Semcon StoriesProduct Development
Product development that can save lives
Johan Lundström, Area Manager in Uppsala/Stockholm, is proud of Semcon’s customers within the Product Development area. Being able to support major players in medical technology with product or service development is tremendously rewarding, he says, and continues; it is exciting to work on products that improve people’s quality of life.
My educational background is production engineering, and I began my career as a consultant in Telecom and Industry. Today, the consulting role is attractive and an obvious choice for many, but back then it was less common. Later, I applied for the medtech and pharmaceutical industry; there were companies and products that interested me – and still do, 20 years later.
Today I work with business development. We aim to continue to have a leading position within the area of Product Development, and there are many factors linked with our success. The foundation for our progress is taking on more responsibility from our customers, and by recruiting the best consultants.
There are occasions where we have surprised our customers by quickly offering skills that they do not traditionally associate us with. To make that possible, I contact Semcon colleagues in other parts of Sweden and connect them with customers here in Uppsala or Stockholm. We are very strong locally – but by utilizing the entire network, we become greatly efficient.
The consultants in my team work with everything from assignments in the more strategic phase to finished products and industrialization. These can be, for example, systems engineers who work with testing and verification or project managers with a product development background, who leads a conceptual development project. Our customers often turn to us for development of medical devices.
A common requirement for many assignments is the ability to familiarize oneself with the functionality of a product – it often applies both hardware and software. This is because the physical and digital interact collectively – thereby, it is important to master both parts to be able to iterate with the customer’s development engineers.
Our knowledge of the industry and experience of relevant standards are other aspects that increases the demand of our consultants. Product development, e.g., in medical technology, takes place in highly regulated environments, which adds another dimension of complexity. Semcon’s extensive experience within Life Science, as well as the network and support we offer our consultants, is a prerequisite for the long-term collaboration we have with our customers. In my opinion, I think it’s cool that we, through mentorship and support, can offer a consultant an opportunity to develop that is not always possible if you work for a customer. With Semcon services, there will be less risk for the customer – and a great trust that we will deliver.
To see a young engineer take on more responsibility and grow into a role is a privilege I have as a leader. I get a kick out of being able to match an exciting assignment with development potential, with the right consultant. The best part is that it clearly becomes a win-win situation; the consultant gets a chance to develop in an interesting role and the customer gets a committed member of his team.
About Johan
Title: Area Manager
Education: Production Engineer
Employed at Semcon since: October 2015
I have the most fun at work when: I match the right consultant with the right assignment
