Hej,

Nu var det länge sedan vi skrev något från Cinnobers traineeprogram. Senast vi skrev hade vi precis fått testat skriva krav, sen dess har vi fortsatt jobba samt tagit en paus under sommaren för lite semester.

Åter tillbaka till vardagen började sista delen av traineeprogrammet! Sista delen eller blocket i traineeprogrammet är TAM/Service desk. TAM (Technical Account Manager) har vi i projektet som vi jobbar i, så där har man lite koll vad de gör. Service desk däremot, vad gör de? Vi åkte ner till huvudkontoret i Stockholm för att få en förstaparkettsupplevelse av hur det är att jobba på Service desk. Cinnober har som kanske bekant kunder över hela världen, detta medför att kunderna finns i flera tidszoner.  Det Service desk gör är att monitorerar olika system och ser att de startar, kör och stänger utan att något oförutsett händer, som t.ex. att en server går ner utan varning. När något händer undersöker man om det är känt sen innan och har en färdig handlingsplan eller om det ska eskaleras. Alltså, ringa och väcka någon projektledare eller TAM i det drabbade projektet. Service desk underhåller även andra system där de har en del schemalagda aktiviteter som skall utföras, som att se till att data uppdateras korrekt, olika mejl går ut m.m. För att det här ska fungera krävs det att det finns folk på plats dygnet runt söndag natt till fredag natt. Så när vi var där fick vi testa på alla skift utom natt, det ansågs vara lite väl hårt mot vår dygnsrytm (phew ’:) ). Det var väldigt lärorikt att få se hur de arbetar och vad de gör i och med att man i vanliga fall inte kommer i kontakt med dem.

Nu är vi dock tillbaka och har framför oss den sista spurten i traineeprogrammet. De närmaste två veckorna ska vi jobba som TAM så vi kommer nog, om jag får gissa, pillra med migrering, byggande av nya releaser och underhåll av testmiljöer. Blir kul att få en bättre insikt i den delen av mjukvaruutveckling. Kan tänka mig att man får lite bättre koll på hur systemet fungerar när man får se det ur en annan synvinkel.

Tills nästa gång, ha det bra!

One of the most important aspects when looking for your very first job is finding “the right company”. A company that fits you best, that has an organizational culture that suits your personality and that enables you to achieve your personal and professional goals, whatever they might be. Sometimes it can be difficult to assess a company’s culture simply by looking at its website. However, as soon as you meet its employees face-to-face for the very first time, for instance during a job interview, you get a better feeling for the atmosphere within the company. Listen to the questions the company’s recruiters ask you and observe the way the recruiters treat you as a person, and you will easily understand if the company has a very competitive “elbow culture” or if it is a company that truly values a work-life-balance. My advice to you is to ask yourself “the right questions” and, then, to simply listen to your gut feeling when meeting the company for the first time.

The first question I asked myself, when looking for my first job position was: In what industry would I like to work in?

I have a Master in International Business Studies and, thus, do not have an engineering background. However, I always liked technical classes, for example physics in high school, and missed this part during my studies a little. Therefore, I wanted to work for a company that produces a complicated technical product. The innovative strength in the automotive industry is fascinating and the next decades hold so many new developments in store such as platooning, autonomous driving, and connectivity. I understood that working for a company in the automotive industry would enable me to learn new things every day and to develop my technical knowledge further. Hence, it became clear to me that I wanted to work in the automotive industry.

Secondly, I asked myself in what department I would like to work at.

The field of strategic management has always been the main focus of my studies. In addition, I completed classes in international marketing and project management, which aroused my interest in the development and implementation of marketing strategies and projects. I also deepened my marketing knowledge by participating in a research project at the university – in cooperation with the German Football League (DFL) on the topic “Brand Associations of and Brand Loyalty towards Professional Football Clubs: An Empirical Study of German and Indian Football Fans“. The project enabled me to broaden my knowledge in market research as well as to gain experience in brand management. Furthermore, I became familiar with the marketing and sales business during internships at Telstra Corporation Limited in Australia and the German-Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Sweden. I was involved in the administration of and communication with various business clients as well as the customer acquisition process. Additionally, I conducted market analyses and market research projects, for example a project for the measurement of customer satisfaction. Both, the research project at the university as well as the internships confirmed my enthusiasm for the international marketing and sales business. Accordingly, I decided to pursue a career in Sales & Marketing.

