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The Krusell story started
back in 1991 when two brothers, David and Marcus Krusell, who were
both attending school at the time, wanted to explore the possibilities of
earning a little extra pocket money since attending school was not all that
glamorous for your wallet.
They decided to import
leather belts from Asia to sell at the local flea markets in their hometown
of Mölnlycke, a suburb just west of Gothenburg.
An office was set up in the
attic in their family home.
After consistently
focusing on bringing the best of quality and maintaining a good level of
pricing, they were asked if they wanted to arrange an event with a small
stand at the local supermarket where they would sell directly to the
shoppers as they were entering and leaving the store. |
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The opportunity to take
their little business to the next level was clear, and together with
homemade cookies and coffee, they accepted the offer, and their sales
and popularity increased drastically.
One year later, with miles of
belts and gallons of coffee sold, it was time for the brothers to sit down
and take a moment to reflect on their current situation and evaluate the
possibilities and opportunities for the future. |
During the early phase of
their business, Marcus Krusell had regularly visited Thailand to actively
take part in the production of manufacturing and was quickly learning the
many possibilities and flexibility when working with leather.
A year earlier, in 1991, the
first GSM call was made with equipment provided by Nokia.
Marcus Krusell was and has
always been the electronics freak, so he was well aware of the technology
breakthrough and was eagerly following the outcome.
In 1993, Nokia
releases the first GSM handheld device, and Marcus and David look into the
possibilities of making their first leather case for a cellular phone.
In 1994, Krusell
launched their first cases for Nokia cell phones in Sweden, and the response
was excellent.
Fortunately the phones did
not differ much in design, which made it easy to grasp in production.
By the end
of 1997, a strong network of resellers was selling their cases,
and the cellular phone had entered the market to stay.
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Again it was time for
Marcus and David to evaluate how they could improve their product.
Like many good ideas,
they are often discussed in the most peculiar of places and situations,
sometimes with good results, other times not.
After throwing around a
multitude of ideas and a couple of extra beers, nothing really clever
resulted except for a hangover the next day, which would soon to be the
most ingenious hangover in the history of Krusell. |
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The day after, Marcus
called David and said, “I have it!”
Instead of changing a
working concept producing the cases that we do, let’s give the user the
ability to carry the phone the way they prefer, and the Multidapt System
was born.
The Multidapt system was
not as complete then as it is today, but opened the way to versatility
and offered the ability for the user to choose their preference when
carrying their device.
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The
Multidapt System is today patented worldwide and is mounted on all cellular
and PDA cases that Krusell produces globally today.
Adding the Multidapt to their
assortment was highly regarded and sales and product recognition increased
again.
At
this time larger wireless distributors were eagerly watching the small but
unique company, as they saw one store after the other taking on the brand.
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In
1998 Mr. Ulf Sandberg with Cebon Sales and Development AB, one of the
largest distributors of wireless accessories and batteries in Sweden,
contacted Krusell to offer a business proposal to obtain distribution of
Krusell products in Sweden.
With
an established distribution network, both Marcus and David could now focus
and explore the possibilities of selling their products internationally.
Krusell exhibited with a very small booth at CeBIT in Hanover, the world’s
number one event for the ICT sector, and the result was as obvious as the
product portfolio they attained.
New
prospects and contacts were established and fresh markets to explore for the
future.
Two
years later Krusell had reached a new level, with sales and administration;
and Marcus, being fluent in Thai at this point in time, had decided to pack
his rucksack and move to Thailand to run operations.
Krusell was now a well-known name and had earned respect from the business
community as a quality case manufacturer.
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With
the world on their doorstep, Ulf Sandberg with Cebon Sales and Development
AB saw the opportunities ahead and joined Krusell in charge of Sales and
Marketing.
2001 was a significant
year for Krusell as they decided to enter the handheld PDA market and
use their know how with design and the advantage of the Multidapt
System.
Only a year old in the PDA market Krusell was nominated for the European
Pocket PC Award in the category cases competing against the main brands
in the business…and won two years in a row!
In
2002 Krusell International was now ready to explore centralized
distribution opportunity for North America. Tony Croucier, President
and CEO at KaseIT Inc., negotiated with Ulf Sandberg
at Krusell Sweden to open new possibilities of distribution for the USA,
Canada and Mexico.
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Today
Krusell International has distributors in over 40 countries (2003) with an
assortment of cases accounting for approximately 85% of the cellular and PDA
market share. At present, over 9,000 retailers worldwide sell products
assembled with the unique Multidapt®-system.
The
main outlets for Krusell products are telecom and computer dealers, the
brown goods sector and department stores. In the industrial field Krusell
works with the sub-contractors as well as major OEM's.
Nobody
has the key for success; but with hard work, dedication, personal
involvement and believing in your idea, focusing on what lies ahead will be
clear…even with a hangover.
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