Swebal’s TNT plant, however, falls in the old-school league of ammunition production. This domain’s mostly ruled by Poland’s Nitro‑Chem, Europe’s go-to for military-grade TNT.
Joakim Sjöblom, the brains behind Swebal, reckons this funding will help speed things up for the factory. His vision is to fortify Europe’s security with this initiative.
Pär says, “Sweden needs robust defence capabilities, and that must involve a strong homegrown defence industry. So, it’s only natural to throw support behind the Swedish defence sector – it’s about giving back and making a shrewd move for the future.”
Some big shots are backing this venture, including Thomas von Koch, a founder of EQT venture capital firm, the well-known entrepreneur Pär Svärdson, and Major General Karl Engelbrektson, a former head honcho in Sweden’s army.
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TNT, short for trinitrotoluene, packs a punch, from artillery shells to bombs dropped from the sky. Europe’s putting out roughly 6,000 tonnes of this stuff yearly. In comparison, Russia’s rolling out a whopping 50,000 tonnes, as per Swebal’s intel.
Pär Svärdson, who founded the top Swedish tech firms Apotea and Adlibris, sees investing in local TNT production as logical, given today’s security worries in Europe.
A wee Swedish startup is going back to basics with defence tech. They’re setting up the first TNT factory in Sweden since the old Cold War days.
Joakim mentioned, “This investment will rev up the process leading to final approvals, giving us the green light to break ground as soon as we can. Our goal is to reinforce Europe’s defence system and secure long-term safety by filling in the gaps in ammunition production.”
Before kicking off construction, Swebal’s plans for the TNT factory need more nods from the Swedish government. Joakim’s confident that the recent investment will speed up this whole process.
Europe’s witnessing a boom in defence tech, with politicians eyeing fancy gear like drones, subs, and AI weaponry.
The company, called Swebal and based in Stockholm, has bagged a cool €3mn investment for this project. The factory, due to start buzzing by late 2027, will be nestled in Nora, a town a good three-hour drive from the capital. It’s estimated to churn out over 4,000 tonnes of TNT each year.