Then, I wondered, whether I should apply for a trainee program or directly for a position within Sales & Marketing.

Since I studied International Business, the lectures and seminars I attended have been quite generic and theoretical. Thus, I did not really feel prepared enough to start a job in Sales and Marketing right away. A trainee program gives you the opportunity to get to know the company insight and out. In the best case, you are able to observe the company from production to sales and from the dealers to the headquarters. You will stand at the production line at 6 o’clock in the morning and you will meet the CEO for a meeting in the afternoon. A good trainee program enables you to learn and develop, to observe and question, and to suggest and deliver. And after the trainee program, you will have gained so many new insights, you will really KNOW the company and how things work, and you will feel best prepared for your very first job position at this company. There was no doubt in my mind, that a trainee program was what I wanted to do.

Thus, I asked myself the final question: At which company in the automotive industry would I like to complete a trainee program in Sales & Marketing?

My studies and internships indicate a very strong international focus, therefore, I wanted to start my professional career at a leading international company. I completed two internships at the German-Swedish Chamber of Commerce, hence, I speak Swedish fluently and I am very familiar with the Swedish business culture. I definetely could imagine myself working at a Swedish company. When comparing different companies in the automotive industry, Scania stood out to me right away. It seemed to me as if Scania has a unique organizational culture that is in alignment with my own values and goals. This positive impression was confirmed during my first face-to-face meeting with one of the recruiters. After a second meeting at the headquarters in Södertälje and after having met even more employees and former trainees at Scania, my gut feeling told me that this was it: I fit to Scania and Scania fits to me. I have worked at Scania for a year now – a year full of exciting but also challenging experiences. But I have never regretted my decision and I am very curious to find out what the future at Scania has in store for me.

Thus, I encourage you all to ask yourself these questions and to figure out what your personal and professional goals are and most importantly what kind of company you would like to work for. And then, just listen to your gut feeling! All the best and good luck!

Hello, my name is Alexandra Wilbs and I am a blogger at TraineeBloggen. This is my very first blog post on TraineeBloggen, therefore, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you.

I am from Germany, where I attained a Master of Science in International Business Studies at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg. During my studies, I spent two semesters abroad at the universities of Uppsala and Linköping. Additionally, I completed two internships at the German-Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Stockholm. Hence, Sweden has become my second home and communicating in Swedish in a business setting is perfectly natural for me.

The field of strategic management has always been the main focus of my studies. Furthermore, I became familiar with the sales and marketing business during my internships in Sweden and Australia, where I worked at Australia’s largest telecommunications and media company, Telstra Corporation Limited.

Since my studies and my internships both indicate a strong international focus, it was very important for me to start my professional career in a leading international company. In August 2015, I started working as a Graduate Trainee in Sales & Marketing at Scania. Scania is a perfect fit for me and Scania’s engineering prowess and orientation towards innovation and sustainability fascinate me. Besides, the Scania Graduate Trainee Program offers me the possibility to apply and to deepen my previously acquired experiences and skills as well as my passion for international business relations in an exciting and challenging working environment.

Stay tuned for my next blog posts, in which I will give you a better insight into my life as a Scania Graduate Trainee.

Andriy Shyshka

Three months ago I reached the final point of my program. Still a global trainee, I get to spend my last rotation gradually assuming responsibilities of my target position of data scientist at Big Data squad of DSS. In addition, as a side project that lately managed to consume most of my time, I joined a team that works with organizing one of the most important internal conferences we have in the group – an area just as natural to Lisa Barrehag as it was out of my comfort zone. I think that was exactly what People & Organization had in mind when sending me on this quest.

Nonetheless, conferences aside, my main responsibility at the moment is the analysis of IoT data that we gather from our connected products and digital services: Gardena Smart System, Husqvarna Fleet Services and Automower Connect. I believe that each of these solutions constitute a compelling offer to our customers, unmatched by anything our competitors have in stock. I also share the vision with my colleagues that there is even greater value to be unlocked from our ability to measure exactly how our products are being used and how they are performing in the field. If we ask the right questions, this data can help us make better design decisions when developing new products, we can be much better in anticipating customer demand and act proactively addressing our clients’ needs  before they get a chance to articulate them.

