Semcon StoriesProduction Development
Project manager in production development
Gustav Holmdal has always strived for development, even if he maybe hasn’t always been aware of it. He uses his energy to help businesses, machines, gadgets and buildings get better! Read all about Gustav’s path from mechanical engineer to project manager and designer at Semcon. A role that he today sees as a hobby.
I never really had that childhood dream job, but rather that is something that has emerged over the years. Sometime in my teens, a seed began to grow that I’d probably be some sort of engineer after all. My favourite subjects in school were woodworking, design and technology, and physics, and after technical upper secondary, I went on to study Mechanical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. And that was exactly the right place.
After two years of study, I took a year off and worked as a truck mechanic with heavy hydraulics. It was really fun to get to work with my hands, fiddling around, cutting and welding and learning new things. Soon after, a temporary position opened up in the design department – an excellent opportunity to test out the profession I had been studying for. I did a course in 3D CAD and then I was off and running (at Chalmers, we drew on paper). Those were some really educational and fun years where I got to be part of making the customers’ wishes come true and seeing them take shape in the workshop.
The years passed and I was recruited to a new designer job in materials handling. A new challenge and even more development – both personally and professionally. The programme at Chalmers ended up more and more in the shadows the more I learned and developed in my profession.
My foundation is as a mechanical engineer, but in my jobs and hobbies there has often been some sort of project management, which I really enjoy! From leading a scout patrol or driving customers’ requests from sales to the delivery and development of new products and machines. Over the years, I spent more time out with the customers and suddenly I was there as a project manager with the responsibility for delivering what the customer purchased. Always with the aim of developing and doing things better.
The next stage in my career was to join Semcon as a project manager and designer. This was my first job as a consultant and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I hadn’t reflected on my knowledge development before, but at Semcon I was now able to use all of my accumulated experience and knowledge.
As a consult at Semcon, I’ve had a number of different assignments, including as an ‘in-house’ mechanical engineer along with incredibly skilled colleagues and exciting high-tech end products, as well as joining exciting projects where I had the role of expert. For the most part, I’ve worked at client offices as a project manager, something I’ve really enjoyed. Being part of developing and running projects, both as a supplier and as a recipient of production equipment and developing the client’s production from the inside. It’s fun to get to use all the knowledge I have amassed over my more than twenty years in the business and get to work in a field that can almost be considered a hobby!
About Gustav
Title: project leader and mechanical engineer
Education: Chalmers, Mechanical engineering
Worked at Semcon since: 2017
I have most fun at work when I…: get to develop and drive projects forward!
