Xingqi Zhang

My name is Xingqi Zhang and I joined the Husqvarna Group Global Trainee Program in September 2014. My home base is at the Group’s office in Shanghai, China, and I am currently working with Sales and Marketing for the Chinese market.

I think it was a good decision for me to join Husqvarna Group’s Global Trainee Program as it offers me opportunities to work in different roles to learn and improve. Husqvarna Group is a world leading producer of outdoor power products. To be honest, I almost didn’t know anything about the Group’s products before (lawn mowers, chain saws, gardening watering products, cutting equipment and diamond tools). However, in the few months I have worked here, I have already learned a lot about them and can even operate many of them.

Originally, I am from China where I got my degree in Electrical Engineering before I moved to UK to further study Microelectronics Engineering at Imperial College London. Engineering is my favorite area but I also wish to do more than pure engineering. Luckily, I found the Global Trainee Program. The concept is advanced and includes four six-month rotations in two years. By which, I can experience working in several different functions, meet various people and not only learn technology, but also attempt junior management. It is a very good career start for me as a fresh graduate. Additionally, at least one rotation will be overseas so that I can experience working in another culture.

My two-year journey started at the dealer sales department in China with Chinese sales representatives. During those six months, I frequently travelled to visit dealers and customers rather than just staying at the office. This was a really good opportunity to learn about our market, our competitors and their products. It also gave me a hands-on insight to how the Chinese market varies in different regions, which was quite interesting. By talking to people face-to-face, I learned more about what dealers in China actually need, and what customers in China expect from Husqvarna Group’s products and our service support. One day, I hope that I get to explore a potential new market and develop relationships with potential customers.

I am now in my second rotation, still at the Shanghai office but at the marketing department. Although it has not been a long time, I have already recognized the importance of marketing to sales performance – just like the brain to a human. A good marketing team should be well aware of the market trends and lead the sales strategy. I would like to learn and do more in this amazing area. These days, I am working on an exhibition where Husqvarna Group’s products will be displayed. The exhibition is a great way to meet potential customers that are interested in the Group’s products and show advanced technology and strong support. I am the overall responsible for this event; from the beginning to the very end. Honestly, I don’t have any experience of coordinating an event like this before, so I need to make huge efforts to learn quickly and effectively. I believe it will be an unforgettable time and hope that the event is a success.

Overall, the Husqvarna Group Global Trainee Program has already opened doors for me and I will keep learning and improving for a better me.

Xingqi Zhang
Global Trainee
Sales and Marketing, China

My name is Lois Lau and I am a Global Trainee in Manufacturing at Husqvarna Group in Shanghai, China, where we manufacture products such as chain saws, blowers, trimmers, hedge trimmer and water pumps.

I was born and raised in Hong Kong. I never felt the urge of leaving my hometown until the moment I realized I had a strong interest in manufacturing, which is not an area that I could find a suitable opportunity in the city. Therefore, I decided to look for opportunities in mainland China.

I joined Husqvarna Group’s Global Trainee Program in April 2014 and started with participating in a supply-chain project that enables a smooth communication between sales and manufacturing within Asia Pacific. It was a very meaningful project that gave me an overview of the operations and of the business challenges of which I could make an impact on my work.

I then started my first official assignment at the Quality department, with three months working with Factory Quality Assurance and three months within Supplier Quality Assurance. Within Factory Quality Assurance I put different quality management tools I learned at school into practice. Another important take-away was that I could practice my problem solving skills when doing different defect analysis or 8D reports. Sharp analytical skills are crucial for this role.

Within Supplier Quality Assurance, I worked with suppliers to brainstorm ways to cost-effectively improve quality in their production process. Once I conducted a problem-solving workshop with a supplier and received very positive feedback as the workshop gave them the confidence to do root-cause analysis and continuous improvement projects using the tools provided by Husqvarna Group.

The Quality Assurance team in Shanghai

Currently, I’ve started my second assignment at the Operations department in Shanghai. As my assignment manager is the Operation Manager I get to work in several different areas that fall under his umbrella. So, what is my daily work plan?

