Behind the wear parts – Anton Ekman

At Combi Wear Parts, innovation is built on the expertise and passion of our people. One of them is Anton Ekman, who joined our R&D team in 2024. With a background in mechanical engineering and experience from both product development and leadership, Anton now focuses on turning customer needs into advanced wear part solutions. In this interview, he shares his journey, daily work, and ambitions for the future.

Can you share a bit about your background and what brought you to Combi Wear Parts?

I grew up in northern Uppland, an area shaped by Sweden’s mining and forging traditions, and I’ve always felt a strong connection to our industrial heritage. Inspired by family members who worked in the steel industry, I chose to follow the same path and build a career in engineering.
I hold a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Luleå University of Technology and studied abroad in Germany with a focus on automotive and material science. Over the years, I’ve worked with product development, structural design, and leadership – including time in the Swiss automotive industry – before joining Combi Wear Parts in 2024.
Today, I work as both Design Engineer and Team Leader in the R&D department, focusing on casting, wear materials, and product development. What I enjoy most is being part of a highly skilled team at the foundry:

“As one of the younger engineers in the team, I learn something new every day — and I love that.”

Outside of work, I’m a dedicated father of four, passionate about sports and fitness, and I also enjoy hunting — a tradition I bring with me from my upbringing in Uppland.

 

Can you share an example of a challenge you’ve faced in your work and how you solved it?

As I’m still relatively new at Combi Wear Parts, I believe my biggest challenges are still ahead of me. However, one ongoing challenge is the development of a new dredging system — a complex product that pushes both our design capabilities and production methods.

We’re currently preparing to implement the design into production here in Ljungby. The complexity of the system has required intense collaboration across departments – particularly between R&D, production, and quality. My department’s role has involved validating the design with simulations, adjusting for castability, and ensuring that the final model meets both functional and manufacturability standards. This project has reinforced the importance of teamwork. At Combi Wear Parts, I’m fortunate to work with a highly skilled and committed team that tackles challenges head-on and brings great value through cross-functional problem-solving.

How do you collaborate with other departments in your daily work?

Cross-functional collaboration is a key part of how we work. As part of the R&D team, I interact regularly with both the production and quality departments to gather feedback and insights. For existing products, input from production helps us identify potential improvements to casting models or gating systems. Quality control reports also guide us in refining our designs to minimize defects and simplify the casting process. In new product development, these departments play a vital role. Together, we conduct castability studies and analyze field feedback from previous-generation products to ensure that new designs are not only innovative but also practical to manufacture and robust in performance.

 

 

What do you find most rewarding about your job, and what are you looking forward to developing further?

The most rewarding part of my job is delivering a product that meets the customer’s needs — and then receiving positive feedback specially as a team. As someone who played team sports growing up, I see a lot of similarities — when the whole team works together to succeed, the feeling is unmatched.
I also find it very inspiring to contribute to industry-wide research. Currently, two of my colleagues and I are part of a national project led by RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden) focused on “Smart image analysis for surface defects on cast components.” The goal is to develop a digital computer vision tool that can enhance quality control in the foundry industry. Link to RISE homepage and more project information:
https://www.ri.se/en/expertise-areas/projects/smyg-smart-image-analysis-for-surface-defects-on-cast-components

Looking ahead, one of my personal ambitions is to co-develop and patent a new wear part system together with my colleagues. Combi Wear Parts has a strong tradition of patented innovations, and I’m excited to contribute to that legacy in the coming years.