Semcon StoriesLife Science
With sights set on Powerhouse Life Science
Just the right cutting-edge expertise, combined with the breadth needed to be a partner from start to finish. According to Sara Sjögren, these are the reasons why Semcon is great at life science. Sara started at Semcon 15 years ago as a consultant and is now proud division manager of Division Stockholm. Read her Semcon Story for more about the strategies behind Semcon’s successful life science offering.
By Powerhouse Life Science we mean that at Semcon we have the opportunity to deliver in a wide range of areas: from product and production development, to manufacturing, product information and digitalisation. With our breadth, we really can partner from start to finish. In addition, we have our own project methodology that can strengthen the project organisations of our customers.
The concept of Powerhouse Life Science also embraces the fact that Semcon has large framework agreements with important, influential stakeholders in the pharmaceutical and medtech industries. We support our customers operating in these industries by supplying both resources and cutting-edge expertise. I also note how we have to take increasing responsibility with our customers, and we have the opportunity to package delivery solutions in companies where the work with consultants has historically been mainly on an hourly basis. But, this increased trust and partnership have not come automatically: we have repeatedly proven that we can deliver on our promises: To then receive acknowledgement of our success is clearly an extra feather in our cap.
When I started as a consultant, I was very curious, and now, 15 years later in my managerial role, I still carry that curiosity with me. At that time I might have had a task such as devising a digital labelling system for one of our customers, an error code reader for another, and a website for a third – and sometimes I think it was an advantage not to understand how difficult certain tasks would turn out to be because otherwise I would never have dared to try things out. Now I work with industry reconnaissance, strategic planning, and sales and growth issues, but in actual fact, the same things still define me. The meeting between people is important; it has probably been the driving force behind both the business and myself.
People first, then technology. These are Semcon’s promise. The metric for the importance of technology is the value it adds for the people who use it – and in life science it seems easy to see what a difference we can make. Vaccine development, diagnostic tool manufacturing, pharmaceutical quality assurance, or production environment improvement work, these are all examples of the daily work of our life science consultants. When I take part in global strategy discussions about how we should develop within the industry, I often bring in local perspectives from the businesses in Uppsala and Stockholm as good examples of what we want to continue to achieve – only even more so!
What is our strategy? Today we are large in number, and, if I may stick my neck out a little, we are also the best. But many want to be more, and best wants to be even better! I believe that one reason why our consultants are much in demand is that right now it is difficult to get hold of the expertise, something we have succeeded in doing and of course intend to continue. I am very proud that we have good gender and age distribution in my division. Many of us are seniors, many of us mediora, and many of us are juniors. By combining these incredible people in different assignments and collaborations we take our responsibility to ensure the supply and transfer of competence in the industry. In that regard, I consider Semcon as a partner to industry – we help by becoming more and better in the market!
A lot has happened over the last five years, and the onset of the pandemic has also accelerated many of the trends we have been observing for a while. We note that many want screening and strategic analysis of their project organisations – where we are ready to assist with our cutting-edge expertise. Our experts with a regulatory background have the opportunity to excel in exciting projects with our customers in roles related to project management and quality management. But if I had to choose one area of life science that I am most excited to see develop, it has to be in the boundary where our digital and life science offerings meet, and the physical and digital combine. These are two areas that have been bubbling under for a long time and are now completely exploding – and Semcon is ready!
About Sara
Title: Division Manager for Division Stockholm.
Education: Master of Science in Biotechnology
Worked at Semcon since: 2006
I have most fun at work when I…: find the power in the meeting or the person.
