We are Semcon

David Gillblom

Sustainability and HMI Engineer

David Gillblom, sustainability and HMI engineer, was looking for an employer that took HMI seriously. He found what he was looking for at Semcon.  

Human Machine Interface (HMI) and sustainability are areas that have been a passion of David’s for a long time. When he saw that Semcon was the only company to have its own HMI group at a careers exhibition at Scandinavium, he applied straight away and has been employed by Semcon in Göteborg since October 2011.

“I want to change the world. Sustainability work really does make a difference. I want everyone at Semcon to feel the same way from now on. That we are really achieving something and making a positive impact,” he says and continues:

“Semcon is a company that attracts lots of students looking for a responsible employer.”

David was hand picked by Semcon for his understanding of sustainable product development. His job is to safeguard the environmental aspects of every stage of development, from design and production to distribution and recycling. There is a clear trend that an increasing number of companies want to take environmental responsibility, which is where Semcon can support customers with everything from engineering solutions to project management and training.

Even though David’s position is new he’s already managed to run HMI and sustainability projects on his own and actually wrote a chapter on sustainability for Semcon’s Annual Report.

“We’re given a lot of responsibility here, while also being given support along the way. Colleagues support you, which is something very distinctive. There is always a positive atmosphere at work.”
He knows of many good reasons why other people should apply to work at Semcon. For him it was exactly what he was looking for.

“I get to be inquisitive, I get to take responsibility and constantly work with new challenges. It develops me, both professionally and as a person. I also get to work on the major issues of the future and with the absolute newest technology.”

Kalle Magnusson

Vehicle designer

Kalle Magnusson is a vehicle designer with almost 30 years’ experience, which reached its highest point when he joined Semcon. Here he was given new challenges that he couldn’t get anywhere else.

Kalle is a vehicle and transport designer. This requires flexibility and the ability to take responsibility. Since his last employer was bought by Semcon he has been involved in, and run, lots of major projects.

“I’m used to working in the concept phase. That means that a lot can change along the way. It’s a constantly evolving process where you need to be ready for changes from the initial remit. That makes it challenging.”

In his 30 years or so in the industry Kalle has worked with all kinds of Volvo Cars. Semcon has a strong tradition of supplying services to Volvo’s design department. Kalle’s career highlight is when he was part of the team that designed the exterior of the Volvo V60.

“You are usually given a number of conceptual ideas, but this time we weren’t given anything, which was head of design, Steve Mattin’s idea. This gave us freedom and it felt so exciting. I love constantly trying out new things,” he says.

Kalle’s next design will be a larger format.  “I’m currently working with Volvo Buses. We’re working on the exterior design of a new bus. From a design point of view you have completely different perspectives and dimensions than what I’ve worked on in the past. It’s a fun challenge, and something I’d like to work with until I retire in a few years time.” 

In other words he enjoys working for Semcon.“It’s a workplace where new ideas are born and where we get the opportunity of working with free reigns and a huge amount of responsibility.” 

Annsofi Nihlén

Pharmacokineticist

Annsofi Nihlén had never worked as a consultant before joining Semcon. She now has the chance to help small bio-tech companies develop pharmaceuticals.

Before Annsofi started at Semcon she was employed by a large pharmaceutical company in Copenhagen, but she really wanted to work with small bio-tech companies, which was something Semcon could offer.

“I’d never worked as a consultant before, but saw it as a challenge. At Semcon I usually work independently, but also as part of a team on some projects. All assignments are different, which makes my job both challenging and exciting.”

Pharmacokinetics represents part of any pharmaceutical development. Using models and computer software, Annsofi simulates how the body absorbs a pharmaceutical and how fast it leaves the body. Annsofi’s department, Semcon Drug Development Consulting (SDDC), is relatively new, and she’s surrounded by colleagues who have worked with other industries at Semcon’s office in Stockholm. 

“I find it enriching and excellent that there is such a variety of expertise in one company. I’ve always wanted to work in that kind of professional environment.”

Another advantage with working at Semcon is that she gets to spend time with another passion of hers, namely ceramics. She currently spends three days a week at Semcon and two days a week at the ceramics studio.

“I’m very flexible with my time of course. If I get lots of assignments then I work at Semcon. I have lots of different customers so this solution is perfect for me at the moment and it gives me a well-balanced life.”