Our connected products and digital services: Gardena Smart System, Husqvarna Fleet Services and Automower Connect.

I would like to say that we are the first to realize the potential, but that would simply not be true. Look in your pocket and you will find the most recent example of how data analysis done right can accelerate the progress. Yes, I mean your smartphone. The statistics about each action that you take, each button press, each application crash or unused feature is being collected by the manufacturer (unless you happen to be German and simply don’t share your data). This is why just in a few years we made a giant leap in phone cameras and screens and why every phone manufacturer is working  hard to remove unnecessary hardware buttons and ports. Useful gets enhanced and waste gets abandoned, leaving a device that should now be called anything but a phone.

Now we can see how similar change is happening to the products that just a couple of years ago seemed to have reached their evolutionary peak: refrigerators and washing machines, TVs and sound systems, water heaters and meat smokers, coffee machines and even light bulbs can now get connected and smart in the way that makes sense the moment you see it. The bar is constantly raised and I am looking forward to seeing the progress that we will make in the following years, with Husqvarna Group taking the lead in the forest, garden and on the construction site. This will involve a tremendous change in how we do business on every level. Looking back at the last two years I can see that change is happening already and it’s difficult to overestimate which role we as Global Trainee Program graduates will get to play in driving it. I know mine. Let’s get done with the talking and do some data science!

Thanks!

Andriy Shyshka
Global Trainee Digital Solutions and Services

As written in the previous blog entry, we participated in an expo in Beijing in May where we showcased our products and promote our brand to customers and potential partners.

Besides the traditional petrol and battery handheld products, this time we also displayed our Automower®, which is new to the China market. My job title was not a ‘Sales Representative’, but on that day I was selling the Automower® to foreign visitors from Brisbane and Amsterdam. They were very curious about the product and would like to put one in their own garden. I provided them with the address of dealer shops near their homes and hopefully they will pay a visit to our dealer shop when they return to their countries. I was nervous at first of being a sales person but later on I became more confident in answering visitors’ questions and explaining the values of what we could deliver to them. This was the first time I found myself having a strong interest in Sales and Marketing, which may lead me to my target position after the Trainee Program.

Visitors were interested in the demonstration of our Automower® in The 18th Hortiflorexpo IPM, Beijing.

Working beyond the job description may seems difficult at first but there are always some surprising outcome afterward. However, sometimes we are to focused on our own responsibilities, as written on the job contract, but forget about exploring more learning opportunities to challenge ourselves beyond our job.

When I was working in Factory quality, I spent a lot of time on process improvement with Lean methodology, as suggested in the assignment plan. But looking back, if I had the chance again, I would have spent more time on Product quality improvement, using the similar ways of problem solving. I would have gained more knowledge about our products.

Lois trying the battery trimmer which will be launch in China market in the near future.

Lucky enough I got another opportunity. I helped to interpret in the Small Off-Road Engine Evaporative Emissions Regulations Summit hosted by Husqvarna China Sales team while I was working in Factory Operations. It took me a lot of time to study the engineering details in Chinese and English. The learning process was tough but that knowledge helped me lay a great foundation on products for my future assignments.

In the Shanghai office I am also a part-time trainee for Business English. We had regular meetings of English Corner and formal English Email writing training. This is another way for me to contribute to the company beyond my responsibilities. Recently I was invited to Changzhou factory to deliver a training. I met a lot of new colleagues, most of them I had never worked with before. From these training experiences I have discovered my interests in public speaking and training, and I have also expanded my network outside of my usual workmates. This extended network has been a great help for work.

During the Business Email Writing training in Changzhou factory.

There is a famous quote from Steve Jobs, ‘You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” Sometimes the task assigned may seem very unusual and out of your comfort zone, but it can always lead to something rewarding in the future. Next time when your supervisor asks you to work beyond your job description, take full advantage of the opportunity to learn and grow as much as possible. There is just too much to experience and I believe the experience now will reap rewards later.

Enjoy the challenge.

Lois Lau
Global Trainee

Varför blev det så tyst från oss traineer på Jordbruksverket?

svaret är lätt, de nio månaderna är slut och vi är inte längre traineer.. Fort som bara den gick det. Men vad hände då?

