Latest ventures Falkbuilt and Echo show remarkable global growth for Mogens Smed
Experience, reputation and built relationships are things Mogens Smed has always said are integral parts of his business. And he was certainly able to continue as a successful manufacturing entrepreneur just getting on with it, surrounded by a dedicated team of employees.
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On Thursday, it held its annual Falkbuilt/Echo update in front of its board, shareholders, employees and other interested parties, sharing financial and production updates that showed remarkable growth.
“I choose my board of directors from people I like, who have a meaningful relationship, and who have a good knowledge of the industry and how it works,” he said.
Calgary-based Falkbuilt and Echo are privately held companies.
Falkbuilt started four years ago with just six employees. Today Smed has 450 employees working in three buildings and 100 offices around the world.
To date, the company has installed more than 2,500 prefab projects from Antarctica, where it designed a research station, to the Arctic and many countries in between.
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According to Smed, the major advantage for Falkbuilt over its competitors lies in the technology – Digital Component Construction powered by Echo, which creates an engineering-accurate model in the cloud and streamlines the process from design, to manufacture, to installation.
The company’s co-founders – CEO Smed and Chief Technology Officer Barrie Loberg – certainly have manufacturing and technology backgrounds.
Smed founded SMED International and was a co-founder of DIRTT Environmental Solutions and has been recognized by the American Society of Interior Designers for his work in reducing construction waste and interior customization and sustainability.
Loberg led the implementation of original and revolutionary technologies at Evans Consol and co-founded DIRTT where he created ICE, the world’s first digital platform combining a video game experience with live data for accurate pricing, engineering, manufacturing and construction site.
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Together they founded Falkbuilt, which manufactures digital components in its 90,000-square-foot Calgary-based facility and warehouse at 40th street and 106th Avenue SE They are then shipped around the world for a quick, clean installation with far fewer materials, no dust and virtually no on-site waste. Craftsmen follow the same process as traditional construction, but work everywhere on schedule, in a quarter of the normal time, with far more efficient use of labor.
Significant contracts continue to be awarded, including – at 850,000 square feet – the largest interior prefab project in North America in Charlotte, NC, designed with 211 offices, 288 meeting rooms and integrated technologies throughout.
Gallery Carts, a Denver-based provider of autonomous kiosks and stores, has recently installed projects using Falkbuilt technology at Petco Park and Dodger Stadium in San Diego, Los Angeles, and is working at the venues for the Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders of National Football League .
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Gallery Carts have also been used by the Calgary Company at airports in Maui and Chicago, as well as other locations in Edinburgh, Berlin and a remote mine in Chile.
Jim Burgess, director of Burgess Design in Seattle, decided to renovate his space to encourage people to get back to work after the pandemic. He chose Falkbuilt, which offered the quickest schedule and the best price. Burgess is now using his space as a case study of how design should evolve.
Several projects have been completed in Mumbai, India and most recently, thanks to Echo technology, the fairing could be manufactured in India.
All this work around the world makes Smed a proud Calgarian and Albertan. He says businesses trust Albertans and the way we do business, and he and his staff have earned their respect.
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Smed is a go-getter and he just keeps going.
Remarks:
Parker Public Relations was named Best Boutique PR Firm in Western Canada by Corporate Vision Magazine at the 2023 Canadian Business Awards to help increase brand awareness and serve those who need it most,” said CEO Ellen Parker. “My team and I are very proud to receive this award after careful performance-based evaluation, which includes customer reviews and press coverage.”