Xin Situ and Zhao Jibing

Team Leaders and project managers

Xin Situ and Zhao Jibing have been part of Semcon's Chinese journey from the start. They have themselves made a journey in their careers, from technical writing to project management.

Xin Situ and Zhao Jibing saw a Semcon job ad six years ago and don't regret that they responded.

“The corporate culture here gives me the opportunity to constantly develop,” says Xin.

Like Zhao, he has worked his way up from technical writer to team leader and project manager at Semcon's Beijing office. This has been done with the help of training at work and good dialogue between managers and employees.

“At Semcon in China, we want to have a more democratic approach than many local businesses, and enable employees to talk to and criticize their managers,” says Xin.

Semcon has huge potential in China, where it operates in rapidly expanding areas such as the telecommunications and automotive industries. They are therefore constantly looking for new talent:

“Both young talent and older experts apply to Semcon, and we have a diverse age-range and a good talent pool,” says Zhao.

Zhao appreciates the opportunity to meet different customers and cultures at work. He is convinced that he can get even better at his duties, such as assessing projects and putting together the right teams:

“Semcon provides a platform for personal development for managers and experts alike, as well as technical writers,” he says.

What Xin likes most about his work is the chance to use his knowledge in different areas while being able to learn something new, in that Semcon projects are extremely diverse.

“We have taken on projects involving areas like telecommunications, broadband, hardware, software and optical devices,” he says.

Nina Lönn

Exhaust treatment specialist

Nina Lönn is a chemical engineer who wants to save the world. At Semcon, she has found a way to contribute to a cleaner world.

Chemical engineer Nina Lönn has worked as a consultant for Semcon for six years. For three years she has been part of a project at Volvo Penta to develop catalytic converters for industrial machinery.

“My job is to ensure that the catalytic converter works as well as possible and purifies as many gases as possible.”

However, it was pure chance that Lönn began working on exhaust treatment. During her studies at Chalmers University in Göteborg, she actually focused on polymers. However, she does not regret spending the last three years developing a catalytic converter for various types of industrial machinery.

“The environmental link is a great motivator for me. Also, we don't have many chemical engineers at Semcon, whereas a lot is happening in the sector, so there is always something to do.”

She’s only occasionally at Semcon's office in Göteborg, but she and her colleagues network more, to benefit and learn from each others’ experiences.

“There is also very good cohesion in the working group here at Volvo Penta, where we work very closely together. It's essential in order to move forward and enjoy the job.”

When the group's current project is completed, she can see herself working on an assignment with Volvo Penta's marine commercial sector.

“I'm the type who wants to save the world, so the development of catalytic converters is perfect for me.”

Mikael Hamskog

Material Expert

Mikael Hamskog knows most things about how polymers age and does not regret that he left academia for Semcon.

Mikael Hamskog came to Semcon in 2007 as a materials expert, mainly in plastics. Today he primarily works as an internal consultant in polymer materials.

“I will either come in early in the process, assisting with the selection of materials, or later, if something goes wrong. It could be a detail in a product that is not up to scratch and which requires advanced troubleshooting,” he says.

Hamskog is a mechanical engineer with a Ph.D. in polymer technology. After a couple of other jobs he came to Semcon, thanks to a colleague who he had previously worked with.

“We complemented each other. He tipped Semcon off about my skills and was able to recruit me.”

Today, his colleague has moved on, but Hamskog has remained. Semcon is a large company and offers scope for development and for peoples' own initiatives.

“Right now, we're aiming to expand our group and are looking for someone who knows about nanotechnology, to become even more competitive in the area.”

During his years at Semcon, Hamskog has worked both internally and externally. He had a year's placement at a large packaging company and then just over a year-and-a-half at a pharmaceutical company. Today he works almost exclusively as an internal consultant, mainly in the life science field. In addition, he often holds courses in plastics issues, both internally with colleagues and with customers. He enjoys this.

“Semcon is a large company - when you start here you get to see a lot in a short time. Since I came here, my CV has significantly expanded.”

Micaela Boman

Construction engineer, Germany/Sweden

Micaela Boman has never worked in Sweden but she’s soon to be a mother and in the autumn she and her family will be moving back to Sweden.

“This is the advantage of working for a Swedish company abroad.”

Micaela Boman works as a construction engineer on a project for Daimler Trucks in Germany. She was previously employed by a German company but wanted to work for a Swedish company in order to one day get a better chance of moving back home to Sweden. It’s now time.

