Who am I?
I am educated as a marine engineer and had a job involving a lot of travel before starting at Braviken. I am originally from Värmland but have been living in Östergötland for 21 years. I live in Valdemarsvik Municipality with my wife Anna, who is a teacher at an after-school centre. We have two boys at home who are in the “swish age” and a bubbly miniature schnauzer who knows exactly what it wants in every situation, and is even more persistent than its owner😊.
I enjoy spending time outside in the countryside and doing some carpentry at our summer place, which dates back to the 18th century. And the timber I need to replace there is definitely not available at the local DIY store, so that has a certain charm. One of my other great interests, especially at this time of year, is ice hockey, and I’m a big fan of Färjestad. There is nothing better than experiencing the atmosphere in a packed Löfbergs Arena in Karlstad.
I hope this gives you some idea of who I am. Oh, I forgot something: I’m quite an extrovert and really enjoy working with other people.
My workplace
My workplace, Braviken, is an industrial site and I am very proud of working there. Huge strides have been made in the operations over the years and the people in the organisation have taken the company forward in both good and bad times. We have had the opportunity to develop based on a belief in our mill, in the form of trust and invested capital. We must now retain that trust and develop the organisation even further going forwards.
In 2024 we face an exciting journey! We are making major efforts and investments to further strengthen our market position and continue our mission to develop and produce sustainable products based on forest residues. Wow, what a journey we have made and continue to make! When I started at Braviken in 2002, newsprint was our main focus. Now, 21 years after my first day at Braviken, we have a new product catalogue, and there is a clear statement of commitment to Holmen Paper and Braviken. We have shown time and again that we are strong, that we have people who make the impossible possible and that we are always striving to be better – we always want to move forwards!
A workig day
The content of my working day varies greatly, but it always starts with an hour’s drive to Braviken from my home. While commuting, I use the time to plan and structure my day. By the time I get to Söderköping (about halfway), I start thinking about our health and safety work together with Hallsta paper mill. Health and safety at work is an area about which I am passionate and we can never focus too much on it. When I arrive at Braviken, I start the day by discussing developments with our health and safety engineer.
After that, we have a management team meeting at the mill, where with a fixed agenda and pre-submitted questions we go through the listed items. It’s great to be part of this management team and I learn new things from the others all the time. It is a management team characterised by stability, knowledge and experience.
After lunch, I go to Holmen Paper’s head office in Norrköping to meet colleagues and discuss current projects, including market strategies and improvements.
After this, I attend a management meeting at Holmen Paper and the first person I meet is my mill colleague from Hallsta, mill manager Anders Thorén. We briefly discuss the latest developments at the two mills before the meeting starts.
On the way home, I reflect on the day, think about our next steps for the challenges we face, and take pleasure from all the good things we have achieved during the week, including last but certainly most enjoyable, the success of the staff party for Braviken’s employees on Saturday. A good start to the new year and it is always fun to celebrate successes together with all the staff.
Passing Söderköping again on the way home, my wife calls and asks if I want to join her walking the dog this evening. She has to ask the question a few times, as I’m still in “work mode”, so she isn’t thrilled by that! But once I get home, we go out for a nice walk with the dog. Then, when I turn on the TV and watch Sweden’s Master Chef, I realise that my cooking “skills” could also do with some improvement😊.
From “Greaser Boss” to Mill Manager
Yes, I was actually called “Greaser Boss” (smörjarbas) when I became group manager for preventive maintenance once upon a time. I have had 7 different roles at Braviken and have also had the opportunity to work on Group-wide issues and participate in various projects outside Braviken but within Holmen. I applied for my first position when I joined Holmen 21 years ago. Since then, my progression has been due to others encouraging me and leading me into new roles. This is a strength at Holmen that I want to highlight: we look out for each other and always strive to develop the people within the organisation.
Holmen and Braviken are close to my heart and I have always demanded of myself that I do my best at work, and I get energy from all the fantastic colleagues around me. We have a great workplace and we must always strive to develop it further and take great care of it.
Concluding words
Thank you to everyone who has read my blog post and for the opportunity to say a bit about myself and my everyday work. I would like to conclude with a little tip:
Every time you start a new working day, try thinking "Today will be a really good day at work and I will help make it good!".
Bye for now!