Hi again blog-readers!

It’s been a year since I last wrote a blog post and in Husqvarna Group’s Global Trainee Program, a lot can happen in 365 days.

Assignment 1: Finishing up in Stockholm

My first assignment working in Stockholm as the Global Social Media Coordinator culminated in me participating in the Husqvarna Forest & Garden division’s two biggest product launches of 2019 – a pair of 50cc chainsaws, and a game-changing robotic lawnmower. We showcased the new chainsaws in the wintery forests of Huskvarna, while the latter product was introduced at the Mobile World Congress in sunny Barcelona. My task was to document these events in photo and video and distributing the content to all my social media colleagues throughout the globe. As I’d worked with the social media communication plans for both of these campaigns, it was a perfect way to end the assignment.

Trainee week in Germany

Between assignments, the trainees meet up for a week for presentations, factory tours, trainings and more. Trainee week #2 took us to Ulm, Germany, where the headquarters of the Gardena-division is located, and where the brand was born. Fun fact about Ulm: despite being quite a small city, it is home to the tallest church in the world – the Ulmer Münster! Also, Einstein was born there. 

Assignment 2: Digital marketing in Paris

Assignment number two brought me to Paris, where I would spend six months working with the regional marketing team, focusing on digital marketing for the French market. This included creating Facebook campaigns for several different products and optimizing the French website – optimizing content and continuously improving the user experience. The highlight of the assignment, was that I was given the task to create, plan and run my very own campaign! To formulate an idea of my own, plan it out, execute and then measure the outcome was a huge learning experience, and lots of fun!

Assignment 3: APAC Regional Marketing in Kuala Lumpur

Fast forward to today – I’ve now been in Kuala Lumpur for roughly three weeks, doing my best to understand the vastly diverse and different market that is Asia-Pacific. My core project here will be to plan the Husqvarna Forest & Garden Division’s participation as main sponsor of the Asia Pacific Tree Climbing Championships, where this region’s best tree-climbing arborists will compete. I’ll also be supporting different ongoing marketing activities within the APAC markets, such as India, Japan and China. At the time of writing, I’ve just returned from a week of meetings in India, where our sales company was started about three years ago. At 330 years old, Husqvarna Group is still new in some parts of the world. Exciting times lay ahead, for Husqvarna Group and for me!

Thanks for reading

/Oscar

Hello!

This is Sebastian writing from Kiev. I wrote about my assignment in Kiev in another post a couple of months ago, so I am not going to repeat that. Instead, I thought that I would try to sum up my experience throughout this trainee program.

My experience during this 15-month period has been amazing. I started off at AS Faktor in Stockholm, where I worked in a business development role. Then, I develop a go-to-market strategy for fast food buns at Unibake’s headquarter in Copenhagen. Third, I got shadow the energy department’s CEO for three months while also working on a market analysis project for Lantmännen Reppe. Finally, I am not in Kiev working on a business continuity plan for Lantmännen Cerealia.

Coming in to the program, I was not sure about exactly what types of tasks I wanted to work with. My degree was in marketing, but that I quiet a large area. Getting the chance to work on four large assignments, with some sub-assignments, in four different organizations has really helped me understand what is important to me. For me, that has turned out to be combining long term strategic projects with day-to-day tasks while constantly working with people.

The program also has made me reflect a lot on leadership. I have had the chance to work with a lot of leaders throughout the program, and it has become clear to me that leaders manage their employees very differently. Some leaders believe in collaborative environments while other believe in personal responsibility. Some want constant progress updates while other just was a finished result. What has been great about this program is that I have been around enough leaders to understand what kind of leadership works for me and what kind of leader I want to be. I think gaining a deeper understanding of that will help me tremendously in my future career.

I think constantly being thrown into a new unfamiliar situations in the beginning of my career has been very helpful to my future development. I am not sure if it happens to everybody, but when I enter unfamiliar territories I start to analyze my surroundings and questions why things are the way they are. When you get to do that over and over again, you realize that there are no right or wrong ways to do things. When I came into the company I had the mindset that I had to understand how things are done at Lantmännen; how do leaders act? how are processes carried out?

What has turned out to be my most important realization is that there is no right way because everybody has different ways of doing things. I just have to find my way. I definitely have not found my way yet, but I think the program was the perfect first step to get there.

//Sebastian

The end of one great journey is the beginning of another. We have a bit more than a month left of our period as trainees at Lantmännen before starting our permanent positions. But there is still a lot left to do before that. When I’m writing this I’m sitting at the airport in Düsseldorf on my way back to Stockholm. This as a part of my assignment for Swecon, dealer of Volvo CE machines in Sweden, Germany and the Baltics. I’m assigned to look into how a business model in an electrified future could look like, with the upcoming release of two fully electrified construction machines from Volvo CE.