Micaela has just been offered a job at Semcon in Södertälje.“I discovered Semcon as there is an office close to my former employer in Bölinger and I realized the opportunities. I was stuck in a rut at the time.”

She has now worked for Semcon for two years on the Daimler Trucks project, meaning she’s helping further develop the injection system for the truck engines. This means that she’s involved in developing various components like fuel lines, cast parts, flanges and consoles.

The biggest challenge with this assignment has been coordinating all the requests, both from the customer and from the various suppliers.

“The first thing you learn is there is no space. The space in an engine bay is very limited and any solution we come up with needs to be checked with the other teams so that what we’re suggesting doesn’t get in the way of their constructions,” she explains.

“The benefit of working for Semcon is that it’s always developing and there are so many areas of expertise. I’ve always wanted to develop a broad range of skills rather than sticking to a specific area.”

 Her newest challenge will be learning all the Swedish technical terminology. “I’ve not had any difficulties with the German language and the countries aren’t that different. The strangest thing in the beginning was being called “Frau Boman”. The German workplace is often very formal.

Office: Stuttgart, Germany, this autumn Södertälje, Sweden

Number of years with the company: Nearly three

Madanna Ramesh

Design Engineer

Indian design engineer Madanna Ramesh is on his first visit to Europe. He’s three weeks into a one-year work stint with an auto engineering team in Germany – on loan from Semcon India.

“Since I started working for Semcon India in April 2008, I’ve been involved in several interior design projects for companies within the automotive sector. So far, I suppose you could say that door assemblies are what I have specialised in, but really my experience can be applied to any component of the interior design of a car,” he says.

Before he joined Semcon, Madanna worked for an American company in India. And he’s very clear about where he’d rather work, saying:

“As an employer, Semcon offers an entirely different culture. At Semcon, engineers like myself interact directly with the customers rather than everything being dealt with through talks between managers.”

According to Madanna this less formal approach enables Semcon to quickly find solutions to problems, which is something he is particularly proud of.

“But we don’t just solve our customers’ engineering problems. We are also involved in their product development, and we pride ourselves on delivering good quality work.”

On his return to Semcon’s Indian office in Bangalore after a year in Germany, Madanna hopes to take on the role of leader for a new interior design prototyping team for the automotive industry.

“Team building is very important within Semcon. And it’s great that the company also encourages sport, cultural and social activities. This creates a good atmosphere and team spirit.”

Oliver Vogt

Team Manager Design, Germany

It was the fascination of following a car from the design stage to the street that got trained product designer Oliver Vogt to choose Semcon. His design team welcomes young designers who want to take responsibility early on and carry out projects independently.

Oliver Vogt was born in Kiel, and apart from his product design degree also completed a master’s degree in transport design. After gaining work experience from many of the biggest car manufacturers and their suppliers he arrived at Semcon in 2008. Here, in the company’s design studio, three-dimensional models are created from customers’ visions. The team works on up to seven cars at a time, often under very tight schedules.

“The work is demanding, but also very exciting, especially when you consider that our finished models end up employing hundreds of engineers at the companies involved. We create things that we later see driving around our cities,” he says.

“What I particularly enjoy about my job is the decidedly international climate. I have designers working with me from throughout Europe,” he adds.

He also appreciates Semcon’s open attitude in terms of providing young people an attractive start to their careers.

“Students get the opportunity of doing their degree projects with us and get the best conditions for developing their own subject areas. From day one they get to work independently within the framework of our various projects. For the students this is an excellent way of starting their professional lives. And it’s an excellent way for us to constantly discover new, young talent for the team.

Emma Sweet

Project Manager, UK

Emma Sweet has just started at Semcon and is a professional in project management. “I have found the right place now,” she says.

Emma Sweet has been project manager for “Hard To Operate” features of Jaguar Land Rover’s cars in the UK for a few months. She was employed by Semcon in March. 

“I got the job through an agency. I worked in the public sector, which underwent a major transformation, and my role changed there. My job at Jaguar Land Rover is, as early as possible, to affect the process so the user can easily use our cars, their technology and features.”

She coordinates the process and planning measures to facilitate production and use.

“The sooner we can identify problems with any HTO features the more we can do to simplify them. This might include features like the infotainment system and navigation equipment, or how Bluetooth interacts with the car and how the parking sensors work. We develop a manual that shows how all the features work and how best to use them. At best, we can include them in the handbook, create quick-start guides and train sales staff.”

