"Holmen as a whole represents security and commitment."

Who am I?

I am a driven person who likes to keep busy, in and out of work. I live in Borensberg in Sweden, where you’re surrounded by nature, near a beautiful lake and forest. I spend a lot of time with my dog Puff, my girlfriend and her daughter. Walks and picnics in the woods are always nice, with a bit of mountain biking, downhill skiing and motorcycling added to the mix.

I’ve had an interest in computers and games since childhood, inherited from my stepfather who introduced me to that world. I then went on to study computer networks and my work has since taken me deeper and deeper into the world of IT. It’s a fun and exciting field – there’s always something new happening and new things to learn.  

  Lunchtime walk with Puff at Braviken Sawmill.  

My workplace

The IT department at Wood Products works with all of Holmen’s sawmills. We are a committed, friendly and helpful team of nine people, including six technicians. We can do most things, and we help and support each other regardless of where in the country we’re based. The kinds of things we work with on a daily basis can be anything from support to planning and making improvements. 

My office full of phones before the switchboard change in Braviken.

I am mainly based at Braviken Sawmill, although I also spend a lot of time at Linghem Sawmill. These are my local sawmills. The local technicians usually have the best knowledge of the sawmills they work at, but to get a broader overview, we do visit each other at different times and for various reasons.  

Visiting one of Bygdsiljum’s glulam factories to set up the printer for the information on the end.  

A working day

Every morning we synchronise within the department – check up on how we all are, nonconformities at the mills, planned updates/changes for the day – and go through our cases. This gives us a good overview of how everything is going and whether anything stands out as needing extra attention. 

Every working day is different. We might, for instance, find ourselves firefighting, solving problems in the moment that are stopping a production system from working. Or we might be planning for upcoming projects, something new that has been purchased that needs remote access, communication between systems, hardware or anything in IT really.
We communicate daily with different departments and people within the business area, but also with other business areas within Holmen. It’s important for us in IT to understand how the systems we all work in affect others, what happens if one stops working, and how that affects us as a whole. When something happens, we need to be able to work out what is going on and take action.

Planning and documentation are key for us, considering the amount of IT equipment in use and how everything is connected in some way. So it’s vital to be able to gain a good overview if problems arise.

When a forklift computer breaks down, we get into the forklift itself, or check it remotely from the office, depending on what the problem is. Sometimes we install new hardware  such as a switch, or set up and configure software to be used with a system.  

Why Holmen?

A major advantage of working at Holmen is that it is big enough to have things going on, but also small enough that we can get involved and do most things, particularly when it comes to IT within Wood Products. This gives you a broad and deep level of expertise in many areas.

I think Holmen as a whole represents security and commitment, something that became apparent from my very first day on the job. Whatever your role and field, you’re always treated well and we recognise each other’s equal value, which creates and provides a sense of community.
The role of IT technician is very much appreciated by those I have met. Having the necessary knowledge and being able to help others with IT-related problems is very gratifying and enjoyable.

Something I was unaware of before joining Holmen was how much respect is shown for each tree that’s cut down. And everything is put to different purposes, ensuring that all the wood fibre is used and no material is discarded. Very impressive!

All this, combined with the scope I have to contribute and develop, makes Holmen an employer worth staying with.

Thank you!

I hope this blog post gives more people an insight into what we do in the IT department and how our team plays such an important role in the organisation. It’s a pleasure to work with you all, and while I’d rather not see any IT problems happening, I hope we get to meet in other contexts.

Thank you and enjoy the start of autumn!