Owners Peter and Lars Hägg share their memories

The story began in 1945 when our grandfather Sven-Ragnar recognized a business opportunity in producing cutlery after the war. Cutlery was in short supply, and a friend of his realized that this might be a good business opportunity. Being the inventor he was, one thing led to another and a few years later, contract manufacturing for nearby industries kept him busy full-time. As chance would have it, the company Billmann Regulatorer needed a valve to sell under the slogan “You fix it – we sell it,” which is how Somas got into the valve industry.
The name Somas is an acronym derived from the Swedish Sliperi Och Mekaniska Arbeten Säffle (Grinding and Mechanical Engineering, Säffle). Somas has been exporting products since the end of the 1940s.

Loved doing business

Our dad, Ulf, who was a businessman through-and-through, was part of Somas early on and did the bookkeeping alongside his other jobs. He genuinely loved the business of buying and selling, negotiating, and reaching agreements. In 1964, our grandfather suddenly passed away, and from one day to the next our mother and father had to decide whether they should bring to an end the life they had begun together in Norrahammar outside Jönköping.

We believe they had planned to spend just a trial year in Säffle, but with the benefit of hindsight, we know they stayed many more years than that. At that time, Somas was an established company working out of a basement space and with four or five employees. Dad managed the office and sales, while his friend and partner Folke oversaw production. Back then, the driving force was surely the thrill of being his own boss, daring to take a chance and watch it succeed.

Expectations and management

There was never any expectation for the brothers to work at the company. Peter chose to study economics in Karlstad and later moved to Stockholm after completing his studies. Lars, for his part, pursued a career as a musician. After a few years in various places, Peter moved back to Säffle and was given the opportunity to start working at Somas in something that could best be
described as a trainee program.

A few years later, Lars followed in his brother’s footsteps. We had the opportunity to shadow various roles within the company, which gave us valuable insights. Somas was Dad’s lifeblood, but when his partner Folke passed away, things were probably more than a little lonely for him. Dad had clear expectations of his employees, and he always expected them to do their best.

Finding their passion

After a few years, both brothers were fully committed to the company. One day, they discussed whether they truly believed they could continue running Somas together. It was far from certain that everything would always run smoothly or remain entirely professional. They reached an
agreement, and in 1995, Peter became the CEO of Somas, while Lars took on the role of Logistics and Purchasing Manager.

In 2024, Lars decided to step down from his active role in the company. In 2025, Peter handed over his position as CEO to Jan Dahlén, and Mats Nilsson was appointed Deputy CEO at the same time. “If Dad’s passion was ‘the business,’ then ours was definitely building and managing it. We enjoy creating a larger structure—a team. But we wouldn’t be where we are today without our capable, dedicated employees,” conclude Peter and Lars.