The time in her new job has been intense and rewarding. “Semcon cares and it’s important for the company that you get the support you need and that you are finished with the goals you have in each project. It’s important for Semcon that you have the resources you need and it recognizes your efforts and work.”

 She is always setting new goals for the future. “I would like the HTO project to grow into a complete program and I would love to have an entire team of project managers around me.”

Office: Kineton, England

Hans Johansson

Calculations engineer, India

Hans Johansson is a calculations engineer who works with the same thing as his private hobby: aircraft. He’s currently working to build up the local analysis expertise at Volvo Aero in Bangalore, India.

Hans Johansson came to Semcon on recommendation from a friend.

“A former colleague worked there. I’d also met my present boss, Mikael Petersson. I thought that Semcon seemed to have sensible employees and a work ethic towards customers that was far more than just about selling consultancy hours,” he says.

His work as calculations engineer is to come up with components for new aircraft engines – a job that suits Hans particularly well because he’s a certified pilot who likes to fly in his spare time. He’s currently working on General Electric’s GEnx engine, an engine designed for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In the past he also managed calculation assignments for designing engine mounts for two of Pratt & Whitney’s engine series.

“The challenge is often getting all the calculations to add up. There are strict demands, both in terms of the design and structural strength of the engine components. But I work with extremely talented individuals so it usually works out well,” he says. 

The work culture at Semcon, according to Hans, is largely characterised by the personal contact between employees and managers.

“It’s easy to talk to managers, which often means you get the chance of taking on new challenges and not getting stuck in a rut.”

Another aspect he emphasizes is Semcon’s size.  “The company is big enough to have plenty of interesting projects at lots of different locations around the world. At the same time it’s not huge, so there are often excellent opportunities for all employees to work abroad,” he says.

Erik Östberg

Life Science Manager China

Erik Östberg had a flying start as a new employee. His assignment? To build up Semcon's life science business in China.

Erik Östberg started at Semcon in May 2011. After a few months of introduction and a few short validation assignments, he travelled to China and a new job as Life Science Manager at the Shanghai office.

“Semcon is a mature and stable company within this sector. A lot happens all the time and the company exudes confidence and has ambitions to develop. Since I had worked in China before, it seemed obvious to apply for this job,” he says.

The assignment in China has both a purely operational part - being a consultant to various businesses primarily in the pharmaceutical industry - and also a managerial role, to nurture, promote and develop the organization.

“An important part is that we ensure high quality through our presence. It also means that to start with I will physically be part of the business supporting the domestic staff.”

Östberg sees great potential in building up and leading a stable, community-based organization.

“I'm the only Swede in my department in China but I feel strongly supported and there is a positive spirit in the efforts of my colleagues in China and at home in Sweden. The company is very good at being active and supporting new enterprises.”

Prospects look very good, especially given the extent of skills and activities at Semcon.

“Here I can develop my own skills and gain international experience, which will be very useful for me in the future.”

Birgit Kilsmark

Process engineering specialist, Sweden

Birgit Kilsmark, M.E. in mechanical engineering and process engineering at Semcon believes that the best thing about her job is that it always varies.

“I never get bored. I get to work with lots of different customers and on varying and interesting assignments,” she says.

Birgit arrived in Göteborg and Semcon in 2008 after working in her native Germany and in Sweden, first at ABB in Ludvika.

She’s worked on several assignments for Semcon, including working on the reconstruction of the pipeline system at the oil storage tanks in Göteborg. Her latest assignment was for General Electric, where she worked on manifolds, which are the collection points for oil and gas that need to withstand the harsh conditions in the salt water on the seabed. Her next assignment is for Göteborg Energi. Birgit will carry out a study to examine the possibility of expanding oil storage capacities, which is necessary in case gas supplies are interrupted for any reason. 

She applied to work for Semcon because she’d heard only positive things about the company and because she wanted to work in the consultancy industry.

“So far I’ve mainly worked independently, but it’s good that there’s such open dialogue between colleagues and departmental managers at Semcon. You can always get in contact with others when necessary. The most fun assignment she can imagine is to work with the entire process as project manager.

“My ideal assignment would be in the chemicals industry in Stenungsund and being part of the start up phase in manufacturing something,” she says. 

