The door closed with a muffled sound. Maria A. Ohlsson had a friendly but distinct smile and dark curly hair that ended at her shoulders. The red badge on her chest read ”Senior Physician, Neuro Department 8A”. “Sit down,” she said welcomingly and pointed to the couch with her hand and followed me with her curious gaze.
She shined a small flashlight into my eyes while lifting my eyelids with blue plastic gloves, looking carefully, taking her time. She gently struck a cold reflex hammer under my kneecaps and each leg flew up in a quick reflex movement, one at a time. She listened to my heart and lungs. It was still summer outside. We talked about everything, about movies. She had just seen “Blow” at the cinema with Johnny Depp and I told her that my film genre was currently westerns, preferably with Clint Eastwood in one of the roles. Time slipped away until she moved her chair closer to me.
“You know what?” she looked down at my journal. “I’ll get straight to the point,” a serious look replaced her smile. “You are suffering from fatigue syndrome.” “What does that mean?” I asked with ill-concealed concern. “It means that you are about to burn out, even though you are only nineteen,” she added with emphasis. “It’s very unusual.” She paused and stroked her cheek. “Now listen to me carefully,” she said. “You must take this medicine, she looked me straight in the eyes, and held out a prescription that she had folded. “From today?” I asked in a low voice. “From today, as soon as possible,” she said and nodded. “The medicine will make you better,” she said convincingly. “Believe me,” she said smiling kindly as I left the room.
Järnmalmer was sold to REMONDIS in the summer of 2023. It was the end of an era that lasted 73 years with the same family of owners. A family business for three generations with entrepreneurs who dedicated their lives to the recycling of scrap raw materials. An awesome journey with roots from the end of the Second World War until today. A vast era of an enormous number of events and memories where the first generation never had the opportunity to meet the last, but where my conviction is that we had the same visions, driving forces and dreams for the future.
There has been an enormous amount of work over the years, and it’s a bit dizzying when you think about it. It’s like a life was born and we have been given the honour and opportunity of making sure that this family member was allowed to develop, grow and feel good. Because that’s what running a family business is like. Then you get to a point, like in real life, when you must take the next step. The teenager needs to find himself, stand on his own two feet and that’s exactly how it felt for me who made the decision to sell the business. It wasn’t an emotionally difficult decision. Each thing has its time. And you want the best for that family member, and that means continued development, growth and new energy.
Every story has an ending, and with every ending, something new begins. In our case, we are fortunate to have been acquired by the world’s third-largest recycling company. Their business acumen aligns perfectly with our own, and together, we have the capability to provide waste management solutions that cater to all types of waste and serve customers, elevated by a strong market presence. We are now a full-service provider for businesses of all sizes, locally, nationally, and globally. I will continue to lead REMONDIS Järnmalmer with the same team as before, but with the backing of a global recycler. This backing will enable us to meet the market’s needs and become a complete waste management partner for the future.
When the red double doors to Mölndal Hospital opened more than twenty-five years ago with a buzzing sound, I met summer again. Such a fresh feeling, the sun was already high in the sky, and it felt warm even though it was only morning. I had worked hard at high school in my last year, had been a top athlete and throughout the summer holidays I had worked intensively at Järnmalmer, driving a forklift, truck, sorting metal. I realized I hadn’t had a single day off, so it felt strange to stand still in the sun and just breathe. I unfolded the note and stood there. In the box where the word ”prescription” was printed was written in blue ballpoint pen: Go to the sea, swim. Eat an ice cream!/Maria. Next to it was a happy old man and a sun with long rays. I bought the biggest ice cream cone they had at the kiosk on the way down to the beach. The realization that there were values other than work hit me when I felt the breeze from the sea.
Mattias Malmer