I start at 8:30am and check my email for around 30 minutes. Then I spend around 1.5 hour doing a Gemba Walk – which means going to the front lines to look for waste and opportunities to practice kaizen (continuous improvement) and practical shop floor improvement. During this walk we identify potential areas of improvement together with production supervisors and workers. Occasionally, I will participate in layered audits (a quality tool used in manufacturing management) as well to audit particular areas such as Quality Assurance or 5S of our production line with the engineers. After the Gemba Walk I spend the rest of my morning doing material planning to make sure components can be delivered on time with no over-stock. It is a challenging job since it requires lots of negotiation with suppliers and coordination with the production planning function.

In the afternoon I have meetings regarding subjects such as new product launches, lean manufacturing, operation reviews, sales and operations planning, productivity improvement workshops etc. As a trainee you need to be good at managing your time and have multi-tasking skills to not be over-whelmed by all these projects.

Besides the day-to-day business, I will participate in overseas training modules in Sweden, Germany and the U.S. and I will get one international assignment in Arkansas, the U.S. I have many friends participating in trainee programs at other companies and they are amazed by hearing of my diverse and international experiences in Husqvarna Group’s program. It really is a life-changing experience for me because I get to do what I like with a lot of support from the company and colleagues. All trainees’ assignments are unique as tasks are based on the company’s needs and our development plans and interests.

I am also glad to have several mentors at different departments in the company who guide me through the whole experience. My home manager Mike Richards introduced me to the concept of lean manufacturing and told me to keep up the spirits no matter what in the ups and downs. I believe good is not good enough and that best can be better. From my role as a Global Trainee I can really improve myself professionally and personally.

To conclude, the Global Trainee Program is a one-time-only experience. I truly love being a Global Trainee at Husqvarna Group!

Lois Lau
Global Trainee
Manufacturing

Natallia Semianiaka

My name is Natallia Semianiaka and I am a Global Trainee in Manufacturing at Husqvarna Group in Sweden. Originally, I am from Belarus where I got my degree in Industrial Engineering. Later I came to Sweden to study Industrial Management, and in September 2013 I joined Husqvarna Group’s Global Trainee Program. The company’s respected name and innovative outdoor power products were definitely deciding factors for me when I applied for the position.

By being a Global Trainee, I’ve had the opportunity to work in five different functions at Husqvarna Group, namely manufacturing, sourcing, sales and operations planning, sales, and finally Research and Development (R&D).

Within the manufacturing function I worked on a production line flexibility project in Huskvarna, Sweden, where I got a good understanding of production planning challenges inherent to a seasonal business such as ours.

For my second rotation in the sourcing function I went to Shanghai, China, as commodity responsible for electric components. That was a time of an intensive learning of a different function and adapting to a different business culture.

After six months in China I have worked at the sales and operations planning department in Sweden and at the sales organization in Russia. I was impressed by the numerous communication channels in the Group and realized how important it is to maintain the transparency of all demand and supply processes. In addition, I got better knowledge of customer needs, especially in emerging markets. I started my last rotation at the R&D department one month ago, and my assignment is to support an industrialization stage of a new product and serve as a bridge between R&D and manufacturing.

The red thread through all my rotations is that you can’t overestimate the importance of communication and collaboration between different departments. People see issues from their function’s perspective, and it is important to double check and align with all stakeholders involved before making a decision.

The Global Training Program has been a great eye-opening experience for me and it has helped me develop a cross-functional attitude and understanding of how I would like to develop my career within Husqvarna Group.

End of March this year, I was extremely happy to go back to China for a training module, where me and my trainee colleagues visited three factories in China – Shanghai, Changzhou and the construction facility in Xiamen – and enjoyed discussions and hospitality of our Chinese colleagues. It was also really nice to meet all trainees again. During the two year program, we have become more friends than colleagues. I assume this was one of the purposes of the Global Trainee Program – to build up a strong network of people who can rely on each other.

Training module in China

Now, time is approaching to start paying back for the efforts the company has invested in us trainees. It is time to think about my next challenge and how I can contribute with the knowledge generated during the training program to the Group’s best benefit.

I hope all trainees have an interesting and productive final rotation and find their place in the Group at the end of the program!

Natallia Semianiaka
Global Trainee
Manufacturing

Hello, my name is Chao Zhu (Terry), I’m from China and I joined Husqvarna Group in September, 2013. For those of you who don’t know, Husqvarna Group is a producer of outdoor power products, garden watering products and cutting equipment and diamond tools for the construction industry. After almost two years at the Group, I can say that I definitely don’t regret my decision to take the job when I got offered a position as a global trainee within purchasing.

