Meet Tomas Aspenskog, Marketing and Sales manager since the beginning of 2022 at ACG Kinna Automatic, a part of the ACG Group. We talked with Tomas about his very exciting and varying role in the textile machine industry.

Since the beginning of 2022, I have had the privilege of working as the Marketing and Sales Manager at ACG Kinna Automatic, a part of the ACG Group. It’s an incredibly exciting and varied role.

My background and education encompass over 20 years of international experience in the home textile industry in various roles, from product development and procurement to sales and management. Before joining ACG Kinna Automatic, I ran my own company, selling high-quality bedding products manufactured in Portugal.

You might wonder how I ended up in the textile industry. For me, there’s a natural explanation for why my career began in the textile industry. I grew up in Kinna, a small town where the textile industry’s heritage has had a profound impact on society in various ways since the early 1900s. Right after high school, I joined a local textile wholesale company in 2000 and worked my way up. So, you could say that what started as a first job by chance later became a passion and was probably already in my DNA.

My workdays vary significantly, especially since I manage two roles as Marketing and Sales Manager. A day can begin with leading our global sales agencies in a digital meeting, followed by internal budget meetings or traveling to visit customers somewhere in the world. During my first year as Marketing Manager, I’ve focused on identifying our key markets and initiating our company’s digitalization process. In my role as Sales manager, I´ve invested a lot of time in our global agencies to strengthen the cooperation and our position. I picture our agencies as our best customer in each country they represent. I believe that this will improve sales in the long term.

The solutions we offer our customers are more project- and consultation-based than simply selling a combination of machines. So, the challenge lies in understanding what the customer wants and to successfully offer added values and guide the customer through the entire process, which requires time and a sense of accuracy. Patience and precision is key.

Working in the textile industry of today means a frequent demand for adaption and change that comes from the fact that we have to act on environmental issues, digitalization, and new regulations. The textile industry is expected to take greater responsibility for the global impact of its production and consumption. That means we need to stay on top of everything and adapt our business accordingly.

The industry also faces challenges in the supply chain, price fluctuations, and difficulties in finding workers. On the positive side, this allows me to be part of the solution and help adapt our company and offer. In this way, ACG Kinna Automatic can enter the future with confidence.

One of my passions in this business is the sales process and personal interactions with customers. Closing deals by truly understanding what the customer wants and being responsive is crucial to me. Therefore, it’s very important for me to ensure that our team can deliver customer value and a high level of service throughout the entire process. Today, it’s not enough to “just sell.”