“The acquisition of eConnectivity is part of our and our owner Techstep’s strengthening of our expertise and capacity to become a leader in Managed Mobility Services in the Nordic region,” says Fredrik Logenius, CEO of Optidev.

The company eConnectivity was founded three years ago by Claes Widestadh, Christoffer Shokofan Taudien, and Stayhard founder Joakim Naumburg. The company specialises in strategic services relating to mobility and digitalisation, as well as integrated app solutions. With its solutions for major companies including SKF, Volvo Cars, and Polestar, this is a key acquisition for Optidev’s and Techstep’s continued growth.

“Together with Techstep, we are strengthening our range of joint MMS solutions. We really value eConnectivity’s expertise in mobility transformation and best practice, says Logenius.

eConnectivity also sees great potential.

“When we started eConnectivity three years ago, we saw a gap in the market for helping companies realise the business value of mobile services and solutions. Together, we’re on course to become the leading Nordic supplier in digitalisation with Managed Mobility Services. It’s incredibly energising to be recognised for how far we’ve come, and we’re now ready for the next step,” says Widestadh of eConnectivity.

This deal is also in line with Techstep’s long-term strategy.

“The acquisition is in line with Techstep’s growth strategy, which is driven by organic growth and acquisitions,” says Jens Haviken, CEO of Techstep.

For further information, please contact:
Fredrik Logenius, CEO, Optidev AB, +46 33 20 42 02
Jens Haviken, CEO, Techstep ASA, +47 930 90 070

About Optidev AB
Optidev is one of the leading Nordic players in turnkey deliveries of cost-efficient mobile solutions for transport and logistics companies and the security industry. The solutions include software and equipment for traceability and accessibility, as well as the collection of business-critical information in real time. Optidev employs 85 people and has offices in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. The company was founded in the year 2000 and is owned by Techstep ASA. For more information, please visit www.optidev.se.
 
About Techstep ASA
Techstep was founded with the aim of being the leading supplier of Managed Mobility Services in the Nordic region. Techstep’s software-based Managed Mobility offering enables companies to let their staff do their work using mobile devices and in locations with high levels of security and operational stability. Techstep employs 210 people based in Norway and Sweden, serving almost 4,000 clients and 210,000 subscribers in various industries in both the public and private sectors. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit www.techstepasa.no.

In early October, Optidev’s Fredrik Logenius and Christian Lundin were named Borås Entrepreneur of the Year 2020. Just a few weeks later, CEO Fredrik Logenius has now also been nominated for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award, a programme which spans more than 60 countries around the world. Logenius, one of Western Sweden’s ten finalists for the prize, has a good chance of progressing to the national final in Stockholm on 29 January 2021.

“It feels great that Optidev’s success and my work as CEO have received so much attention lately. The nomination as Western Sweden’s Entrepreneur of the Year is proof of our efforts and it’s a huge honour for me personally,” says Logenius.

Competing alongside some of the foremost entrepreneurs in the world

EY Entrepreneur of the Year is one of the world’s most prominent awards for entrepreneurs. As an organisation, each year EY arranges an awards ceremony to raise awareness of entrepreneurs and promote entrepreneurship. The competition is held at regional, national, and international level in 140 cities across more than 60 countries. The winner of the main prize will represent Sweden at the world final in June 2021 to compete for the title World Entrepreneur of the Year.

In order to be nominated for the award, entrepreneurs must have founded a company that has been active for at least five years and has a turnover of at least SEK 10 million, or at least ten employees. This autumn, independent juries will select six regional winners in the four prize categories. In addition to the main prize, there are also prizes for Female Shooting Star of the Year, Male Shooting Star of the Year, and Best International Growth. They will then advance to the national finals at Stockholm City Hall on 29 January 2021.

Growing and award-winning employer

Optidev has been developing and supplying business-critical mobility solutions for more than 20 years, including everything from digitalisation for industry-leading transport and logistics companies such as Postnord, DHL, and DB Schenker, to data-secure systems for ticket checks on public transport. Early on in the pandemic, Optidev also created an app solution so that pupils could still get a school lunch despite distance learning, while also supporting the local restaurant industry. The solution was a huge success in Borås and has since been picked up by several other Swedish municipalities.

