What’s up, TraineeBloggen?

My name is Morris Tong, part of SKF Global Graduate Programme of Wave 3. I have a background in mechanical engineering. And I am from Shanghai. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to kick off the wonderful journey in September last year with other fellow graduates. And I am very glad to tell you about my journey so far and share some insights toward this program.

The Program started in September last year, soon after I joined SKF. I could easily recall how excited and thrilled I was back then. The introduction month in Gothenburg was sensational. Not only did I get the chance to meet other graduates from all over the world, but the nice overview of the whole corporation. That month was so well organized that I also got the chance to meet those cool guys from wave 2, from whom I got multiple valuable advice on rotations. The diversity of our wave impressed me most. We come from different parts of the world with different backgrounds no matter in culture or in major. It is always interesting to learn different things or see things differently by collaborating with them.

The first 5-month rotation started right after the introduction month was over. I am currently working in my home unit as part of Product Line Management team. Soon after I came back, I was assigned to be the project manager to take charge of the development of a new ball bearing by my manager. To be honest, the pressure was a little bit overwhelming and the project was also challenging to me in the very beginning. However, one of the best things of this program was the connection with other graduates and my own mentor. We could share our concerns, discuss our problems with each other. Also, my mentor gave lots of ideas on how to run the projects. Now, the project is ongoing well. The factory is producing the samples. Once they are done, we will deliver them to our customer for the validation test. My first rotation is coming to an end. Looking back at the past five months, I tried to make small progress every day, even though sometimes they just turned out to be baby steps. And now I have got a better understanding of both product knowledge and project process.

Next month, all of us will gather together in Gothenburg again. I’m looking forward to seeing them. My next rotation will be in France. Although the first rotation in my home city was enjoyable, I am now super excited to come out of my comfort zone and explore more. It’s going to be another challenge. And it’s the challenge that let you push forward. Thus, it’s a process of growing that never ceases.

Morris

Hi, readers!

Now it’s my turn to write about the Husqvarna Group’s Global Trainee Program. My name is Stefan Kessler and I am the Global Trainee in sales. I joined Husqvarna Group after finishing my masters in Industrial Engineering and Management at the Friedrich-Alexander University in Nuremberg-Erlangen, Germany.

My first assignment in GARDENA’s online business team

The Global Trainee Program consists of four 6-month assignments in different teams, divisions and even countries, giving each of us the opportunity to experience the diversity of the Group. During my first assignment I have been a member of the online business & new channel sales team of the GARDENA division in Ulm, Germany. As one of three divisions within the Husqvarna Group, GARDENA is focusing on the needs of passionate gardeners by offering a wide range of gardening products like watering systems, garden tools, robotics or pumps.

The team is maintaining & developing our relationships with our e-commerce customers in Germany. Furthermore it is constantly identifying new sales opportunities beyond the traditional sales channels, like food retailing or loyalty programs. Therefore, I was able to gain valuable insights into the daily work of an account manager and got a good understanding of our brand and its awareness in the markets. My personal highlights during my first assignment were following:

•  Customer visit at one of our large e-commerce accounts in Germany   

• A successful new customer acquisition 

• Being involved in the development of a new sales strategy for the German market

Moreover I had the opportunity to participate in a sales conference for all sales & district managers of the German, Austrian and Swiss market. During that week new products for the garden season were presented and product testing & workshops took place. Besides the attractive agenda, the event was for me a chance to become familiar with the sales organization of GARDENA and the people behind it.

Training Modules between assignments

What’s really remarkable for the Global Trainee Program are the training modules between our assignments. During the two years we are going to visit all major sites of the Group in Sweden, Germany, the US and China. Besides the fact that you meet your trainee colleagues, the training modules give you the chance to broaden and deepen your perspectives and understanding of the Group.

We started with the first module in Sweden visiting the head office in Stockholm, the home base in Huskvarna and the Construction division in Jonsered. What I really enjoyed was the warm welcome and openness of the colleagues (from factory workers to vice presidents), sharing their experience with us.

Therefore I am really looking forward to my trainee journey and my development within the group. My next assignment will lead me to a country, where hover mowers are really popular. To give a hint: It’s the motherland of football & gardening. 😉

Stay tuned

Until next time!

Stefan

Hi blog!

