Hip Hip Hurray! SMS Smart Media Solutions Celebrates 50 Years of Excellence.
- The Watergate Scandal: Involving a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and a subsequent cover-up by the Nixon administration, ultimately leading to President Richard Nixon’s resignation in August 1973.
- “The Godfather” Dominates the Oscars: Francis Ford Coppola’s drama won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
- The End of the Vietnam War: The Paris Peace Accords were signed in January, effectively ending U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
- The last American combat troops left Vietnam in March.
- Xerox Alto: The first cell phone call, TCP, Ethernet, and fiber optics were created.
- Swedish pop wonder ABBA released their first album Ring, Ring
- Sweden witnessed the ascension of King Carl XVI Gustaf, current king, to the throne.
In the world of innovation, creativity, and collaboration, SMS Smart Media Solutions has been a shining star for half a century.
Our journey began in 1973, and today, we stand proud to have led the way in manufacturing mounts, stands, and casings for your information, presentation, and collaboration needs.
We have always been known for our groundbreaking innovations, high-quality products, and the unmistakable touch of stylish Scandinavian design. From our humble beginnings to our present-day success, we have focused on a few key principles: creating smart and flexible solutions for the best user experience, maintaining European top-of-the-line manufacturing standards, rigorous testing, and always taking pride in delivering great results.
SMS Smart Media Solutions can provide you with long-lasting, easy-to-install, and flexible solutions for everyone and everywhere!
Thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s to many more years of innovation and collaboration!
Marcus Bodin
At SMS Smart Media Solutions, we’re always seeking smarter solutions – it’s in our name, and in our DNA.We want our products to be easy to install, and we make sure to have spare parts available when you need them.During Covid, we learned how crucial it is to produce locally in the EU, and this was a reason why we didn’t experience issues with deliveries.
As we look ahead, it’s important for all of us to consider how we can further contribute to environmental well-being.It’s highly significant that our production partners have ISO certification such as ISO 9001 & 14001.
Going forward, we encourage trying out new ideas fearlessly, like our product Peggy floorstand.Why make people go to the meeting room when the meeting (Peggy) can come to them?
As CEO for SMS, I am looking forward to continuing our journey, reaching a wider audience and new opportunities.We’re confident in our expertise and therefore looking forward to sharing knowledge about our products;they are high-quality products, thoughtfully designed for everyone and everywhere!
SMS Now and Then
Although the products have changed during the years, many of the markets are still as relevant in 2023 as in 1973.
Dan Berglund
Dan Berglund’s journey with SMS Smart Media Solutions is a testament to how one moment of inspiration can shape an entire legacy.
In 1999, Dan’s story with SMS began with a simple decision—to say yes to an opportunity that, at first glance, seemed uninspiring.
Back then, SMS was known as “Svenska Monitor Stativ” or Swedish Monitor Brackets, specializing in stands and brackets for TVs and projectors.
Dan was contacted by a headhunter for the role as CEO but initially declined the offer, thinking these products sounded less than exciting. However, a turning moment came when he happened to read a tech article about the groundbreaking future of television — the new standard of flat panel displays and the plasma TV.
The idea of being the first to create modern design floor stands for flat-screen TVs ignited Dan Berglunds imagination.
When the headhunter came knocking again, Dan seized the opportunity.
Dan Berglund joined forces with the SMS engineering team and partnered with an up-and-coming design agency, No Picnic.
Together, they marked the start of a new era of design, crafting one of the world’s first design floorstands for flat-screen TVs in 1999.
In the early days of Dan Berglund’s time as CEO, the engineers worked on the products with help of pen and paper, relying on a single Mac computer for invoicing. Design computer programs became a game changer.
Financial challenges were abundant, but Dan had a vision. He pursued stable ownership of the company and, in 2000, SMS found its home under the wing of Draper, Inc., a partnership that still thrives today.
The growth was astounding. SMS went from an eight-million-Swedish-Krona turnover to 50 million in just two years.
Three years later, the company hit a remarkable 100-million-Krona turnover.
Throughout Dan Berglund’s time as CEO, there were countless stories to tell. Some highlights include establishing partnerships with our enduring European production partners, Metallprodukter and Kontal.
One unforgettable memory involves a sprint over an Easter weekend, where Dan and the SMS design engineers raced against the clock to develop a projector bracket for a partner with a super tight deadline. The result? Orders for 60,000 units over several years.
Then, there was that time Dan was asked to demonstrate the unbreakable and vandal proof glass of an SMS outdoor casing during a customer event in France.
Little did he know, products had been swapped by mistake, leading to a grand spectacle of smashing a supposedly unbreakable glass with an enormous sledgehammer — all witnessed by a large group of customers, and captured by French local TV.
When asked about the key to successful business partnerships, Dan Berglund shares a simple philosophy in three words: loyalty, honesty, and transparency.
These principles extend not only to our dedicated staff but also to our valued customers.
As we celebrate 50 remarkable years, we honor our past, embrace our present, and look forward to the innovative future that SMS Smart Media Solutions will undoubtedly bring to the world.
Join us in celebrating this incredible journey of creativity, dedication, and collaboration as we continue to shape the world of communication, presentation, and collaboration for the next 50 years and beyond.
Cheers to SMS!