Alla fick anställning! tårta och diplom…

Nu sitter vi utspridda i olika team och projekt, dryga halvmetern från en datorskärm och smattra kod hela dagarna. Precis det vi alla drömde om när vi först kom hit 🙂

Till hösten kommer ett nytt gäng traineer till Jordbruksverket så då får ni följa deras resa här.

Tack för oss nu är vi välförtjänta av en semester innan livet som systemutvecklare fortsätter!

Våren rasade på med finväder, en lång period på Supply chain, ett besök på Octapharmas förpackningscenter i Dessau i Tyskland, samt två veckor i Schweiz (som bara blev en vecka). Allt detta kräver (minst) ett eget inlägg, så jag väljer att skjuta upp den berättelsen till ett senare tillfälle. Just det, precis som alla stora auteurer jobbar jag här med uppbruten kronologi. Som i filmen Memento, om någon läsare eventuellt skulle vara lite till åren kommen, det vill säga född på 80-talet.

Nåja, det här ska istället handla om en annan resa, till en av Europas mest mytomspunna städer, en metropol där storhetstider och perioder av umbäranden avlöst varandra de senaste 150 åren; en plats som verkar innehålla tusen berättelser, om splittring och återförening, om krig och fred, om anarki och dekadens och modernism. Nej, det är inte Borlänge jag pratar om, det är Berlin.
Förutom att hysa Berghain (Europas kanske mest legendariska technoklubb), ett privat galleri i en konverterad bunker, en flygplats från kalla kriget lämnad mer eller mindre orörd mitt i stan, en annan helt ny flygplats lämnad oanvänd på grund av finansieringsproblem och allmän osämja, samt en miljard andra galna och underbara saker som den intresserade läsaren kan läsa om i något reportage i Vice, Rolling Stones eller The New Yorker, så upplåter Berlin också ett halvt våningsplan i en av de sydöstra förorterna åt ett av Octapharmas forskningslabb. Här tillbringar jag för tillfället mina arbetsdagar.

Forskning och utveckling (FoU) på Octapharma är ett område som genomgått stora förändringar under de senaste åren. Förut fanns det några olika forskningsavdelningar utspridda över Europa, till exempel gjordes en stor del av arbetet med den rekombinanta produkten Nuwiq i Stockholm. I takt med att företaget växte blev denna situation all mindre optimal, och till slut byggdes en stor anläggning i Heidelberg, dit huvuddelen av FoU-arbetet flyttades. Men inte allt, fortfarande finns små avdelningar kvar här och där, bland annat finns plasmaforskningen i Wien, PCR-metodutveckling i Stockholm och virusforskning i Frankfurt. Och så då labbet i Berlin.
Under avdelningsnamnet Molecular biochemistry jobbar här ca 20 personer med vad som nog är de mest grundforskningslika projekten inom företaget. Någon får en idé om en ny produkt eller modifiering av befintlig produkt, eller en förändring på marknaden tvingar företaget att reagera. Berlingruppen gör då något slags konceptstudie som sedan, beroende på resultat, kan bli ett ”riktigt” FoU-projekt som tas över av Heidelberg.

Den som jobbat inom akademisk forskning känner sig nog hemma här, tempot är lite annorlunda med mindre akut stress men mer funderande och fler öppna problem, organisationen är plattare, och det är inte samma stränga fokus på regler, dokumentation och GMP (även om det är tydligare struktur och mer ordning än i många forskargrupper inom akademin). Kaffemaskinen är den bästa jag sett inom företaget.
Tyvärr kan jag inte prata om mitt projekt, för då kommer företaget att tysta mig. För gott. Men det handlar om förädling av en av våra plasmaprodukter. Ni kommer att se resultatet om tio år när vi totalt dominerar marknaden.

Hej på er!

Nu är det ett tag sedan det kom ett inlägg från mig och Viktor. Sommaren har kommit till Umeå och man kan äntligen njuta av sin lunch utomhus.

Alla teoretiska kurser inom kravblocket är gjorda och nu återstår tre veckor av praktiskt kravarbete innan vi tar lite semester. De teoretiska kurserna har vi gjort tillsammans med andra inom företaget, dels nyanställda, men även några som nyligen bytt roll inom sina projekt. Väldigt givande att kunna ha diskussioner med kollegor från andra projekt, och dessutom med annan bakgrund.

Förutom några mindre uppgifter inom det ordinarie projektet så har vårt praktiska arbete fokuserats på att skriva kraven för ett mindre system som används internt inom vår testverksamhet. Detta innebär att vi har fått börja från grunden med ett helt nytt kravprojekt med allt vad det innebär. Fördelen är att vi får arbeta med flera delar av kravprocessen då vi funderar över både verksamhets- och designkrav, även om fokus ligger på systemkraven. Vid första anblick så kan ett användningsfall (Use Case) för en av systemets funktioner se relativt simpelt ut, men att skriva dem så att de blir just lättlästa är långt ifrån enkelt. Det har blivit många diskussioner angående alternativflöden och ”best practice” när det kommer till kravskrivande.

Sen kan jag inte låta bli att nämna Dräpardygnet, en multisporttävling som jag, Viktor och tre andra Cinnoberiter genomförde i helgen. Tio företag från Umeå samlades i fredags 19.00 för att springa, cykla och paddla med siktet inställt på att nå målet ca 20 timmar senare. Bitvis var det riktigt, riktigt tungt, men trots att vi inte tränat ihop oss nämnvärt klarade vi alla etapper och kom dessutom in som fyra!

Ha det bra och njut i solen om ni kan!

Glada miner innan loppet

It is with mixed emotions I tell you that my time as a trainee is soon coming to an end. It has been a fantastic journey for me, providing me with the opportunity to try and learn tons of new things and also to meet so many intelligent and nice people. Since this will be my last blogpost, I would like to take a moment and summarize the major things I have learned and experienced during my four assignments.

Testing a chainsaw in Kawagoe, Japan

Assignment 1: Commodity Manager Rubber & Gaskets – I was responsible for the day-to-day contact with around 20 suppliers, something that helped me develop my negotiation skills and business mindset. I also learned about problem solving and the importance of being able to take quick action.

Assignment 2: Project Sourcing Electric – I got to experience the early phases of a new project and learn how to collaborate and keep close contact with R&D. During this assignment I also started up a couple of benchmark projects which both gave me more technical insights, as well as a better understanding for how to find, assess and discuss with potential suppliers.

Assignment 3: Supplier Development Asia – in addition to giving me a better understanding of our Asian supplier base, this assignment actually also provided me with more knowledge about production since I got to visit many suppliers and learn about their processes and how to assess a plant. Moreover, since it took place in China and Japan I got to experience a lot of cultural differences and gained a better understanding for how to interact with people from different backgrounds in business situations. I also got to project lead the organization of Asia Supplier Day which was quite a challenge, especially considering the language barriers involved.

Trying out working at an assembly line in Xiamen, China

Assignment 4: Brands & Marketing Automower – this assignment (which I´m currently on) has given me a chance to see the other side of the business and to gain a better understanding for the end customer and our finished products. It has also taught me a lot about how to tailor a message depending on who the target group is. So even though I will go back to Sourcing in September, I feel confident that the knowledge I gain in marketing will benefit me in my future role as well.

Between these assignments we have of course also had training modules which has taken place in Sweden, Germany, USA and China. The training modules have taught me a great deal, not just about the Husqvarna Group business but also about soft skills such as personal accountability and presentation skills. So, looking back at what I just wrote, I realize now that this pretty much looks like a resume. Well, I guess you can say that when you can fill up a resume after a two year’s work experience, that’s a pretty good grade for the Husqvarna Group global trainee program.

I think that one of the best parts about the program is that I really have been able to work actively and take responsibility in each of these areas, not just walk side by side with someone else and watch them do it. I must admit that I was a bit worried in the beginning of my trainee time, everything seemed so difficult and hard to grasp. However, overcoming these challenges has made my confidence grow a lot and today I am very thankful for being challenged so strongly from the beginning.

I must also say that one thing I appreciate a lot about Husqvarna Group as a company is the culture. In almost all the areas and departments I have come in contact with, the culture has been very open and including and people are really allowed to be themselves. For me, it is exactly a down-to-earth and friendly culture like this that motivates me to perform my best. I think that if you try to form people to fit into a certain model, you won’t be able to take advantage of their own unique capabilities and skills. You might of course need to adapt your behavior (and appearance) to different business situations but that’s another thing in my opinion.