Finally it is my (Johan’s) turn again to write a blog post. Currently, I am positioned at Group Business Control in Stockholm. Here, I have a project connected to the follow-up process of the larger investments that take place within the group every year. Given my background in accounting and finance, this project is a little bit more within my comfort zone. It is also great to be back in Stockholm since it is easier to hang out with friends and family compared to when I lived in Copenhagen during the autumn (even though I really enjoyed living in Copenhagen 🙂 ).

A fun thing about the trainee program, except from the great experience you get from working in different parts of an organization with completely different projects, is that we as a trainee group have so much fun together. We try to have AWs, do sport activities and similar together. For instance, Hugo and I have started doing a sport activity once a week, usually squash or badminton. And currently, we are sitting in a car heading to Sälen for some skiing during the weekend! Hugo will show you some pictures from the squash games and the ski trip in his next blog post.

I have also started to think about the last two positions. For the first two positions, we couldn’t really influence in which part of the organization we were placed. One of them should be within the comfort zone and one outside the comfort zone (mostly connected to our studies and earlier work experience). However, for the last two positions, we have much more possibility to control in which direction we want to go. For instance if we want to be positioned abroad (and then in which country) or if we have more specific work related desires, e.g. marketing or just a certain business unit.

In my case, I have not been at Cerealia, where the brands such as AXA, Kungsörnen and GoGreen are included. At the same time, I wanted to do another project abroad and then I heard that Cerealia has two offices (one main office and one production plant) in Kiev, Ukraine. I have not visited Ukraine before, and from what I have heard, many people in Ukraine hardly speak English. So I believe this project will be challenging in a new way, besides just a new project in a new country. But I see it as a really exciting challenge, and I am sure it will be a great experience bringing a lot of joy. Kiev is apparently the third greenest capital in Europe, so I look forward to some great running in the parks and along the river.

Talk to you soon again!

/Johan

Hej på er!

Så var det dags att lämna teamet PoV efter fem veckor. Det känns lite vemodigt att lämna en miljö som precis börjat kännas invand. Jag kan gå ifrån min praktik i PoV och känna mig mycket mer bekväm i Angular och Javascript än när jag kom för fem veckor sedan men även att anropa en REST-tjänst och göra en Query mot databasen. Jag har faktiskt fått ett kvitto på att det mesta som jag lärde mig i första praktiken sitter i och det blir mycket intressant att få veta vad som väntar mig i tredje och sista praktiken i ett av systemet Jordens utvecklingsteam.

Jag har dom senaste fyra veckorna varit placerad i teamet SEALS. Det har varit en kul och lärorik period. Uppgifterna har bestått mest av kodande i Java samt en del frontendutveckling i JSF.

Jag har även fått prova på att göra driftdataändringar med hjälp av flyway-script och eventhandlers vilket var spännande.

I Torsdags var jag på STARK-mässan i Borås för att representera Jordbruksverkets IT-avdelning och prata om trainee-programmet.

Nu är det dags för sista veckan på andra praktiktillfället och sen är det dags att flytta till ett nytt team. Spännande!

Hej så länge!

Nu har den tredje veckan i den andra praktikperioden passerat. Jag och min trainee-kollega Sebastian sitter i Atlas den här perioden. Atlas är ett system som används för att hantera fältkontroller avseende EU-stöd och nationella stöd inom jordbrukssektorn.

Under tiden här har vi fått vara med på daily scrum-möten, sprintplanering, retro och demos, vilket har varit intressant och lärorikt.

Vi har mest suttit med att implementera funktioner för att kunna avsluta eller annullera flera kontroller samtidigt, vilket har varit utmanande eftersom AngularJS är ganska nytt för oss båda två, men som tur är har vi fått god hjälp av de andra i teamet, även när det gäller att sätta upp systemet och att implementera funktioner i backend.

Vi fortsätter med samma uppgift denna vecka, och kommer även att få pröva på mobb-programmering tillsammans med Team 3 i Jorden.

Hello all,

Welcome to my blog post! I am currently situated at the SKF headquarter in Gothenburg, Sweden and I just had a very inspiring day in the factory in Gothenburg. However, I would like to start with introducing myself and giving you some insights from my first time at SKF as a global graduate.

