So the last few nights I’ve been up since 02:00, 03:00, 03:30, etc. Waking up this morning was terrible. I didn’t want to get up at all. It made me feel physically ill. Thankfully, I was fine once I was actually up. Breakfast was the same, as always.
Our first company visit today was at Qualisys. Qualisys produces motion-capturing cameras, equipment and software. This presentation was honestly amazing. The first portion was a slide show presented by Magnes Sjölin, covered their equipment and what exactly it does and they do as a company. Their equipment is used for everything from sports medicine to musical improvement. They put makers on certain parts of your body that track your movement. You can then see the movements on a screen and the technology provides an analysis and you can visually see where improvements can be made in whatever you’re trying to accomplish. It’s amazing. We even got to see a demo of it! They had one person run on a treadmill and then had 3 people do different physical motions.
The other part of the presentation was about marketing. Helen Ryden, the marketing manager spoke to us. She’s been with the company for 4 years and when she started, her position didn’t exist. She started with this company working from complete scratch. Since she’s been in charge of marketing, their revenues have DOUBLED!! A challenge that they face is their cameras are so good, people don’t usually upgrade. They have an office in Chicago and in China and another challenge they face is they have no control over the media that’s put out in the China location. To overcome this, one of their newer employees is Chinese and helps out with translating all their media. In their 30 years in business, their biggest growth has been since Helen’s been with the company.
No shocker here: Their office was also so chic and gorgeous!
Next, we went to SKF Ball Bearings. I honestly had no idea what a ball bearing is. I know now that they’re everywhere and necessary for just about everything. SKF is a huge company that started in Sweden in 1907. They’re leading in the industry, not only because of their advanced innovation, but they are now providing services that contract with their consumers and they help maintain the product in the long run. SKF is unique because it’s very personalized. It’s up to them to really make sure they’re providing the best product for whatever the consumer is looking for– even if it’s a custom piece. They also advise, once a product is no good, to either buy something new or re-manufacture it. They are constantly looking for new ways to improve their products.
We got a tour of the factory and that was really interesting. Unfortunately, photographs were not allowed. I wish I could share that experience though.
In my International Finance course I’ve mentioned previously, we talked a lot about automation; how robots are taking over. The majority of the factory was run by robots. All of the assembly was done by robots and the forklifts drove themselves; when they had no assignment, they would either park themselves or charge themselves. It’s something I’ve heard of but I had no idea it actually exists–robotic labor. I saw it for my own eyes and I was blown away by it. I asked how much maintenance goes into all the machines and the answer is: a lot. They are regularly maintained so there are never any complications. We saw that today, a product was shipped to the United States, which is interesting because there is a factory in the United States, so why would they import one from Sweden? The answer is not every product is produced at each factory. It would have been inefficient to make something in the US when it was already available in Sweden.
Something else I really like about this company is they are very environmentally conscious! The oil they use for lubrication, they clean and reuse to reduce CO2 emissions. They also don’t want to work worldwide because from a manufacturing standpoint, it would be environmentally unsustainable. I really appreciate when companies are environmentally aware and proactive.
I enjoy doing things independently, like navigating yesterday. I like when there isn’t someone to guide me and I just have to figure things out. Tonight at dinner, the server didn’t speak English at all so I had to practice Swedish and even pull up a translator in order to communicate. I don’t know if this is a Swedish thing or if it was bad service, but I ordered wine and never received water. After I got my food I was never checked on so I never got water at all. Finally, the server looked at me and I asked where I pay and he told me at the counter. The only place I can think of in the US that has that is Denny’s, so I thought it was weird for a nice restaurant, that the server didn’t bring me the check.
Everything this far is a learning experience and I am absolutely thriving, trying to learn another culture and acclimate. I’m trying to be as respectful as a foreigner as possible and I’m having so much fun in the process.
Take aways:
- Only rely on yourself.
- There’s so much more beyond a surface; in businesses and everything else.
- Not everyone speaks English in Sweden; it’s a misconception.
till sverige 