From five founders to nearly 90 colleagues across Sweden and Finland. Today, we're looking towards new offices and new markets. But our ambitions go beyond growth. In an interview with HerbertNathan & Co, our CEO Lars Nordlund shares his vision for the future of Navcite, why company culture matters more than ever, and how we plan to keep moving forward without losing what makes us who we are.
When Navcite was founded in 2008, we were five people with extensive experience in ERP systems and a shared ambition: to build a company where we could work closely with our customers and help their businesses grow and develop.
A lot has changed since then. Our journey began with Movex, now known as Infor M3. We soon expanded our offering to include Navision, which later became Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Over the years, we’ve grown beyond our original location, developed new areas of expertise and established a presence in Finland.
But getting here hasn’t been about following a predefined plan.
Growing on Our Own Terms
Looking back at Navcite’s journey, Lars Nordlund reflects on how the company’s ambitions have evolved over time.
In the early days, the goal was simple: to become a team of ten within five years. As the business developed, so did the opportunities ahead of us. We gradually built the foundations needed to open new offices and create a business that could grow sustainably over the long term.
In recent years, that growth has accelerated. Over a four-year period, Navcite grew by approximately 40% annually, entirely through organic growth.
But the next chapter isn’t about maintaining that same pace.
We’re not going to keep growing at the same rate as before. Our focus is on maintaining steady, sustainable growth, Lars Nordlund, vd Navcite.
For Lars, sustainable growth means finding the right balance between business performance, profitability and the wellbeing of our people. We want to keep moving forward, but never at the expense of the people and culture that have brought us this far.
This is also why we’ve chosen to finance our growth through our own resources. By staying in control of our development, we can make long-term decisions and build the business around what we believe in.
A Bigger Team. The Same Personal Approach.
Growth brings change. More colleagues and offices mean new perspectives, stronger collaboration and greater opportunities. But they also bring a responsibility to preserve the things that make an organisation work well.
For us, having a strong local presence has always been important. When opening new offices, we’ve worked alongside people who understand their local markets and share our ambition to build something meaningful together.
It’s an approach that allows us to combine the expertise of a growing organisation with the personal relationships and local understanding our customers value.
At the same time, we’ve focused on creating structures that support growth without adding unnecessary complexity.
And this is where our company culture really matters.
You can reach out to anyone in the company. We’re always accessible to each other, and of course, the same should apply to our customers, Lars.
We want Navcite to be a place where people feel comfortable taking initiative, where colleagues are easy to reach and where ideas can quickly turn into decisions. And we want working with us to feel just as straightforward for our customers.
It’s what we mean by Small company feeling – big company experience.
The personal relationships, accessibility and flexibility of a smaller company, combined with the knowledge, experience and capabilities of a larger organisation. As Lars looks towards the future, one thing is clear: no matter how much we grow, that feeling should remain.
New Opportunities Call for Continuous Development
As Navcite evolves, so does the world around us.
ERP systems are developing rapidly. AI, new integration capabilities and increasingly automated processes are changing how businesses operate and what they can expect from their technology.
During the interview, Lars highlights a particularly interesting shift: the move towards more autonomous ERP systems. Traditionally, ERP systems have primarily been used to record, manage and process information. Looking ahead, Lars sees a future where these systems can take a more active role in carrying out tasks, supporting decisions and moving business processes forward.
For us, this creates exciting new opportunities to help our customers develop their businesses.
But technology is only one part of the equation. Understanding how it fits into everyday operations, what challenges it should solve and how people will work with new solutions is just as important.
That’s why we’re continuing to strengthen our expertise in ERP, integrations and AI, while building on the industry knowledge and understanding of business processes that have always been central to our work.
Because introducing new technology isn’t the goal in itself. What matters is helping our customers put it to work in ways that make a real difference.
What’s Next for Navcite?
Looking a few years ahead, Lars envisions a Navcite with more offices, more colleagues and a presence in new markets.
We want to continue developing our existing offerings while expanding our expertise in areas that reflect our customers’ evolving needs. Just as importantly, we want to keep building the business with the right people, maintaining strong local connections and taking a long-term approach to everything we do.
Because the future of Navcite isn’t simply about where we operate or how many people we employ.
It’s about remaining a partner who understands our customers’ businesses, takes responsibility for moving things forward and makes collaboration feel easy.
And it’s about creating a workplace where people want to contribute, grow and build something together.
We’ve come a long way since 2008. Now, we’re looking ahead with new ambitions, new opportunities and the same commitment to making a difference.
Because the future of Navcite is something we build together.
This article is based on an interview with Lars Nordlund as part of HerbertNathan & Co’s interview series, “Vi tar pulsen på”.
Watch the full interview with Lars Nordlund:
