NGR Gears Up for Its Next Phase of Growth
After several years of rapid expansion, NGR Group is preparing for the next stage of its development. The company’s new strategy through 2030 sets out a clear ambition: to grow by creating more value from every material stream it handles.
The focus is no longer simply on moving greater volumes. NGR intends to make better use of its expertise across processing, logistics and trading to ensure that materials reach the markets and applications where they have the greatest value.
“Our ambition is to become even better at what creates genuine value for our customers and partners,” says Tobias Hästbacka, CEO of NGR Group. “That means combining our knowledge of materials with processing, logistics and trading, and ensuring that the right material reaches the right application.”
NGR’s model is built around a clear division of roles. Its partners collect and source materials, while NGR focuses on processing them, managing their route to market and identifying the most suitable end use.
The strategy provides a long-term direction, but Hästbacka stresses that its success will ultimately depend on consistent execution.
“A strategy can show us where we are going, but it is what we do every day that gets us there. By bringing together our different areas of expertise and continually improving the way we manage and process material streams, we are building the NGR of the future.”
Three business areas, one integrated offering
NGR Group’s operations are centred on three business areas: Recycling, Logistics and Trading.
Recycling receives, sorts and processes materials. Logistics manages transportation, equipment and day-to-day material handling. Trading connects materials with the markets and customers where they can achieve the best commercial outcome.
Each area has a distinct role, but their real strength lies in how they work together. By combining customer relationships, material expertise, operational capabilities and data, NGR can make better decisions throughout the material journey and create more value across the chain.
“We do not need to own every stage of the process, nor is that our ambition,” Hästbacka says. “Our role is to understand the material and the market, and to work with our partners to find the most efficient and commercially attractive route from source to end customer.”
This approach also marks a shift in how NGR views growth. Greater volume remains important, but it is not the objective in itself.
“We have gradually become clearer about the kind of growth we want to pursue,” Hästbacka says. “Our aim is to grow in a way that strengthens both our profitability and our position in the market.”
Extending NGR’s reach through partnerships
Partnerships will play a central role in delivering the new strategy. One of its key elements is the Circular Flow Network, or CFN, which is designed to extend NGR’s geographic reach through a network of local microhubs.
These microhubs will bring both materials and information closer to their source. HUB28 will serve as the network’s central platform for processing, quality management and data.
“The idea is to expand our geographic reach without building a full-scale organisation in every location,” Hästbacka explains. “We will develop the network step by step, working closely with our partners.”
The model will allow NGR to establish a presence in new areas while maintaining a scalable structure. Local partners provide proximity to material sources, while NGR contributes its processing capabilities, market knowledge and broader commercial network.
Turning data into better decisions
Digitalisation is another important pillar of the strategy. NGR is developing a shared structure for managing orders, contracts, financial information, inventory, vehicles and material streams across its operations.
The immediate objective is to create a clearer and more consistent view of the business. Better information will support decisions about volumes, quality, costs and the most suitable destination for each material.
Over time, NGR also intends to use data and artificial intelligence to improve pricing, sorting, transport planning and capacity utilisation.
The goal is not digitalisation for its own sake. It is to use information more effectively, improve operational decisions and identify opportunities that would otherwise remain hidden within complex material streams.
“Combining material expertise, physical infrastructure and data opens up entirely new possibilities,” Hästbacka says. “We want to use what we know about material streams to create even greater value for our customers and partners.”
This work will also lay the foundation for Project 2040, NGR’s long-term development programme for exploring new business models and future growth opportunities.
With its strategy through 2030, NGR is setting out to build a more integrated, scalable and data-driven business. The direction is clear: growth should come not only from handling more material, but from understanding it better and finding smarter ways to turn that knowledge into value.