Daniel Scuzzarello

CAE Coordinator, Brazil

Daniel Scuzzarello had worked for Semcon for two years when the chance came to work abroad. He’s now in charge of Advanced Simulations Department at Semcon’s office in São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil.

He started working at Semcon after work placement at Ducati in Italy to complete his degree from the University of Lund. After returning to Sweden he was advised by a friend about working for Semcon, so he applied for a job.

“I started in 2008 and straight away felt that it was right for me. Semcon has a dynamic working environment with a variety of assignments and is good at supporting people with ideas that hey believe in,” he says.

As a coordinator for Semcon’s CAE team (computer aided engineering) he runs projects with the help of mathematical models to test and simulate products and components in order to give them the qualities required. The team consists of eleven people in total, all Brazilians, apart from himself. He mainly works with customers in the heavy plant industry.

“Working methods here differ greatly from those in Sweden, mainly in the attitude with customers as the pressure is that much greater, timeframes are tighter and the challenges bigger. This stimulates us, but can also be a challenge for the less experienced consultants in our group,” he says and continues:  

“This naturally places demands on me as group leader, which I enjoy, and I’ll gladly take on even more leadership responsibility in a few years time.” 

Robert Nagy

Acoustic Specialist, Sweden

Robert Nagy, a senior consultant at A2Zound, has worked as an acoustician at Semcon for nearly six years. He sees the range of his colleagues' skills as the best part of his job.

“When we get projects that involve skills from several different Semcon departments, the work is extremely stimulating. That's the best thing: forming small groups and getting to work with people you might never have met before,” he says.

Robert Nagy is 42 and came to Semcon after several years of similar work with another company. Today, he is senior consultant at A2Zound and describes his own work as varied: “You have everything from running customer contacts, quoting for jobs, measuring and analyzing noise and vibration to propose new solutions, to writing reports and presenting
them to the customer. I'm involved in every aspect of a project, which I enjoy,” he says.

As an acoustician his role is to develop silent and vibration-free products. He often works as a specialist in projects involving a wide range of skills. In the future, he wants to work on international and cross-departmental projects.
“It's nice to know that we are using company resources as effectively as possible. Different departments working together on a project often makes for an extremely creative environment. I'd like to see more of this in the future.”

He describes the working environment at Semcon as straightforward and creative.  “The Semcon culture is about straightforward communication, ease-of-contact and the ability to make quick decisions. The environment is not cumbersome and complicated - it's positive and ambitious by nature. I appreciate that,” he says.

Katalin Tisoczki

Technical writer and coordinator, Hungary

Katalin Tisoczki studied both English and IT at university. Today she combines her knowledge and skills in both subjects in her role as technical writer and coordinator at Semcon’s office in Budapest, Hungary.

Katalin Tisoczki knows from first-hand experience why her job as a technical writer on a large telecoms project is important. One day recently the mobile phone network covering her home city of Budapest, Hungary, was down and she and her colleagues could not use their cell phones. “This outage caused big problems in the city,” she says. “And this is the reason why we do all these tests and reviews in our own project – so we don’t get into this kind of
trouble.”

Katalin, who majored in English and IT before joining Semcon three years ago, is currently involved in a major project writing documentation for a telecom server platform. Together with colleagues in Sweden and Russia, she is helping to produce up to 800 documents for a Swedish telecoms giant. Besides excellent English and a grasp of the technical issues involved, Katalin’s role as coordinator also demands attention to detail and the ability to
handle the constant in-flow of new information to the project.

Accuracy and clarity are of utmost importance. “Although the raw material we get is quite technical, we have to make sure that the text is as easy to understand for the user as possible,” she says. “So we try to avoid the details that are not relevant. The important thing is that the operator can follow the instructions and install the system – and that everything works.

Ingvar Gillgren

Manager Aftermarket information, Sweden

Ingvar Gillgren works in aftersales at Semcon Informatic. He recommends that anyone with ambition should apply to the company.

“There are great opportunities for doing a lot of different things. If you actively look, there are a lot of different career options at the company.”  Seven years ago Ingvar Gillgren left his job at Saab's aftersales department. Instead, he joined Semcon, who he had previously hired, when they took over the business.
“We produce products used primarily in auto repair shops. These may include manuals, instruction books, wiring diagrams, car diagnostics and repair methods. In short, any information needed in order to be able to repair cars.”