Testing products during the first training module in Sweden

The trainee program includes four, six month rotations and I’m currently at my fourth and last one. This time I got to work in Huskvarna, Sweden, at the global commodity department and support them on some very important projects. I have been in Sweden for three months now and it has been one of the most impressive experiences in my life. The working culture and environment in Sweden is very different from what I’m used to and I’m grateful that all my colleagues are willing to share their knowledge. Even more important is that I get to work with challenging tasks and projects and gain valuable knowledge.

Working with R&D electric in Huskvarna, Sweden

Also, I have to say that I am really lucky to have met my assignment manager – Jonas Andersson and my colleague – Jonas Mattsson. They are both amazingly nice guys that have worked at the Group for many years and have a rich working knowledge. They have taught me a lot and always guided me on the right way.

After having worked with four different teams, I have truly gained a lot of precious experience and useful working skills. I have also realized that alignment and communicating with each other is the real key of success, especially in such a large multi-cultured group as this.

When my six months in Sweden are done, I will join another amazing team – the supply chain and demand team in China. I am really looking forward to it and hope I will get to work on even more challenging and interesting projects!

I’m lucky to have had the opportunity to work as a global trainee and I’m glad I chose this program as the start of my career! What interests me most is that as a global trainee you can try different things and work at several departments. That way you can approach problems in a different way and eventually, you contribute with valuable insight and knowledge!

Chao Zhu (Terry)
Global Trainee
Purchasing

Alexander Fornell

The best part of being a trainee at Husqvarna Group is the large variety of tasks that you get to work with in the program. When I was finishing my degree at Industrial Engineering and Management at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, I had no specific job in mind and I wanted to get the opportunity to work in a variety of different roles to get a better understanding of what they entail. This made the Husqvarna Group Global Trainee Program attractive to me; I will get to work within different departments during my two years as a trainee.

I’m from Kungsbacka, a city located on the west coast of Sweden and my first assignment as a trainee was at the Husqvarna Group site in Huskvarna, Sweden. There I worked at the Product Management and Development department together with Product Managers and Product Specialist for the Petrol Handheld category, which includes for example chainsaws, brush cutters and hedge trimmers. It was a great experience to get to know what it means to be a Product Manager or Specialist and I got to learn more about the Group’s products. I have also cooperated with colleagues at other departments, such as sales at our dealer conference on Rhodes, Greece, where I met dealers and took part in our product presentations.

Product presentation on Rhodes for Husqvarna dealers

Another perk of working at Husqvarna Group is that we are encouraged to learn about how to use the products. One example is when I spent three days in the forest to get a “driver’s license” for working with brush cutters. Before joining the Group I had more or less zero experience of using chainsaws and brush cutters, but in my opinion it is more important that you are willing to learn about the products than having previous experience of using them. Additionally, it is not only about using the product, we get to take them apart and put them back together (the first part is the easy one) to learn more about the pure mechanical aspects of the products. I had no previous experience of this, but as long as you are eager to learn it is no problem learning about the basics of carburetors and two-stroke engines.

Petronas Twin Towers are located close to the Husqvarna Group KL office

I am currently working at our regional office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where I have been focused on getting to know what our customers in Asia expect from our products. I will stay in Kuala Lumpur until the end of the summer after which I will move to Charlotte, USA. There I will get the opportunity to work within sales, which is a new experience to me. This is what makes working at Husqvarna Group as a global trainee so great, you get to experience a lot in a short period of time while seeing interesting parts of the world. So if you want to try different roles to see where you can excel, apply for the Husqvarna Group Global Trainee Program!

Alexander Fornell
Global Trainee
Product Management & Development

Jonathan Cabeza

It has been almost a year since I started working at Husqvarna Group as a Global Trainee. It has been a great experience so far. However, there is always the “not so good” because, most of the times, life isn’t perfect. That being said, I wish I could get a dollar every time I see or hear people resisting change. Change is a necessary “evil” that, if used properly, can let us maximize our potential, increase our efficiency, and let us be leaders instead of followers.

