Hello readers!

I’m Christian, the Global Trainee in the area of research and development for electronics and software in Ulm. I live close to Ulm in south Germany. Originally, I already joined Husqvarna Group (strictly speaking the Gardena division) in 2010 for the dual study program at the cooperative state university of Baden-Württemberg. After that I worked for two years as an electrical engineer especially in the field of IoT. During this time, I realized that I can expand my knowledge even further. This motivated me to start my master studies – of course also in Electrical Engineering. After my graduation I returned to Husqvarna Group and I had the unique opportunity to become a part of the Global Trainee program. Besides this opportunity the reason why I wanted to come back to the company was, that I really liked working with my old team and the very good collaboration and atmosphere.

For a good start as the new trainee group and to immediately get to know all the important stuff about the company we got an introductory week in Sweden. After this first week I started directly to support my old team with their development projects. In particular I primarily write embedded software for microcontrollers, a task which I really love to do! In addition, I also do some hardware reviews to find issues and improve the new products.

The department currently has no department head. Therefore, I’ve got the great chance (which is of course also a big challenge) to be part of important decisions. For example: for me a whole new task was to be actively involved in job interviews from an employer point. So, for the first time I had to really assess the applicants. That was a very valuable experience.

So finally let’s risk a view into the future. Starting in March next year I’ll spend half a year in Sweden, which I am already looking forward to!

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year!

Nu har ännu en vecka i den första praktikperioden passerat. Jag sitter i Team Seals, som bland annat jobbar med jordbruksblock i systemet Multikuben och med stödrätter i systemen Aster och Ester. Jag har fått några uppgifter att jobba med, och även varit med på kundmöten och sprintplaneringar och därmed fått en bra inblick i hur man arbetar här. Det krångligaste med att lösa uppgifterna har varit att sätta upp de olika systemen och att leverera till testarna, men med god hjälp av min mentor och andra kollegor har det löst sig till slut.

I torsdags var det verksdag på Elmia för hela Jordbruksverket. Bland de ämnen som behandlades var vad som gör en arbetsplats attraktiv, vad Jordbruksverkets varumärke bör vara, och hur man är en bra medarbetare i en komplex organisation. Det var en inspirerande dag med energiska och underhållande föreläsare.

På torsdagskvällen var det dags för den årliga julfesten, som inleddes med lite mingel på Jordbruksverket innan det bar av till Munksjömagasinen via fackeltåg. Där bjöds det på god mat och underhållning, och det var en trevlig kväll i gott sällskap.

Denna vecka blir det bland annat presentation av vårt trainee-projekt för andra gången, miljöutbildning och Luciatåg.

Bilder från julfesten

Hi guys,

As one of two foreigners among the trainees, I want to outline how it has been to move abroad for a graduate program.

I was never in doubt whether I would move abroad if the right opportunity appeared, so after getting to know the business, values and vision of Lantmännen, the decision to move here was easy. During my studies I got increasingly interested in sustainability and agricultural development, which align with the sustainable grain value cycle at Lantmännen that focus on sustainable agriculture, green energy, responsible packaging, decreasing climate impact etc.. As a trainee we get to work with such topics, in the first period Johanna worked with a cultivation concept concerning sustainable farming that targeted reduced greenhouse gas emissions, Anton with stakeholder interest in more climate friendly commodities, and now I am doing research on sustainable packaging solutions at Aspen (a company and project that I will present in my next blogpost).

Shared values are one aspect, another one is the ability to cope with a foreign working culture. A Dane in Sweden might not seem as the biggest cultural leap, but there are of course some differences. The Swedish working culture come across as thorough and thought through in my point of view, whereas I as a Dane sometimes is very decisive and result-oriented. Too much of both abilities can turn to a weakness, but I believe that a combination creates a situation where we utilise the strenghts of each other and become better. Additionally, something that I appreciate here is the fika culture. I believe it is a good way to socialise with your colleagues, and a way to create a healthy and constructive working culture. Although Swedes eat more cake than I could ever imagine 😉

Life in Sweden in 1 picture

On a personal level the settling in Sweden was rather uncomplicated. As it is my fourth time living abroad, I consider myself kind of an expert in the field, and this has been way easier than dealing with German bureaucracy or South African visa requirements. I socialise a lot here with colleagues, and besides from that I do sports, which gets me friends outside of work. I see team/group activities like sports, book clubs, dance, cooking, you name it, as a great opportunity to get out and meet new people when you move abroad. Also, when you live in Sweden you get a unique opportunity to get out and enjoy some real nature – it is beautiful here!

