Kaspars Grava

At Lindström, Kaspars Grava is responsible for our mats and industrial wiper services, ensuring they align with market demands and the company’s sustainability targets. In addition to this, he is currently developing a sustainable global concept for cleaning textile services.  

Kaspars oversees the entire service spectrum, from sales and invoicing to product development and delivery. Adaptability and prioritisation skills are crucial in his role.  

“On any given day, I can be talking about invoicing in one meeting, business unit performances  in the next or laundry processes in the third meeting. By working with different specialists on an everyday basis, I learn a lot about these service elements. This allows me to see the big picture and connect the dots,” says Kaspars.

Focus on sustainable growth  

Sustainability and growth are two key pillars for Kaspars. With these, he aims to strike a balance between the company’s business goals and sustainability targets.   

“I consider sustainability in everything we do: how our services impact the environment and how we can do things better to reach our sustainability targets. We care about where the materials come from and how they are disposed of”  

As a service owner, Kaspars builds go-to-market strategies and sets clear processes for delivery, washing, and sales. He also maintains visibility into the sourcing, production, and disposal of products.” 

“Customers increasingly look for eco-friendly solutions, and I am motivated to lead Lindström in providing such services. It’s satisfying to know that we can make a positive impact on the environment while meeting customer demands,” Kaspars explains. 

Inspiration from outside the office  

Kaspars’ interests outside of work have played a big role in his personal and professional life. Snowboarding, for example, gave him the courage to tackle new challenges and overcome personal barriers. “It’s taught me that stepping out of my comfort zone is where growth happens.”  

Playing football as a playmaker moreover taught Kaspars the value of seeing the whole playing field. It also highlighted the importance of connecting with teammates. “This strategic perspective has proven invaluable in making the right moves, whether on the field or in my professional life.“I firmly believe that the principles I’ve learned from these sports — courage, adaptability, teamwork, and strategic thinking — are directly transferable to the world of business.” 

Collaborative leadership  

It’s no wonder that Kaspars especially enjoys collaborating with a cross-functional team of service designers, business analysts, process specialists, and product specialists at Lindström.   

“Leading this diverse team at Lindström has been a rewarding experience. It’s extending my reach and enabling collaborative efforts to achieve more together. We prioritise and address issues that deliver the most value to our customers.”  

Kaspars Grava doesn’t wait just for opportunities to come around. Rather, he takes a proactive approach to improve his team’s services — from process and product improvements to new IT solutions. “This is essential for us in order to grow and go to new markets with services that are well packaged for deployment. 

Working closely with customers and suppliers  

Kaspars and his team work closely with customers and suppliers to discuss new sustainable options and materials. For example, Kaspars’ team recently achieved a significant milestone by incorporating recyclable materials into the mat service product collection to enhance sustainability.   

They also started collaborating with recycling partners to begin separating yarn from rubber. The goal is to integrate these materials into the production of new mats. All new standard mats are crafted using 75% recycled yarn and phthalates-free rubber. This complements the existing design mat collection, which is already produced with 100% recycled yarn. Kaspars’ team is also planning similar initiatives for industrial wipers.   

Kaspars’ team regularly checks the data of their service lines — including profitability and EBITDA across countries — to see how they’re doing and identify areas of improvement. When his team identifies a recurring customer request, they start investigating it through an ideation phase. This means speaking with the business unit and customers from multiple countries to better understand the problem. The next step is to create prototypes, and collect customer feedback. Lastly comes the discovery phase where they scope out how to develop a solution that supports customers across all countries.   

“Anything we develop in the cross-functional team is something we’ll develop for the whole Lindström group. Because of this, we need to validate our products and services with as many countries as possible. Travelling and talking to people in these countries is the best way to investigate, as we can collect information from people directly,” says Kaspars Grava. 

Future vision for Lindström 

Looking ahead, Kaspar Grava aims to continue influencing Lindström’s journey towards sustainability and market expansion.   

“I want to be at the forefront of innovative solutions that align with evolving customer needs and industry trends. Ultimately, I aim to make a lasting impact by contributing to Lindström’s success in providing sustainable and efficient services on a global scale.”