. "You need to have someone at the office and I was happy to stay behind to take on that role," Vesna says. "Carl-Axel loves publicity and I don’t, so he would carry on as front of house and I would take care of internal business," she laughs.

The company prides itself on not only providing a flexible and thorough service to its customers, and staying at the forefront of innovation and technology in the sector, but also on assessing customer needs and giving them a voice in their own solution design. "One of our strengths is our ability to be responsive to our customers’ needs and create solutions based on these," says Carl-Axel. "Instead of saying, ‘Here’s what you get’, we ask, ‘What are your needs?’ And then we customise our offerings accordingly."

Time for reflection

4 years ago, Carl-Axel was forced to step away from the long days and valiant efforts to grow the company when he unfortunately suffered a stroke. Doctor appointments and hospital visits suddenly replaced his usual hectic schedule of business meetings and client lunches as he recovered, gradually regaining his physical and mental stamina. "It’s
been a struggle but we are doing much better now," says Vesna. "He’s been very inspiring."

Since seeing some great progress in his recovery, Carl-Axel has eased into a less trying role which he can afford to do with such a healthy company with good employees.

"Today he’s a bit more settled and doesn’t travel as much, and it’s made a big difference. Now he is relying more on his team, instead of trying to carry the weight himself," says Vesna. "Now I can have more of a role in strategy and be there to guide people. That was always the goal," adds Carl-Axel. He also now has more time for personal hobbies like sailing and golfing and for holidaying with his family in a mountain cottage in Idre.

Keeping an eye on happiness, not just the numbers

Carl-Axel says he is happy to have handed over more responsibility to his very capable team, whom he takes great pride in leading. "A leader should always be honest, take responsibility and have a strong work ethic — but just as important is to realise that a big part of your success is your staff," he says. "It has always been important for us to keep our people happy and not just look at the numbers. We are always excited to hear our employees say each morning: ‘Another day in paradise’."

A common phrase utilised by the ACT Logimark team is: ‘It is only when the wind blows that you can see what the ship can do in the water’. For ACT Logimark, the company’s staff and suppliers are its wind.  "Our business partners are the key to prosperity," Carl-Axel says. Whether it’s business meetings or having a beer together at the end of the day, Vesna adds that ACT Logimark cherishes its suppliers equally and likes to think of them as friends.

"They are very reliable. When you call them and something is wrong, they fix it and they help you in any way they can. You feel comfortable knowing you have their support. And for them we also give 100%," she says. "The dynamic within the company and between our employees and suppliers is quite special, and is hard to find in larger companies with 1,000-plus people. Some might initially think that a small private company in Sweden like ours is not a positive, but we have proven well enough that we are a force to be reckoned with."