“During my 20 years, I’ve come to appreciate the development opportunities, training, security and benefits that the company offers.”

Who am I?

I’ve been working at Skärnäs Terminal for just over 9 years, before which I spent 11 years at the paperboard mill in a variety of leadership/management roles, so, as of this year, I’ve been with Holmen for 20 years.

My history also includes a period at ECANT (now Hexatronic), where I was responsible for submarine cable production for a number of years. This has ended up being a benefit in my current post, since Skärnäs Terminal and Hexatronic sometimes collaborate on particular issues as both are responsible for port operations.

To recharge my batteries, I spend a lot of my free time out in nature – hunting and fishing are my favourite activities.

My workplace

Skärnäs Terminal is owned by Holmen and its main purpose is to load, unload and store products: Holmen Board and Paper’s paperboard and baled pulp, Holmen Forest’s raw pulpwood, Holmen Wood Products’ sawn timber and a small amount of external goods.

We load and unload both trucks and ships in the port, plus some rail wagons at the factory. Another task we have is most of Iggesund Mill’s internal transport (the yellow tractor units) as well as internal raw material transport on behalf of Holmen Forest.

The port receives between 230 and 280 ships every year and handles almost a million tons of goods, about half of which are products from Holmen Board and Paper.

Skärnäs Terminal has Holmen’s largest fleet of vehicles, on a site where heavy machinery is combined with high physical activity. The conditions within our area of responsibility require a strong focus on health and safety, and good communication between all parties involved. Commitment levels are high among the port’s employees, not least our safety representatives Linda, Patrik, Per-Erik and Lena, who do an outstanding job, especially as every new ship that comes in is a new workplace.

A typical day at work

Most of my working day is usually taken up by administrative tasks such as invoices and various kinds of follow-up on health and safety, costs and efficiency, but I also take the time to get out among the men and women doing the loading, unloading and transporting. I think it’s important to see with my own eyes how we’re living up to our promises and complying with safety procedures, instructions, etc. 

In addition to my job as port manager, I’m also involved in trade union activities through my role as chairman of Ledarna. Being a union chairman gives me even more insights and the opportunity to make a difference, which is a factor in feeling committed and motivated. There are many areas that a manager needs to focus on to succeed. One of the most important is building trust, which can be a little tricky in times of change, but we can achieve a lot if we properly support each other.

Why Holmen?

I kind of ended up working at Holmen just by chance, as there happened to be a job going when I needed one. But during my 20 years, I’ve come to appreciate the development opportunities, training, security and benefits that the company offers, even outside of work, and that’s part of why I enjoy my job so much.

That’s all from me!

It’s time to wrap up and thank you for reading. I wish you all the best in your jobs. Remember that “worrying” tends to be about something in the future that might not even happen.

Best regards Kenneth