Parallel to this assignment is the finalization of our Strategic Group Assignments, which have been mentioned in previous blog posts and are to be presented the upcoming Monday.

In the middle of all this I’ll visit a career fair at Linköping University together with my trainee colleagues Moa and Hugo, all of us Linköping University alumni’s. A great deal of fun to get the opportunity to promote Lantmännen for all the curios and excited students.

And as if that was not enough, we are also coming together the full trainee group for a final training session where we are about to dig deeper into the topic “communication” , as well as summarize our learnings and experiences over the past year.

Life at Lantmännen, hectic but a great deal of fun!

//Anton

Hello everyone!

As the headline is referring to, during my current project, I got the opportunity to work with the division where it all started – the Agriculture division, in Malmö. I would say that if you get the chance to work for the agriculture division, you should take it. It is really an interesting area with a lot of different businesses, where no one is the other alike. We have the grain unit, which buys and sells grain, both internally and externally. Secondly, we have the feed unit, something I didn’t know before is that the feed recipes are changed every other week because of supply of raw material. Thirdly, we have the unit selling seeds for both grass and grains. In this unit the commodity goods are also a part, for example fertilizer and niacin. And fourthly, since some years ago, Machinery is also a part of the agriculture division.

My current project is an operating capital project. This is a really interesting project since Lantmännen is putting more focus on the operating capital. Up until now I have worked on a model with how all agriculture units should budget the operating capital. This model will being tested this week with the purpose to set the budget for 2020. Now my focus will be on providing a tool to simulate the working operating capital.

During our first week at Agriculture, Moa and I went threshing with Joel (previous trainee) – a lot of fun!

Otherwise, a lot of exciting things are happening at the moment, as previous trainees have mentioned, we are in phase of applying for positions after the trainee program. Also, we are approaching the end of our Strategic Group Assignments, and in a few weeks we will present our findings for several other representatives at Lantmännen.

Next time I’m writing a blog post it will be the last week of the trainee program, until then – have a great time!

/Lovisa

Hi blog! It’s me, Johanna, and I am checking in to tell you a bit about my ongoing project at Gooh!

So, I have moved back from Belgium to Stockholm and I am now working in Järna, where Gooh! is placed. In this project I am helping Gooh! to look at continuous improvements in production and how they are supposed to go about it. This means that I spend some time in production in order to see how they work and what could be improved. One example of what I have done so far is setting clear routines and standards for the daily stand-up meetings in order to make sure that we catch the most important things and act upon them –> Let’s Gooh! 😉

My project also involves study visits and meetings with people experienced with lean and continuous improvements. One highlight was to visit Scania and see their motor production. Scania have worked with lean for a long time and I can tell you, it really shows in their way of working!

As Mikkel mentioned in his blog-post, the trainee program is soon coming to an end. The program has been really great and I have enjoyed trying different roles. Before I started at Lantmännen, I thought that I would know what I wanted to work with at the end of the program and, even though I am not certain what exact role I would strive for, I know a bit more about myself and what I enjoy and not.

It is with mixed feelings that I will leave the trainee-life behind, however, it will be nice to start at a permanent position at Lantmännen and to be able to know what life will look like for a bit longer time ahead.

That was all for now!

Until next time!

/Johanna

Hi again fans,

I’m now back in Stockholm, and with only a few months left, reality is starting to sneak up on you. We are now in a process of finding our positions after the programme, so life is a bit in limbo at the moment. However, there are still daily tasks to do, and I am now working in the strategy department of the Lantmännen group. My supervisor, Patrik, is the director of strategy in Lantmännen, so by following him around and asking a thousand questions, I’ve learned a lot in the first month. I don’t have one specific project to take care of, rather more ad-hoc tasks, a research project for the food division and assisting Patrik whenever he needs me.

I enjoy being back in beautiful Stockholm, and being able to experience a bit of the summer here is fantastic. Hugo and I were even invited to a Swedish crayfish party by fellow graduate, Johanna, and her old KTH crew. I love the snapsvisor!

Alongside, we (trainees) are working on strategic group assignments, where Hugo, Johan and I are working on a project regarding plastics. As I already worked with the plastic issue when I was at Aspen, I thought it would be interesting to utilise my knowledge and insights on a group level. We have been working on the assignment for half a year now, and have our grand presentation in 3 weeks – exciting times!

That was a quick update from my side

Stay tuned,
Mikkel

Servus Traineebloggen!