The graduate program in itself offers an incredible transition from student to professional, as we get to work in four different roles in various geographical locations all over the world. As a trainee at Lantmännen you are trusted by leaders and colleagues, which gives you the freedom to work independently and creatively. The program makes us very versatile due to the many positions, projects and locations that we have to adapt to every 3-4 months. It also enhances our language skills, both the various Scandinavian languages, but also English, German, French etc., as we are travelling around and meeting all kinds of nationalities and cultures. Finally, I want to highlight the organisational understanding that comes with the program. Lantmännen ensures that we are aware of the entire supply chain by showing us plants, productions, farms and shops. So far we have seen several production plants like a pancake factory, multiple grain process plants, mills, energy plants, bakeries and many more.

From one of several company visits – here in the breakfast and pasta production site in Järna

That was my thoughts about moving, and as you probably recognise, I am enjoying life here in “quite alright Sweden” 🙂

So long,

Mikkel

Hello readers,

If you read the last blog post about all the fun times we have had in Stockholm, you have already heard a little about me. But since that post was really just an excruciating cliffhanger, hinting at the story of my life, I thought you would want to hear more. So here it goes!

My name is Sebastian and I am of course a trainee at Lantmännen. My first rotation was at AS-Faktor, a subsidiary to Lantmännen that sells the very well-known products Salovum and SPC-Flakes (they are not very well-known, but you should definitely google them). AS-Faktor has conducted a bunch of research studies over the years together with universities in Sweden on a protein called Protein AF. There is an amazingly well written Wikipedia page about the protein and all is amazing capabilities if you want to learn more about it, which you should.

At this point you are probably asking yourself – what does this have to with Lantmännen or agriculture. Fair question. The protein comes from specially processed oats and as you know, Lantmännen really does everything you can think of with grains, so really, this makes perfect sense.

My role at AS-Faktor is in business development of foods with special medical purposes (Salovum & SPC-Flakes) and functional foods. This role fits me well, given that my both my bachelor’s and master’s degree is in business and economics. Basically, I have been figuring out how to sell products that are really good for people for the past few months. My biggest project has been developing a new concept for diabetics based on some exciting research from Göteborg Universitet. I have analyzed the market, created business plans, made sales material, done costs analysis’s, some classic SWOT’s, and much more.

Me along with Mikkel at a career fair in Lund!

One of my key learnings from my first rotation is how exciting it is to turn scientific research into financially stable products and concepts. Creating strategies for products that can bring a lot of value to people’s lives has been an incredible experience. Doing that togehter with all the great people at AS-Faktor and at HQ in Stockholm has made my first rotation even better.

I am actually writing this post on my final day in Stockholm and it is with mixed feelings I am moving on to Unibake in Copenhagen next week. I have had a great time in Stockholm, but I am of course super excited about taking on new challenges (like understanding Danish) over the next few months. But more of that in my next post.

Over and out!

Hej!

Som Nora skrev förra veckan så är traineeprogrammets första period slut och vi är utplacerade i olika team för praktik, själv sitter jag i ett av “Jordens” utvecklingsteam. Jorden är ett stort handläggningssystem på Jordbruksverket och består av tre utvecklingsteam. Den här praktikperioden kommer att pågå fram till vecka 2 då nästa period börjar.

Det är givetvis mycket nytt – dels nya rutiner och nya kollegor, men inte minst utvecklingsmiljön och all kod som är väldigt komplext. Jag har haft en uppgift som gäller utformningen av beslutsbrev och har fått försöka sätta mig in i en massa kod för att förstå vad som ska göras var. Det är dock inget “bara” när det gäller det här och eftersom det handlar om teknik så är det mycket som ska fungera och mycket som kan ställa till det lite. Jag har som tur var en bra mentor (en trainee från förra året!) och många andra bra kollegor runt mig som finns här och stöttar upp, felsöker och hjälper till att lösa problem de problem som dyker upp.

Det är lite sorgligt att inte träffa sina traineekollegor på samma sätt längre, men vi försöker sammanstråla för lite lunch och annat. Igår var det avdelningseftermiddag för IT-avdelningen här på Jordbruksverket och vi försökte då hänga ihop så mycket som möjligt. Kul att ses igen! Under avdelningseftermiddagen fick vi lunch och sedan lyssna på olika föredrag. Det var dels ett föredrag av PK Mahanandia (som bär på en fantastisk livsberättelse – googla gärna!) och sen fanns det även några valbara föredrag vi kunde välja mellan exempelvis om blockkedjor, test, lean och agilt och AI.