Most of my time as trainee has been spent improving processes and developing tools to make better business decisions. During this period, I have been observing, learning and testing what it takes to drive change.

True leaders have the vision to understand the benefits of change and how it pays off in the short and long run. On the other hand, people might resist change because they are familiar with doing tasks a certain way and cannot see how an additional task to be done or a completely different process can benefit them. Other individuals feel that they are already proficient with current processes and they fear that the new process may reduce their actual performance. The latter are conscious that there are better more efficient ways to do their job, but they are scared of starting on a clean slate, learning new methodologies and possibly being mediocre when it comes to using new procedures. Good news! Persuading these individuals is possible thanks to a very valuable tool called emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is an immensely broad subject. Therefore, I will share with you the “dos” and “don’ts” from my perspective on how to effectively implement change using emotional intelligence that I have found useful in order to encourage others to adopt change successfully:

1. If you are at a higher level in the corporate ladder, do not attempt to leverage power to introduce change; remain approachable when having discussions with other coworkers.
2. Do not command what needs to be done and fail to explain the reasons why this needs to be done. It is important to inspire a shared vision to make sure that all parties involved can envision what the future could be like and how the organization, as a whole, can benefit from a given change.
3. Do not cover up the possible challenges that your team may face to avoid opposition or rejection. Instead, clearly outline challenges and benefits associated with this new change, and provide the necessary resources and tools to increase the chances of success.
4. You may be a very intelligent individual, but do not establish a one-way communication with coworkers because team effort can always help making something good into something great. Always ask for input from colleagues; there is always room for improvement. This will help you challenge the process.
5. Even when your new process or change is clearly better than the actual one, do not belittle the current process or the people who use them for liking it. Instead, sit down and spend time with employees reviewing how the current process works and show them how the new one works; if the new one is better, your workforce will likely welcome the change.
6. Change could bring a considerable amount of extra work. Do not try to cut corners by following the new process partially. Instead, model the way by following the rules and regulations. Lead by example to ensure that others feel inspired to adapt to change.
7. Do not forget to recognize privately and/or publicly when someone is adapting to change effectively. This encourages the heart to keep the good work and make others feel that their efforts do not go unnoticed.

Resistance to change is a common occurrence at the workplace and we should be prepared to handle it properly. You can enhance the chances of success when bringing change to your team by getting input from the people involved, sharing challenges and benefits entailed, providing the necessary tools and resources, guiding colleagues through the new process, modeling the way and encouraging the heart. An obvious improvement over the current process or situation, and an influential role in your company are not enough to introduce change successfully. Use emotional intelligence; it is your friend.

Jonathan Cabeza

Global Trainee
Product Management & Development – Wheeled
Charlotte, USA

My name is Wieland Klingspor and I joined Husqvarna Group´s Global Trainee Program in September 2013. My home base is Husqvarna Group Germany and I’m currently working with the Sales & Services department in Huskvarna, Sweden.

The Global Trainee program provides me with the opportunity to build a strong network within the company and to get to know several departments outside my area of expertise. So far I have been working with Sales Husqvarna Germany, Sales Gardena Germany, R&D Electric, Product Management Pro Electric and Sales & Services Nordic. In each department I have been in charge of my own project and at the end of each assignment my results have been evaluated.

The assignments have been structured so that I have been able to bring in my own ideas and suggestions while getting a thorough understanding of the respective departments’ tasks, processes and challenges. After having worked with 5 different departments already, I can say that I have developed a thorough understanding of internal processes and the impact of decisions on other departments. Cross-functional understanding is core to work strategically. The more you work with and in different departments the better you understand decisions or concerns from various standpoints. Undoubtedly, these experiences prepare me for the time after the Global Trainee Program in a good way. Noticed: The whole is more than the sum of its parts.

I am looking forward to my next assignment in Charlotte, USA where I will be working at the U.S. Sales department. But before that, I will meet my trainee colleagues in Shanghai, China, for an intensive one week training module. Every six months we meet for a one week training module at one of the Husqvarna Group’s sites around the world. The training modules help us to improve valuable soft skills and broaden our horizon.

I am honored to be part of the Global Trainee Program and glad I have chosen this path in my career, since I have grown professionally and personally – and I’m very curious about the next couple of months. Let’s stay on our toes!