My name is Josefin Locking and I have a Masters degree in Strategic Human Resource Management and Labour Relations from the University of Gothenburg. As Aline, who wrote the previous blog post, I am also part of wave 3 of the global graduate program and I started in the end of August last year. This means that I am currently in my first rotation. It is an exhilarating time at SKF as the organization is undergoing a lot of interesting changes to make sure SKF is in the forefront also in the future. Right now, I am working with several strategic global and local HR projects supporting this. Gamification, digitalization and new ways of working, just to mention a few areas of super exciting initiatives going on. To take part in that feels great! Adding the global dimension makes it an intriguing challenge, as SKF colleagues from almost the whole world becomes part of your scope. I would say it is a truly developing and great learning experience. With me, I have great senior and global professionals with immense experience and great energy!

The first impression of SKF

My first impression of SKF as a global graduate actually started before my first workday. My manager invited me for a lunch, briefing me about my personalized program, and gave me an office tour to see my future desk and meet a few colleagues. It was great and I remember myself being very excited before my starting date. Since the first day I have received a very warm welcome and the graduate program and SKF are doing their utmost to make it as great for us as they possibly can. As Aline wrote in the previous blog post, we had a great introduction month, all global graduates from wave 3 together, and everyone is now in their first rotation in their home country. We are still keeping in touch though! Working at a global company, I am often in contact with people situated in different countries. This is something I really enjoy, and it is one of the reasons I applied for the SKF graduate program in the first place.

Job rotation, job rotation, and more job rotation

The global graduate program is an intriguing 18 months journey, which I am now in the midst of. While the program is tailored for everyone, the common part for everyone is job rotation. It is really in the heart of the global graduate program. As you probably already know, the graduate program consists of three different rotations, five months each. Usually, it is one in the home country and two in other countries. For me, my second rotation will be in Turin, Italy. In just two months I will go there, and I am looking forward to it a lot! The third rotation is not yet decided, but I am also very excited about that. I am sure it will be great. My manager is giving me such a great support in setting up the rotations for me, and she is really making an effort to make it as great as possible.

However, for me, the job rotations are not ending there. On top of the three rotations in the different countries, I am also doing a lot of rotations and shadowing within each rotation to meet many of my colleagues and to get an overview of their areas. Currently, I am joining the local HR team in the Gothenburg factory for three weeks. I get the opportunity to develop my knowledge about their areas and the factory, while also getting to know the people. It is set up with a combination of shadowing of my colleagues and I am also managing my own work in a few smaller projects. It is very interesting to work by myself in the area which I am rotating to, and it gives me the opportunity to get to know the people in action. To give you some insights in what projects I am working with, I can say that the topics range from digitalization and competence development to talent management and global change initiatives. Complementing the smaller projects, I also have projects running through my whole rotation, and one which I will have through the whole graduate program. This creates a good balance, not making it too scattered, and still giving me the opportunity to really experience the local areas where I am situated.

Today I have talked with some of the managers here and I have also joined a cross-the-site HR meeting. A lot of things are happening. On a personal side, I am starting to get used to being constantly new in different environments. And while it is sometimes a bit tough when I feel that I don’t understand everything, it is also very nice to learn this much. The experiences I make now, I will have with me for the rest of my life. Moving around a lot in the organization also means that you get to meet a lot of colleagues, and while I have to be open and bring my energy to all new places I rotate to, I think SKF is a very easy organization to get to know new people in. The culture is very open, and I am often invited to different meetings, lunches and happenings. It is super nice, and I feel thankful every time I am in a new part of the organization and I get such a warm welcome.

Making a difference

For me it is also important to be able to make a difference. Being new in the organization it is of course much about learning and developing yourself, but to be able to contribute is also very important I think. Working for a company that encourage people to take initiatives, empowering them to try their ideas is key. During our introduction month I think almost every senior executive encouraged us to do so. Exemplifying all their words, I later had a great experience when I proposed to bring one of our iPad robots to the student career fair Gadden at the Gothenburg School of Business, Economies and Law. I saw this as a great opportunity where the graduates out in the world could move around using the iPad robot and share their experience about our Global Graduate Program remotely, to the students, right from the reality. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how the idea was going to be received, but I was so happy when I got a lot of positive feedback and great encouragement from many of my colleagues. Together, we prepared everything, and the other graduates also made an effort to support. Such an energizing experience.

With this, I hope you have got some insights into the world as a global graduate in SKF. I hope you enjoyed the reading and I wish you a nice time ahead!