Visiting a dealer in Charlotte, USA

Finally, I cannot stress enough how lucky I have been with all the managers I have had the opportunity to work with during my four assignments. Staffan, Jonas, Paul, David, Tarun, Ingrid and last but not least Göran, have all been amazing managers and a very great support for me. And then there are of course a ton of other colleagues from many different countries who have made my trainee time at Husqvarna Group an unforgettable experience. Thanks to all of you who might be reading this!

Now I have a couple of months to go on my last rotation in Brands & Marketing and then I feel very motivated to start my permanent position, which will be within the Sourcing Electric team (back to assignment 2 again!), a very exciting and fast growing area indeed. Congratulations to all the new trainees starting this August, you are up for an exciting time!

Lisa Barrehag
Global Trainee Sourcing

I’m currently working in the Product Quality function and one area that I have been investigating is lessons learned. One common problem within most organizations is knowledge management and how to improve it e.g. how can we learn from past mistakes so that we do not repeat them and spread best practice from successful projects. Since I will soon finish my two year trainee program I want to document and share my own lessons learned in this blog post so that you as a presumptive trainee can learn from my past experience.

Before I start it should be noted that with knowledge I make the distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge. Tacit knowledge is something that comes from experience and that you have to train or practice in order to become better at. Take for example learning how to ride a bicycle, no matter how many books you read on that topic I doubt that you would be able to ride a bicycle successfully without practice. Explicit knowledge on the other hand is written text or spoken instructions that you can internalize and use on your own.

Spiral of Knowledge Creation, by Nonaka & Takeuchi (1995)

My most important lesson is that in order to succeed you need to be curious and ask questions regarding your line of work. Most people are happy to answer your questions given that you’ve do some research by yourself first so that you are able to ask follow up questions. When you work as a trainee and keep switching functions you need to figure out what is important in order to succeed with your current assignment and the best way to do that is to listen to your colleagues. Listen to what they are discussing and when you start to make sense out of it start asking questions and see how you can bring new perspectives to the discussions. Because you have a privileged position in the organization since you get to experience how different functions interact with each other and you can therefore become a bridge between them and present your view and perspective.

Example of tacit knowledge: chainsaw training with colleagues from Huskvarna R&D

When I started at Husqvarna I had limited experience of working with outdoor power equipment but after a while all the different products started to make sense to me. My favorite questions for learning in the beginning was (and still is) “What is the application” and “Who is the customer” for a specific product. By asking that I could piece together why Husqvarna have certain products, where and to whom they are sold. Once I grasped that I could start discussing more in depth questions such as what changes should be done to the product range.

Second, one way of rapidly making sense of your new assignments is to create structure and try to plan ahead even if you only have limited experience in the given area. Most likely you will need to revise your plan as you go ahead but just by forcing yourself to think about how you want to go about with a project will help you figure out what you need to investigate more. Because typically you are confronted with something that you have not done before but you are given a goal that you need to reach and what is expected of you. But by planning ahead and setting a structure you can work backwards from your goal and you can figure out different possibilities for how to succeed.

One way of creating structure in a new project is to use a Gannt-schedule with Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) (Source Wikimedia)

Typically the only thing you control as a trainee is time, since you will most likely not get assigned your own budget for a project. Thus given that you can only control your own time, how should you spend it? First I will try to figure out as much as possible by talking with others and read any available documentation. Then once I’ve set my first draft plan I will discuss it with the person that I am to deliver a project to so that I can incorporate their expectations regarding the project and ensure that my plan supports it.

Finally, an important lessons is that you need to be comfortable with working and living in uncertainty and how to do that is an example of tacit knowledge. For some it comes more natural than for others and they have no problem with moving to a new country or function and quickly adapting. My best explicit tip for managing uncertainty is that when you arrive in a new function or country is that you connect with your new colleagues and do not lament on what you had in your previous assignment, no reason to dwell on the past.

So stay curious, structure your way forward, learn to live with uncertainty and best of luck with your future trainee endeavors!

Alexander Fornell
Global Trainee
Product Management & Development Trainee