At the opening of Polykemi Group’s new plant in Gastonia, North Carolina – the first unit on the American continent – Swedish Grammy Award winner Michael Saxell performed one of his classic songs with newly written English lyrics. The “Of Heaven and NC” tribute is now available on digital platforms around the world.
A song celebrating the journey of the family business
To celebrate the journey of Polykemi, Michael Saxell surprised the company by not only translating his song into English but also setting the lyrics in North Carolina.
Saxell wrote the song “Om himlen och Österlen” autobiographically in 1991 on his return to Sweden after 17 years in Canada. Several artists have interpreted the song since then and the song has on occasion been described as the new national anthem of Southern Sweden.
“Michael is a very good friend who has followed our family company’s journey for a long time and it means a lot that he wanted to give us this tribute,” says Ola Hugoson, CEO of Polykemi.
Since August 29, the song “Of Heaven and NC” is available on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon Music, Apple Music, iTunes and others.
US factory marks the start of a new future
In April earlier this year, the Polykemi Group’s fifth manufacturing facility was inaugurated. With the plant in Gastonia, North Carolina, Polykemi is now present on three continents – a milestone in Polykemi’s long-term future plans.
“We have come a long way since my father started Polykemi in 1968. The opening in the U.S. has been a goal for quite some time and from here we just keep moving forward into a new era where we bring production even closer to our customers in a global market,” says Hugoson.
Find the song here:
Release notes
When the song was released, Michael Saxell wrote a few lines about the songwriting process:
The facility in Gastonia, North Carolina
The Gastonia manufacturing facility is Polykemi Group’s fifth and since production started earlier this spring, Polykemi is now producing on three continents under its own management.
The Gastonia facility covers 60,000 ft.² (5500 m2) and includes offices, warehouse, workshops, a fully-equipped laboratory for testing and quality analysis, and two extrusion lines with a total production capacity of 6500 metric tons.
The plant is fully operational and now supplies the US market with customized plastic compounds, based on both virgin and recycled raw materials of the highest quality.
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