Ingvar is in charge of the department, and although his title is the same as when he started, his responsibility and tasks have grown in scope. What changes will come in the future are unclear, but
he likes it where he is now. “I know nothing about any future changes, but I’m confident for the future. Semcon has shown long-term commitment and stability despite difficult times in recent years.

The business environment is based on high flexibility and high aspirations.“You have responsibility, but there is also great freedom. This in turn means that you have to deliver on a regular basis. If you like having a lot of responsibility, you will get it.”

Ingvar, who works in staff recruitment, sees Semcon as the ideal workplace for people who seek challenges and are willing to work hard to achieve tough goals. “There are great opportunities to do different things. Flexibility and varied skill-sets are qualities that are important to everyone who works for the company.

Cyro Mancio

Electronics engineer, Brazil

Cyro Mancio is an electronics expert who is constantly given new challenges working for VW Trucks & Buses in Brazil. The assignments he gets via Semcon are quite simply never boring.

Cyro Mancio has a passion for electronics and in recent years he has used his expertise from various projects at VW Trucks & Buses in Brazil. “VW and Semcon work closely here in Brazil and a friend who worked at VW told me that Semcon had a vacancy for an engineer with my profile. Today, I am responsible for the electrical diagrams and development of electrical systems and components for buses and trucks at VW.” Among other things, Cyro has been involved in the production of VW’s Volksnet system, which provides real-time information to fleet managers about vehicle locations, fuel consumption and speeds. Heavy braking and poor driving are also registered in the system. “The new features require new, creative electronics solutions. Part of the work has involved working with hardware to connect all these functions.”

Cyro has also recently tried his hand as team leader at Semcon, something he appreciates. “Semcon is a very good company to work for. As an employee, you’re given the opportunity to try many different things. It’s easy to talk to managers, either if you want to explain something, or if you have any complaints. Colleagues are friendly, we enjoy doing things outside work together and we’re all very supportive of each other. It’s a very pleasant place to work. In addition, we’re always given new challenges. Work is never boring and there are always new things to
develop.”

Malin Sanner

Industrial Designer, Sweden

As an industrial designer, Malin Sanner works on product design language. But above all it’s her talented colleagues that inspire her.

Malin and her colleagues are currently working on creating a uniform design for a product family including air purifiers and humidifiers for the US market. “We have created the design language so that it shows the function of the different products. At the same time, you should be able to see which brand it is, without having to see the logo.” What is especially challenging is that many components are retained from previous products.
“This means you have to think in order to come up with a good solution. This can often feel restrictive at first, but as long as you turn the parts around and think in new ways, you discover that you can do a lot,” says Malin.

What she appreciates about Semcon is working on a variety of assignments. “In the future, I would like to work more on total design engineering assignments. Then, when Semcon receive an assignment, you put together a team to work on design, technology and every other aspect of product development. Semcon’s strength is that we have access to everything we need.

We have so many talented people with specialist skills, so you learn a lot.” In addition to developing and being inspired by colleagues, social relations are another key part of work at Semcon. “The Stockholm office, which I belong to, has a very active staff social club. Of course, many of us work at customer sites and don’t see each other so often. So it’s particularly good to meet up with colleagues outside work.”

Pär Heyden

Concept designer, Sweden

For Pär Heyden, concept design is a benchmark of a company’s strategic development. At Semcon, he found an opportunity to work on various assignments and what he is passionate about: projects in their entirety.

Pär Heyden works on embodying brands through design, in particular concepts and future solutions in the automotive sector, for example, which uses concept cars to try out ideas on customers and develop their
own designs. “It’s important to maintain the link between the design and the brand, otherwise everything will fall down. It’s a bit like putting one step into the future. You don’t decide exactly what cars will look like in years to
come, but it creates a benchmark to aim at,” says Pär. He has been involved in five different concept cars, but he has also developed concept lights for Semcon. “The lights were exhibited at the Stockholm
Furniture Fair. There we could show what Semcon can do, but in a less costly way than with a car,” says Pär.

To start with, Pär worked a lot with interactive products, for customers including Volvo Cars. Now he has creative responsibility for projects which Semcon design dept runs in house – i.e. projects that are not run at a customer’s site, but in Semcon’s own studios. “Semcon is perfect if you are a recent graduate, because you get to try your hand at many types of assignment before specialising. Also for someone like me, who doesn’t want to specialise, Semcon is a good company. I would get bored if I had to do the same
things all the time.”