En vecka går fort och det känns i huvudet att man har fått ta emot mycket ny information den här veckan. Det är dock otroligt kul och givande och jag känner mig redan snäppet klokare än när jag satte mig här i måndags. Den enorma nervositeten som fanns i måndags har släppt och nu känns det helt naturligt att sitta här!

Hoppas att ni får en fin första adventshelg!

//Malin

Jorden

Hello everyone!
My name is Alessandra, and I come from Italy. More than one year ago I was joining SKF Global Trainee Programme, and I remember very well when I was preparing my luggage ready to go to Sweden to have my introduction month with my new colleagues. So many emotions back then, a mix of thrill and excitement that comes along with every big change. I had a lot of hopes, but nothing could have prepared me to this fantastic journey that I’m having the chance to be part of.

This is me, Alessandra at the Gothenburg HQ.

After the introduction month I left Sweden with new friends, not only colleagues. I started my first rotation of 5month in Italy, and that rotation has brought challenges that I didn’t expect. I had been working in Manufacturing, and beside the two projects that I was assigned, I was also highly involved in many activities that exposed me directly to a daily interaction with one of our biggest customer. It have to admit it had been extremely tough, but incredibly satisfying at the same time.

Me and my Global graduate colleague Li from China.

My second rotation was in Germany, and my project in Supply Chain department. This has been a place where I learnt so much, and where I definitely and unexpectedly left my heart. I have been able to see a structured and precise way of working, and I have really understood the importance of a good team-work, and all the advantages that this brings along.

Then, time for a new adventure: India! I arrived one month ago, and at the moment I am working here in Bangalore on projects that involve cross-functional roles, from Sales, to Application Engineers, Business Development, Product development and Process Development. It is so interesting, and I am learning so many things!

On an excursion exploring the amazing nature with my Indian colleague.

Monkeys at the SKF site in Bangalore, India.

This program is giving me the unique chance of rotating through different departments, giving me an insight of different functions: this provides me with a 360° exposure that is absolutely rare and unique, and is allowing me to really have a priceless experience.

It’s not always easy, you have to adapt and start from scratch every time, new people, new projects, new roles.. but it’s also so exciting that I wouldn’t change it for nothing else! It allows me to learn a lot not only about a big company as SKF and its dynamics, but also about different cultures (still have a long way to go before I can say I have understood everything here!), and last but not least, about myself. You need to be humble and tough at the same time, be determined and be also able to drive yourself your development. Nothing is served on a silver plate, and this is also part of the fun, going and getting it yourself 🙂 Work hard and have fun along the way!

I am extremely thankful and satisfied of this journey up to now, combining professional growth with travelling and, as a side effect, it also gets you friends from all over the world!

Over and out,

Alessandra

Hej readers!

My name is Raphael and I am the Global Trainee in Supply Chain Management. I originally come from Hamburg, Germany, but moved to Jönköping in summer 2016 to study Supply Chain Management here, like many of my fellow Germans. While most Germans returned to Germany after graduation, I liked it here in Sweden so I decided  to stay.

Before moving to Sweden, I worked in Germany and I bring experience in IT and data management from Hamburg. At an earlier point in my career, I realized  that I wanted to develop into an analyst role. When I start a new position, I like to differentiate myself and find a role in which I feel I can make a difference. And there are certainly many ways to do that, depending on your own talents and personality. I saw an opportunity to choose the Analyst direction and I went for it.
So when I started at Husqvarna Group some months back, I gradually recognized that my skills in SQL, Power Query and Excel would not get to waste.

I like working as an Analyst because it challenges me on a daily basis and it makes me investigate adjacent business areas that I may otherwise not have looked into. The process of making sense of data leads me to understanding processes from different perspectives by talking with different departments. When thinking of an Analyst, people sometimes associate that with a person who sits quietly in front of a computer the whole day but I think it is much more than that.
Next to that, I also work as a demand coordinator for several countries in Asia. I try to match their demand with our production as good as possible. That is sometimes challenging because we have customers all around the globe, even small countries like the Fiji islands, and we also produce our products in many countries. That creates a very complex supply chain that we need to manage.

I hope telling you a bit about my and/or our challenges got you more interested. As you can see, as a Trainee in the Husqvarna Group you are not expected to sit by and watch. Instead you get a lot of responsibilities and opportunities very early on – which I find very exciting!  

Hi blog!

Now I, Johanna, is back and I have Sebastian here with me. Soon it is time for new exiting projects, but unfortunately that means that our time at the Stockholm office is ending. So, we thought that we should share some precious moments from this period with you.

