Ragnar Johnsson and colleagues are excited about the 25 new employees and the start-up of the new production line planned for April next year.
Many good candidates is promising
"We have received many good candidates," says a cheerful factory manager. Almost 70 people have applied to Nel.
"Last fall, we struggled a bit, especially to find automation technicians, so we were a bit anxious. Now we have received over 10 automation technician candidates and almost 60 applicants for operations, many well-qualified. I am very optimistic that we can choose the best and bring in good people. It looks very promising," says Johnsson.
Doubling production
At the same time as recruitment, Nel's new production line is being built at full speed.
"We are going to more than double production," Ragnar Johnsson tells us. "During construction, we have between 130 and 140 people here, affiliated with the project organization and operations. We will be around 70 people running both lines," he adds.
The plan is to run and qualify the production line during the first quarter in 2024 and start production for customers in April.
Even better training
"The advantage now is that we can train on equipment that is actually similar to what will be installed here," says Johnsson.
"When we started the first line, we only had a digital 3D model to use to get familiar with it. Now we believe that we will be able to achieve an even better training. And maybe also a better start. We had some challenges, but still managed to get an incredibly good start and have been operating continuously. That's cool," says Ragnar Johnsson, who was involved in the construction and startup of the first production line. Nel celebrated its opening with guests at Herøya in 2022.
Just four months later, Nel announced that they would build another production line at Herøya.
"I hope that we have established a name and that people know what Nel stands for," says Johnsson.
Nel culture?
What is the NEL culture, exactly?
"The expertise is given, but we want problem-solving to happen where the competence is, that the person using the machines and equipment in their daily work can solve problems and get help when needed, that there is a high level of openness, and perhaps most importantly, that we actually stop work if we see that it compromises safety," said the factory manager.
Humorous atmosphere
"We want to have a humorous atmosphere in our daily work. I joke that we can't achieve anything if we don't have a lot of fun," says the factory manager.
"We don't take ourselves too seriously. There is a short distance and little bureaucracy," says Johnsson.
Broad spectrum
Nel is committed to having a broad spectrum of employees, in terms of age, gender, and nationality. "Now about 27 percent of operators are girls. We have many nationalities, people from Vietnam, Iran, Sweden, India, and some 'nordlendinger'," jokes Johnsson, who himself has Swedish origins, from Skåne. "We mirror Norwegian society, and use the Norwegian language at work. We are trying to build a diverse Nel family."
Building a culture in the World's oldest Start Up
The company at Herøya has only been in operation for about a year and a half. "There are still good opportunities to influence, build culture, and find the solutions we need. I don't remember who said it, but we are the world's oldest Start Up. We started in 1927, but it is only now that we have taken the industrialised step," says Johnsson.
Text/photo: Siri Krohn-Fagervoll siri@krohnfagervoll.no
08. May 2024