“For us, it went without saying to offer our expertise. What’s more, it’s great to see that our solutions are useful and make day-to-day life easier,” says Logenius.

From its head office in Borås, Optidev has grown steadily. It now employs around 90 people and has an annual turnover of SEK 187 million. For several years the company has actively pursued a positive internal culture for its employees. The company has featured on the Great Place to Work list in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

In early September, Optidev AB was acquired by the Norwegian firm Techstep ASA. Together, the companies are consolidating their positions as leading players in cost-effective and complete mobility solutions with an emphasis on transport, logistics, data security, and Managed Mobility Services (MMS).

Techstep is pleased to invite investors, analysts and other stakeholders to its Capital Markets Update to be held in Oslo on Tuesday 1 December 2020.

The event will provide an update on Techstep’s strategic development, market and outlook, including presentations by CEO Jens Haviken, CFO Marius Drefvelin and CCO Erik Haugen, as well as a presentation on Techstep’s most recent acquisition, Optidev AB.

“Over the last years we have positioned Techstep to become one of the leading providers of Managed Mobility Services in the Nordics. Today, we are at an exciting stage in our journey and we look forward to updating you on our development and the way forward”, says CEO Jens Haviken.

A more detailed agenda, further details regarding registration of attendance and information about the live broadcast will follow in due course.

About Techstep ASA

Techstep is purpose-built to become a leading Managed Mobility Services provider in the Nordics. Techstep combines device management, software, hardware and connectivity into a managed service. This enables enterprises and their employees to do their work across mobile devices and locations, with a high degree of security and operational stability. Techstep has 290 employees based in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, serving close to 4,000 customers and 310,000 recurring revenue end-users across various industries in the private and public sectors. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange. For more information, see www.techstepasa.no.

The school lunch has been a hot issue since the Swedish government closed all the country’s upper secondary schools in March of this year. In April, AcadeMedia Free School Group, with around 36,000 students in Sweden, launched a new app that gives their students easy access to school lunch even as they are remote learning from home. Now, AcadeMedia considers using the app also after the schools reopen.
– It started as a temporary solution, but now we have a long-term goal of maintaining this system even after the Corona crisis. The reason is that the app helps reduce food waste and improve the food quality, says Jimmy Kjellström, chief operating officer at AcadeMedia.

When AcadeMedia and the software company Optidev started the development of a digital solution to help manage school lunches, several positive side effects quickly became clear. The app’s “reservation system” provides detailed information that enables the food suppliers to plan better and minimize food waste.

Mathias Kristiansson, project manager at AcadeMedia and responsible for the current project, explains:

– In addition to reducing food waste, our suppliers now have much better insight than before. The app helps them identify the most popular dishes and the preferred way of preparing the food. Perhaps fish balls aren’t so popular among the students, but Thai fish stew is. The app simply allows us to raise the quality of the food for our students and we are now looking at what a permanent solution could look like.

The app allows students to access next week’s school lunch menu and order the food they want via their phone. All lunch orders for the coming week have to be submitted by Tuesday the week before. As a result, food suppliers receive detailed food orders and can plan purchases and production accordingly.

Students pick up their school lunches at locations near their regular schools. In order to receive the food, students have to present a personal QR code, which also contains information about allergies and special diets.

The project faced several challenges, including the large scale of the project that included linking students, schools and various catering companies in different parts in Sweden – from Luleå in the north to Ystad in the south and the urgency of the project presented an even bigger challenge.

– Normally a project like this can take years or at least months to implement, but in this case, time was the most critical factor and all parties worked together to make it possible. Staff, schools, students and catering companies, but also Optidev freed up resources and worked evenings and weekends to get the system implemented in record time, says Jimmy Kjellström at AcadeMedia.

Usually, Optidev focuses on development of logistics solutions with customers such as PostNord and DHL.

– At first glance, this project may seem to be completely outside of our core business, but the fact is that order management, production, and distribution of lunches, involves many different logistics functions. Based on AcadeMedia’s size, we identified several opportunities for measureable positive effects. The project’s long-term perspective and focus on sustainability, removed any doubts we had and we felt confident to take on the project. Our focus was how quickly we could deliver a solution, says Fredrik Logenius, CEO of Optidev.