My name is Albin, currently working from Germany as part of the Global Graduate Program – Wave 3 in SKF. Born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden approximately 6km away from the birthplace of SKF. I have now been in SKF for one year and time flies. The next wave of global graduates starts soon, and I remember thinking when I started, how far away 1,5 years felt like. That’s the length of the total program covering an introduction month and three different rotations, five months each. My fellow global graduate colleagues have been explaining more in-depth about this earlier, so I will focus on some personal reflections instead.

So, one year in what are my key takeaways from this program?

• Exposure. This is not at all as starting as a graduate at a “normal” position. The possibility to get to learn and discuss with people from the very top of the organization from day one is a great inspiration source, especially for a leadership geek like me!
• Seriousness. This is not like school and despite that the purpose foremost is to learn, you are always working in real, global and very important projects throughout the program. For me, it is easier to learn by really testing or implementing something, rather than sitting in the library reading about it.
• Happiness. We are a group of ten very different individuals. But every time when we meet up we have a lot of fun together. Also, the support from nine others, going through almost the same roller coaster ride as you, is great. Especially since we all have different perspectives and was to look at things.

And what are my key takeaways about SKF as a company?

• Transformation. There is a lot of things happening in the industrial sector. If you want to see and learn how digitalization truly can change a business, SKF is the right place to be.
• Skilled. There is so many knowledgeable people and experts at SKF and you will always be amazed and humbled when meeting different persons. The cool thing though is that everyone is still listening to you as a newcomer, fresh from UNI.
• Global. Do you want to travel the world? Meet and speak to people from different nationalities and cultures every day? I am feeling blessed by having the possibility to do those things, while I am working. We are present in around 130 different countries. Just take a minute or two to think about that.

So, what have I been up to? My first rotation took place in Gothenburg at our head office, working with product data and implementing an information management system. My second rotation is close to an end now. I have been spending five months in Germany at our biggest site in Schweinfurt. Here I have been working with the Internet of Things team on a connectivity project as a part of our journey to Industry 4.0.

For my third and final rotation, I will be moving to Jakarta, Indonesia. There I will spend five months driving different digitalization projects related to our customers. I am sure that it will be a big challenge, both culture and technology-wise since the Indonesian market is very different in those aspects comparing to both Sweden and Germany. However, I am excited since I believe that we can produce a great amount of value by sharing thoughts, ideas and best practices in a multi-cultural environment. With SKF being present in more than 130 countries, we are truly multi-cultural. But still, we share the same values: high ethics, empowerment, openness and teamwork.

Would you like to be a part of the SKF family? Do not miss out the great opportunity to become a Global Graduate. I know at least that I have not looked back with regrets.

All the best,

Albin Sävhage

Hi all,

Time for me (Hugo) to share my latest experience with you! Since last time I’ve left Finland and Agro Oy, had a nice summer vacation and then moved to Copenhagen to join UBI (Unibake International). A few weeks into this project and it feels as if I’m beginning to get my speed up with the project and getting to know the city. Actually, have already bought a bike and weared it out, had it repaired and collected it, so it feels as if I’m a true Copenhagian already!

My project at Agro Oy was to look into the seed business and where to produce and pack it. Now at UBI, my project is also focusing at seeds but this time seeds that go on top of the Danish rye bread, and not seeds that are sown in the Finnish fields. More specific, my project is part of Unibakes overall procurement strategy and in order to align the Nuts & Seeds category with that strategy some analysis needs to be made – that’s where I come into the equation! So far that has led to some deep dive in spend data and to reach out to colleagues and suppliers. Also, especially in the role as a trainee rotating within the group, it is really interesting looking from a “helicopter view” identifying other parts in the Lantmännen Group were we procure similar products and where we could find potential synergies.

But, even if the office is great there’s also a lot going on in the rest of the city. For example, this week a big running event took place where pretty much all companies from CPH participate. A great event where you team up with 4 other colleagues and run a relay (5×5 km), and then hang out by the tent with the rest of your colleagues, grill some burgers and drink some Tuborg while cheering at the passing runners. Fun thing!

Finally, even if it’s still the beginning of this fourth period, it is quickly approaching the end of this trainee program. Thinking back to a year ago when starting this program I really thought I would have figured out what I wanted to do by now, but after three great projects and one going in the same directions, i must say it will be difficult to decide!

Well, next time we meet we’ll know, exciting!

Until then,

Hugo

Hi everyone!

Vanessa is here and I will be taking over the blog for this week. As Sebastian indicated before, the trainees are now moving on to the fourth and last rotation of this program. Woopwoop. For me, I am heading to Swecon in Düsseldorf, Germany. I will be working on making improvements for customer satisfaction assessment on Swecon’s service work. Since I studied in Germany and already speak the language, it is easier for me to adapt to the new environment.