Could be the slogan but it is not, though Gooh! is extremely tasty. My name is Anton and I’m now trusted with producing some content for the blog. Currently I’m on my second assignment at, as you might guess, Gooh! which is the brand under which Lantmännen sells their Ready-to-Eat dishes.

Back in September I started out my time as a trainee at Lantmännen Agriculture and their office down in Malmö, before heading north up to Stockholm. Down in Malmö I looked into the interest and feasibility for a grain with smaller carbon footprint, a highly interesting task which really could make a difference for the climate and make us more sustainable. Now I’m on my second assignment working with the product development for Gooh! which is great fun!

Apart from our daily work we trainees also engage in training sessions where we deep dive into topics such as leadership and supply chain, as can be seen down below.

And if you yet haven’t, try out one of the dishes from Gooh!

//Anton

Hej Traineebloggen!

Mitt namn är Filip Jensen och jag är en av de fem traineerna som började i september 2018 på GKN Aerospace i Trollhättan. Jag pluggade Rymdteknik i Luleå och fick under utbildningen bekräftat att det framförallt är raketmotorer jag ville jobba med i framtiden. Tillslut landade jag i min hemstad Trollhättan där vi är en stor del av Ariane-programmet, Europas ”Heavy launcher”. Mer om detta tänkte jag berätta i ett framtida inlägg, för nu tänkte jag berätta om något annat vi arbetar med på GKN i Trollhättan, flygmotorer. Vi har utvecklat RM12 motorn, en utveckling av GE F404 som bland annat sitter på F/A -18 Hornet, ett amerikanskt stridsflyg. Vår RM12a sitter på JAS 39 Gripen och är en motor vi är väldigt stolta över här på företaget.

RM12 är av typen axial-kompressor och jag tänkte kort här försöka förklara hur en sådan motor fungerar. Bilden nedan visar hur en liknande motor tar in luft och komprimerar den axiellt, oftast görs detta genom flera kompressorsteg, t.ex. ett lågtryckssteg och ett högtryckssteg där varje steg består av flera rotorer. Efter att luften komprimerats så inträder den förbränningskammaren där man förbränner flygfotogen och syre. Den varma gasen vandrar bakåt i motorn (höger i bilden) och sätter snurr på turbinerna vilket i sin tur sätter snurr på kompressorn och fläkten, detta är färgkodat med grön och lila färg i bilden. Vidare leds den varma gasen bakåt genom ett munstycke för att accelerera gaserna ytterligare så de får en högre hastighet och flyget en högre dragkraft. Fläktens diameter bestämmer oftast hur pass bred motorn blir och den luft som inte leds vidare in i motorn skjuts istället ut i ett så kallat ”bypass-flöde”, rosa färg i bilden. Generellt lyder det att ju större bypass-flöde en motor har ju mer bränsleeffektiv är den. Det var ett snabbt intro till hur en jetmotor kan fungerar!

Last time I wrote a blogpost, I just started a few weeks at Lantmännen and now I am already on my second rotation! Where did the time go really? 🙂

After Norrköping, I am currently stationed at the head office in Stockholm. I have been to Stockholm only several times but have never really lived here so I am excited! I am working with Group Function R&D on the topic Sustainable Nutrition. The idea is to influence consumer to eat in a healthier and more sustainable manner (by considering possible emissions production and food waste) and how Lantmännen should position itself within this trend.

The project is personally interesting for me because I know that my work would more or less be able to contribute to the society and sustainable development in the long run (hopefully). This motivation gives me energy to wake up every morning in Stockholm dark sky. Little goes along the way 🙂

Being in Stockholm also gives me new experience about living in one of the biggest Scandinavian cities. Stockholm is huge! It is funny to remember how I struggled to commute with T-bana because there are lots of exits and entrances at each T-bana station, even though I only live couple of minutes away from the office. I am now also used to have my trainee friends and other colleagues to have fika with, which is a very nice opportunity to have especially now during winter gloomy days.

Now I also regularly have Swedish lessons and I can feel some improvements. I can understand conversations better and feel more confident to speak even though not entirely perfect, but I am glad I can try it out. I also have supporting group of friends and colleagues at the office who continuously encourage me to speak, listen and write in Swedish. If I am too tired from the day, I cheat and say “English please” :p Swedish, I am going to get you!

Time to head off for weekend!

Until next time,

Vanessa