Wieland Klingspor
Global Trainee
Sales Department
Germany

Andriy Shyshka

How much IT can you put into a chainsaw? It sounds almost like an opening to a traditionally-inappropriate joke that my Bulgarian friend, Hristo, would make on a Saturday night. Yet, this very question was circling around in my head early April morning, spring 2014, when I arrived to the Husqvarna Group office in Huskvarna, Sweden to be interviewed by the CIO Martin Althén. I wasn’t wondering much about traditional, enterprise IT. Clearly, a company as vast as the Husqvarna Group would require a mature IT infrastructure to operate worldwide.

To someone like me, majoring in IT innovation management, the crucial point was the ability to deliver cutting-edge products with embodied digital experiences. I needed a clear innovation agenda, a vision; and Martin was the right person to ask. Just a few hours later, all my questions were answered.

I’m from Ukraine and if you like me, are not a Swede, the name Husqvarna might make you think of forestry, construction or gardening equipment – some of the current generation products. However, here in the north, an average Swedish home will tell you about Husqvarna’s history just as much as the company’s museum. From rifles, sewing machines, kitchen equipment all the way to chainsaws, watering and robots (big and small) – all of these find their place on the product timeline. If companies would have DNA, the Husqvarna Group’s would be all about adopting to market needs, changing radically and innovating continuously – this is something the company has been doing successfully throughout 325 years.

However, there is no time to sit still. Yet another challenge is coming: connectivity and digitalization, which have been affecting our world as long as I can remember. It took decades to bring all the business transactions on-line, several years to get people linked to the social media and now we are seeing how ordinary objects become smart, context-aware and connected, bridging the boundary between physical and digital spaces. I believe that Internet of Things (IoT) will become the next giant leap for our industry by reshaping business models, changing the way people use our products, adding features and services you could only dream of. This change is what the Husqvarna Group acknowledges and is ready to embrace. Nevertheless, harnessing the opportunity brought by connectivity and digitalization will require more than an R&D investment. It calls for a new generation of leaders who are innovative, open-minded and who, at the same time, are trained with the company’s core values in mind, dedicated to its mission. This is where Global Trainees, including me, come into play.

It has been over six months since my traineeship started. As you might have already noticed, I believe I can make an impact during this two-year period and I’ve been given the opportunity to do so. My first assignment was within the Strategy and Architecture (S&A) team in Huskvarna to support the Enterprise Architecture (EA) and different innovation activities. I began by assisting with an application portfolio management initiative. This gave me a clear understanding of the vast application landscape powering enterprise systems of the Husqvarna Group and, at the same time, common problems that S&A team has to face. The next was training and certification in TOGAF – a must-known framework for every EA practitioner, followed by codifying a business process framework and establishing corresponding relations to the application portfolio within EA repository. Then it was time to tackle the innovation agenda. For several months, I’ve been involved in a concept project around an indoor positioning system. My contribution found its place in all stages: from gathering requirements to the straight software development. After participating in an Internet of Things forum last November, I started to get involved more and more with the connectivity domain. Currently, I support the newly established Digital Solutions and Services department with the evaluation of technologies and platforms that will become the backbone for the Group’s connected products and customer-facing IT offerings.

My experience as Global Trainee has been extremely rewarding so far, but there is another aspect of my journey as a trainee that deserves separate attention: people; they are the most valuable asset the Group possesses. If you appreciate a diverse international environment, enjoy an atmosphere of trust, and you are ready to take on new challenges, you will feel at home working at the Husqvarna Group. This is the place where your coworkers can easily become your friends. Seriously, we are all that cool.

Although my current assignment is not over yet, my thoughts are starting to drift away to the next one. The assignment will be based in Ulm, Germany, working directly with product management and development at the Gardena Division. This is an area rather unfamiliar to me, but from what I’ve heard not less exciting. I’m looking forward to getting outside my comfort zone once more and build new long-lasting business relationships that will help me support the Husqvarna Group’s business goals during my journey as Global Trainee.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Andriy Shyshka
IT Trainee
Global Information Services
Huskvarna, Sweden

Ulrike Nagel

My name is Ulrike Nagel and I joined the Husqvarna Group’s first Global Trainee Program in September 2013 and have just finished my third, six-month rotation.