It has been almost two weeks since I moved in here and I can surely say that Düsseldorf is a lovely place. The city is bigger than I thought, very multicultural and lively as well. Most of people here are still in vacation/summer vibes since summer is still around the corner. Swecon office itself lies a bit outside the city and has nice colleagues. There is no common breakfast session like in Stockholm office, but lunch always works, which is my chance to get to know people (and remember their names as well).

Beside our main projects, we are also assigned to another side project called Strategic Group Assignment (read Anton’s story about his SGA here). For me, Lovisa, and Moa, we are looking at production of biochar at Lantmännen and its potential markets. Since mid-March, we have been reading a lot of information about what biochar is, how to produce them, interviewing people within and outside of Lantmännen, following up information to our stakeholders, attending a workshop on biochar, meeting experts, making different analysis of our findings, and the list goes on. At our surprise, many people put actual interests in this 🙂

Also, we got a chance to visit biochar production site located in Stockholm, which was our first time to see how biochar production plant looks like.

Now that we are approaching the end of SGA, we are really excited to see end results. Working on SGA has been a nice experience and I think my trainee colleagues would agree with me as well. Not only the networking part, but also working on a real business case that Lantmännen truly wants to develop, which is great!

I am now signing off for the weekend, hope you all have a great one!

/Vanessa

Hello, I’m Melissa from SKF’s Global Graduate Program – Wave 3, representing the USA! As you already know from past posts, the Global Graduate Program is a rotational program, which includes 1 month of training in Gothenburg and 3 rotations (5 months each) in different locations and business units.

In May 2018, I graduated from Temple University, in Philadelphia, with a Bachelor of Business Administration.

How and why SKF?
I always knew about SKF, but for some reason never thought to apply. Through word-of-mouth I found out about an internship opportunity at SKF, so the summer prior to graduation, I got some experience in SKF’s MarComm department. I went back to school, but kept in close contact with HR. This is how I heard about the Global Graduate Program and a short time later, I was hired by SKF USA Inc. in Business Consulting.

And so it begins…
Training: September 2018
Of course before the rotations began, all the trainees from Wave 3 gathered at SKF HQ in Gothenburg. These 4 weeks were filled with trainings, inspring words from top-management and fun bonding activities! I’d have to say, Wave 3 is a pretty good group of people – 10 graduates from 6 different countries!

Rotation 1: October 2018 – February 2019
After training in Sweden, I headed back home (USA) for my first rotation in Business Consulting. My main project was Supply Chain 4.0. With little knowledge about supply chain and logistics, it was quite challenging and I needed to step outside of my comfort zone. The goal of this project was to shorten the supply chain and create end-to-end visibility (from an SKF planner all the way to the customer). In this project, I was able to visit Motion Industries, SKF USA’s largest distributor, in order to see and actually experience the distribution process.

Gathering: March 2019
During the first two weeks of March, all Wave 3 graduates headed back to Gothenburg to debrief about our first rotations and to watch Wave 2’s graduation presentations, as they just finshed their third and final rotation.

Rotation 2: April 2019 – August 2019
And this brings us to my second and current rotation… In Gothenburg, Sweden in Communications Studio. I am the Project Manager for Meet the World. This project is like no other in SKF. It’s SKF’s largest CSR project. Gothia Cup is the world’s largest youth football tournament and SKF is the main sponsor (since 2007). Held every summer, Gothia Cup is a meeting place for kids (ages 11-18) from all over the world to come together, not only to play football, but to experience a new culture, meet new friends and create memories of a lifetime – irrespective of skin color, religion, etc. As SKF shares the same values as Gothia Cup, it is the perfect partnership.

Now what’s Meet the World? It’s a “pre-tournament.” With SKF being present all over the world, it allows our local units to host pre-tournaments of underpriviledged teams. The winner of this locally organized tournament wins a fully paid trip to Gothenburg to compete in Gothia Cup!

This year, 22 teams represented SKF in Gothia Cup, totaling in over 400 people from 21 nations. As project manager, I was responsible for the launch of a digital campaign (Instagram dance competition) and for the communication between all stakeholders, including Gothia Org, AMEX (travel agency), Sandberg Trygg (Ad agency) and all local SKF project managers. SKF Since Gothia Cup have recently passed (July 15-20), I am now working on a Project Management Guide so the project can be easily replicated.

This was truly and experience of a lifetime. Incredibily eye-opening and heartwarming. It is so hard to put the experience into words because Gothia Cup is something you have to experience for youself!

What’s next?
After the next gathering for Wave 3 this coming September, I will head off to my third and final rotation… in SKF Canada. I will be located in the Calgary office in the Digital Solutions department!

Overall SKF is a fantastic company to work for. And yes, this is truly just the beginning!

I hope you enjoyed learning about my journey through SKF so far! That’s all for now!