What he likes best is projects in their entirety. “A dream assignment would be if, for example, Electrolux wanted a completely new kitchen concept involving everything from the layout to the appliances, ranging from
the functional to the aesthetic.”

Carlos Barbosa

Calculations engineer, Germany

Carlos Barbosa is a calculations engineer with a passion for engine simulations. At Semcon, he has found a safe, challenging environment in which to develop.

Carlos Barbosa felt at home a mere two weeks after starting at Semcon’s vehicle simulation testing department in Wolfsburg. “Everyone who comes here does very well.” At that time he had worked for another company for two years, developing machinery. The step to Semcon’s vehicle simulation
department was not a big one for Carlos. The technology is roughly similar. “We calculate strength, dynamics and other things, both for entire engines and for single components. We investigate everything apart from the engine’s inner workings, like pistons, for example,” he says. They do this by simulating tests on computers. It is a more reliable method than mechanical tests on completed engines, as computer technology gives exact results. However, methods are constantly developing and Carlos hopes that a car’s entire drive mechanism will be able to be simulated.

His favourite part of the job is simulation testing, even if his administrative duties as department manager have increased as the team has grown. He also likes the working climate. “If it wasn’t so good I wouldn’t work here.” Carlos and his colleagues work with several different customers – one of the largest is
the car manufacturer Volkswagen, which is based in Wolfsburg. “Our long-standing co-operation with Volkswagen means that we are seen as colleagues, rather than hired help. But it’s reassuring to know that at Semcon you always have a workplace and a desk to go to, even if you’re not out on an assignment with a customer.”

Gu Bo

Technical illustrator, China

Gu Bo is a technical illustrator who was educated in China and the UK, but chose to work for a Swedish company when she returned to her homeland. At Semcon, she found new challenges and supportive colleagues.

Since starting at Semcon, Gu Bo hasn’t only developed her skills as a technical illustrator. She has also broadened her horizons, learning new things about technical writing and about the technology she spends her days illustrating. Bo arrived at Semcon in Beijing after having completed a degree in industrial design and then a PhD in product design in the UK. When she saw the Semcon job ad, she knew that the company would suit her perfectly. “I figured that Semcon would be able to give me a perfect platform to fulfil my potential. And in return I could help Semcon to add value for their clients.

” Bo works in a team of illustrators, technical writers, method engineers and product managers. Her work involves producing line drawings on a computer for client product information at a large telecoms company. These documents are used for the installation and maintenance of mobile telephony base stations. Bo knew nothing about base station technology before she started, but she has learned a lot during her four years in the job. “I now think that the technology is really interesting. And to improve and be able to work more effectively, I’ve also learned quite a bit about technical writing.”

In addition to her role as a technical illustrator,  Bo works as a graphic designer internally at Semcon. “This allows me to be a little more creative,” she says. Bo describes Semcon as more of a family than a business. “All my colleagues are pleasant and helpful, wherever in the world they are. They help each other and learn from each other, which improves everyone’s skills.”

Jenny Algelid Bengtsson

Validation engineer, Sweden

Jenny Bengtsson Algelid works on safety at nuclear power plants, but her background is in the pharmaceutical industry. This is a form of cross-fertilisation that she thinks permeates throughout Semcon as a company.

Jenny works as a validation engineer for Semcon at Ringhals, the Swedish nuclear power plant. There, she and her colleagues are validating a new security system on one of the reactors.

“We check that the requirements are monitored and ensure that testing and analysis is performed. We’re a sort of monitoring and coordinating body that oversees the collection of important documents in a form that is easy to reference, if and when requested, to ensure that they genuinely meet the requirements of the authorities.

”Primarily, Jenny’s background is in the pharmaceutical industry, something that may come as a surprise to some. “Our department works in the pharmaceutical and nuclear industries, two areas that may not seem to have so much in common. However, both areas are tightly monitored, surrounded by numerous laws and regulations, so there is one important similarity. Our process, which originated in the pharmaceutical industry, was completely new to Ringhals and it’s both fun and challenging to bring new thinking and new practices to their operations.” Before she came to Semcon, Jenny worked for a staffing agency, but she knows that Semcon can offer much more as an employer.

“We have a defined culture, a working environment where you can ask your colleagues for advice and they are happy to help. Although we work in different places, there is a lot of cohesion.” She also thinks that Semcon takes care of its employees. “We get to go on courses and there is also a lot of expertise exchange internally. Quite simply, you have room to develop.”