‘A day in the life’ at Elomatic
Lita Nordén, Director, Operational Excellence in Industry
I have had the opportunity to engage in work that I find meaningful. This is why I have a long career at Elomatic; by the end of May, I completed 37 years. In my role in Operational Excellence, I get to share information and experience, and I am really grateful for that. At Elomatic, I am able to carry out work that aligns with my values and participate in designing solutions that make the world a better place for future generations. Environmental issues and solving climate problems are close to my heart.
I studied process engineering at Åbo Akademi and got a job at Elomatic before graduating in 1988. I advanced in my career in various roles as a process designer, team leader, and department head, and now I work in an Operational Excellence role. I have always been interested in mathematics; it was my favorite subject in school and it was clear that I would apply to a technical or natural sciences field.
Processes can always be improved
In the early 2000s, I proposed to the leadership that I lead a group focused on supporting others and developing internal processes. The idea is to share the best insights and experiences more effectively within the organization. It is important to make valuable experiences available to everyone.
Previously, I designed production processes as a job; in my current role, I have the opportunity to guide how the design of operational processes can be developed and improved. My task is to identify various phenomena, make them visible, and share the findings and best practices with everyone. I try to create guidelines and simplify things so that people better understand what is happening in the processes.
I strongly believe that the work done by every employee is a valuable part of the whole. If the big picture and an understanding of the overall context are lacking, one cannot comprehend their own role. Consequently, wrong things are undertaken, and time is wasted. Everyone has the right, as an employee, to see themselves and their role as a contributor to the outcome and as part of the process.
If the planning of the process is always started from scratch by different parties, progress can only be made to a certain point. When developing together, starting from a little further along and developing a bit more, we achieve better results. The work and skills must be made visible, and unnecessary and overlapping work should be avoided.
I definitely want to share my knowledge and experience with others as well. I am an introverted personality, but to my surprise, I realized that, for instance, this week I have participated in 15 meetings, met 50 different people, and exchanged ideas with 25 of them. This is effective internal influencing.
Everything starts with people
Human-centeredness and consideration for people is Elomatic’s strength. It is easy for clients to collaborate with us because we are known for our flexibility.
We want to collaborate with the customer to solve challenges. I would say that at Elomatic, our experts are particularly interested in solving problems. We strive for the best and innovative outcome for the customer. There is a solution to almost everything; it just needs to be found and shared. Different perspectives and thoughts become clear by listening to the customer.
I know a large number of people at Elomatic over the years. Especially in the past, when the company was smaller, it was easy to guide experts to the right person for any challenge. Now that the company is growing and internationalizing, other means are also required, such as written descriptions. There is also more turnover. The best part of my current job is that I can help a colleague by listening. Often, colleagues’ problems are solved when they can talk about them – the solution comes almost by itself.
As a supervisor, I have always wanted to hear my subordinates’ thoughts, including negative reflections. If there is dissatisfaction, it can be addressed. This is possible when there is an open dialogue. It is a privilege to be able to openly discuss discrepancies.
My values include employee well-being, which is based on interesting work tasks and a good and safe working atmosphere. Additionally, the conditions for doing work should be continuously improved.
From passion to impact: engineers’ solutions for the benefit of our planet
For many of us at Elomatic, being an engineer is calling. Having studied mathematics and technical subjects like I have, it is absolutely amazing to solve problems for a living. I have been able to work on things that interest me.
Sustainable development and the circular economy are topics that I get to be involved in today. My interest in nature, animals, the sea, and the archipelago has always been a background for my work. I have been following the state of the Baltic Sea, and I believe that we engineers can help the environment more and more.
In the operations of Elomatic and our customers, environmental values are clearly visible. We develop services and solutions that work for the benefit of the environment and in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. More broadly in society, for example through regulation, it is possible to influence positive environmental development.
The expert’s brain is also working during leisure time
Becoming a good expert requires immense curiosity. And more often than not, curiosity does not just limit itself to working hours. Things rise to the surface and the brain works even during leisure time. Additionally, it’s important to talk to others to find out if a colleague already has information about something or a phenomenon. Lastly, I find it important that in the expert role, one shares their knowledge with others. My advice is to be ready to share and discuss. Be the person that others queue up to solve challenges.
It is amazing to be able to listen to an expert who has solved a challenge and brings forth a new understanding and context. If you teach others, you also learn yourself. An expert who shares knowledge develops into a valued professional day by day.
I would argue that at Elomatic, a young professional can easily start their career. The company is easy to recommend to new employees. A lot of emphasis has been placed on frontline leadership, and this is also reflected in the feedback from the staff. Supervisors are approachable.
We take into account the individual’s needs, strengths, and weaknesses, and the work atmosphere has always been good. Elomatic feels to me like a second family and children have been able to come to the workplace. Such a safe work community engages employees, and long careers are not an exception for us. It is great that years of work experience are valued in the workplace and that one can share their own experiences for the benefit of others.
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