Here at Stockholm office we have been five trainees and we have really gotten to know each other well over the past three months.

As we remember it, “morning sandwiches” (read breakfast) was our first routine here at the office and we had so much fun together that these routines escalated quickly. Lunch became more frequent and before we knew it everybody just showed up at noon every day to have lunch together. But wait, that’s not all! Everyone needs a short break in the afternoon, so why not take it together over a quick fika?

Okay so now we might come off as a bit codependent. At an early point our super receptionist Jörgen made us our very own fika-sign. Se the excitement over the sign in the picture below.

One thing that became clear during all the fika and lunches was that the group seemed to be very competitive and we realized we wanted to challenge each other. This led to hours spent competing in tennis, bowling, badminton, racket ball, shuffleboard and mushroom picking. Mikkel usually lost (or maybe not?).

Above: Hugo bowling, go go!

Above: Lovisa cheering on her team!

Apart from that we have had the time to celebrate some birthdays and go to some after works. But the most magical time of the year is now (Christmas is almost here) so we took the opportunity to go to a julbord (Christmas buffet) and play shuffleboard as a way to conclude this amazing first period!

Above: During Mikkel’s birthday we were invited to his fantastically beautiful apartement.

Above: Julbord with the gang.

Next week we will attend a recharge with the whole trainee group 🙂 and after that we will start our next projects. Very much looking forward to that even though we will miss each other and our current colleagues. That was all for now! Happy weekend!

//Sebastian & Johanna 🙂

Hello blog!

Johanna here to tell you all about my first project as a trainee at Lantmännen. I have now been working at Corporate Communications & Branding at the Stockholm headquarters where I have been well welcomed to the team. It has been a great start for me, working with the cultivation concept within Lantmännen!

Here’s me and my team at Corporate Communications & Branding

So, what is a cultivation concept? Lantmännen’s cultivation concept is a way of farming in a more sustainable way compared to the conventional way of farming. The farming concept aims at reducing greenhouse gas emissions but also to increase biodiversity. This is done by establishing a number of criteria that the farmer should farm according to in exchange for a reimbursement. An example of these criteria is the implementation of skylark plots, undrilled patches in fields where larks can land and find food. Another example is to use sensors to be more precise when farming and spreading fertilizer. As of today, you can see the result of the cultivation concept in stores as Kungsörnens “Vänligare Vete” (A friendlier wheat) and “Vänligare Råg” (A friendlier rye). So if you want to eat in an even more sustainable way and support Swedish farmers at the same time, you know where to find your flour 😉

I flied to Malmö every now and then with this project and saw some great sunsets on my way home!

My task has been to try to decrease the complexity with the farming concept in-house and at the same time make it more unified and easier to understand for all actors in the value chain. During the project I have learned a lot about how to farm, which is a whole world of its own. So much to learn still!

By the way, did you know that a large part of greenhouse emissions that can be traced to a bag of flour in the store, comes from the cultivation stage? I sure didn’t know. I would have guessed at transport or packing, but hey that’s just me! This is why Lantmännen is working with various initiatives and projects, to make farming even more sustainable – among them the cultivation concept “Climate & Nature” that has been the focus of my past trainee period. This is actually one of the many fun things with this project, that I get to learn a lot about sustainability within farming and all the solutions there are to tackle the challenges. During these months, I have realised how innovative Lantmännen is as a company as they are constantly investigating what can be done and trying to push these new innovations to the field through the farming concept.

Another thing that I really enjoyed with my project is that I got to meet many people with different roles within Lantmännen. This has led to me getting a great start here and getting to know several new colleagues.

Our first projects are soon coming to an end and as of the beginning of December you will find me at our office in Malmö, working with profitability in fixed priced feed sales. It will be a lot more falafel and excel then, looking forward to it!

Until next time!

Vi har under veckan som varit fått veta hur Jordbruksverket arbetar med att kvalitetssäkra sin kod, gått igenom vad docker är, förstå hur systemförvaltare arbetar och blivit intervjuade för en artikel som skall publiceras på intranätet.

Största delen av veckan har vi haft kurs i Javascript, html, css och en översikt av hur Angular fungerar. Det var en intensiv och lärorik kurs som belyste hur man bäst strukturerar upp en webapp för att vara skalbar och dynamisk.

Men vi har också fått träffa Jordbruksverkets generaldirektör Christina Nordin och fått berätta för henne vilka vi är och våra mål med traineeperioden.

Nedan ser ni Philip från teamet ICC som på ett mycket pedagogiskt sätt förklarade vad docker är.