I’m German, and I spent my first six months at the regional marketing department in France. After that, I went to Charlotte, USA, were I worked in the product management and development team for Zero-turn mowers. After these first two assignments, I realized how valuable it is to be sent out to different sales organizations.

Working for managers in different areas in the organization was an absolute amazing experience; and I was – and still am – able to observe processes from an outside-in perspective and can compare working procedures in different countries.

I just finished my last assignment at the regional sales and service department in Huskvarna, Sweden. It has really been an amazing experience because I got the possibility to be part of the project lead for the implementation of Husqvarna Group’s first concept store, located in Stockholm.

The project was highly confidential and everyone involved, internal and external, had to sign a non-disclosure-agreement. I steered the project together with a consultant and we both agreed that our goal was to make this concept store a worldwide benchmark for all our 26.000 highly treasured dealers. At the same time, the store should also be an internal competence center to support Husqvarna Group becoming an even better business partner for the dealers.

Husqvarna Group has never had such a project before, so it was a necessity for all departments involved to start from scratch with their respective areas of responsibility. It was truly a cross-functional team effort with people from several departments, such as legal, controlling, IT, sales, marketing and HR. I’m still overwhelmed by the immense, indescribable learning curve I had over these past six months in Sweden – and I’m truly thankful for being provided with the chance to take on such a huge responsibility.

The concept store consists of an exhibition area, a service workshop, conference rooms and offices. Together with external suppliers we created a plan of the store. What was absolutely great was that I could literally see how my suggestions were taken into account. Most of it, I could see a few weeks after the plans turned into reality. For example, the design of the store was changed so that one of the Group’s greatest current successes, the automatic lawn mower, was put more into focus, together with the Gardena irrigation systems. The irrigation is connected to real-water and at the opening day, it was just an incredible feeling to hear from visitors that they liked it.

During the project, I also got the chance to work with many external suppliers, like the company creating the store’s IT system, a partner that implemented a queuing system and screens in the store, lightening specialists, a manufacturer of store- and service equipment, a designer, marketing agencies and recruitment specialists. A truly great experience.

In general, I’m sure you realize how amazing it was for me to be part of it all. I loved absorbing all the procedures. I believe that the openness to learn and to adapt is one of the most important skills for us in this ever-changing globalized environment we are all working in.

I’m very proud to work for Husqvarna Group, a multinational group that is changing and adapting to always suit our customer’s the best way possible. This has just been shown with the implementation of this fantastic concept store. I hope you will all go there when you are in Stockholm or visit the website http://husqvarnaconceptstore.se/. You can also find the store on Facebook under Husqvarna Concept Store.

Let’s look forward to an amazing future with companies and employees willing to think outside the box, as this is key to success.

Ulrike Nagel
Global Trainee
Sales Department
France

Andy Grayson

My name is Andy Grayson and I am currently a Global Sales Trainee working for Husqvarna Group in Charlotte, USA. I have been with the company for about a year and a half and have gained a lot of valuable knowledge and experience.

The Global Trainee Program is a very interesting and unique concept. There are very few companies that will hire kids fresh out of college and put them through such a rigorous process. I graduated in May of 2013 with a degree in Business Management out of a small school in South Georgia, USA. The experiences I have had and the duties I have been given are far outside of the realm of what any normal entry level management job would be.

There have been months when one week I am running our chainsaws out in the forest of North Carolina, USA, the next week I am attending presentations by the head of Project Management in our office in Ulm, Germany, and then the following week I am participating in strategic discussions with some of the best marketing professionals in the industry here in Charlotte. Being able to work for a multinational company with such a rich heritage has opened many doors for me in both my professional and personal life.

One of my favorite aspects of the program is how it allows trainees to build a network with strong relationships and lasting friendships. I have worked with some of the best in the business and forged friendships that I can call on when needed. Also, the Husqvarna Group’s Global Trainee Program spans across different countries all over the globe. We tend to lean on each other during projects to maintain a global perspective when we present our findings.

At the end of the day, I am extremely thankful to work for a company as sustainable and progressive as Husqvarna Group. Seeing as how our company is 325 years old, I feel that I can confidently say my coworkers are the best at what they do and have been for a while now.

Andy Grayson

Global Trainee
Dealer Sales Channel
Charlotte, USA