Jennie Kring Holmström
- from Operator to
Maintenance Technician
When Jennie started as an operator in the bleaching plant at Vallviks Bruk, she had no idea that her life and career would take several unexpected turns. With a great deal of determination and curiosity, she has navigated her way through the previously unknown parts of the factory and is now working as a Maintenance Technician.
An unexpected career path
Jennie stepped into Vallviks Bruk in 2017 as an intern (LIA) during her vocational training.
- During my internship, I was offered a job in the same operator area, OP3 Blekeriet, which belongs to the fiber side of the factory.
But life changed, and in 2022, Jennie could no longer work shifts. Instead, a new door opened when she was offered a position with regular office hours on the recycling side as a Preventive Maintenance Technician (FU-Technician).
- I feel that I received great support from management in my new situation. Being reassigned solved a lot for me – and actually for the organization as well, since they had a position that needed to be filled, says Jennie.
Working preventively to keep the factory running
Jennie feels that her days in preventive maintenance go by quickly, as she alternates between working on-screen and being out in the factory:
- As an operator, the focus is on running the factory, while here in preventive maintenance, we work to ensure that there is a factory to run. It’s fun. I love working, she says.
Switching job areas also meant a new challenge — navigating a part of the factory she had barely set foot in before. The weekly inspection rounds require her to locate all the objects that need to be checked for potential deviations.
- With the help of our machine placement maps on my phone and my determination, I manage just fine today.
Detecting damages before they become a problem
Jennie is also responsible for conducting vibration measurements on the recycling side. By analyzing the measurement patterns very, very carefully, she can detect deviations such as bearing damage in time.
- If we catch damage early, we can avoid emergency stops in the factory. Repairs and replacements can be planned in a way that doesn’t disrupt production. That makes it less costly, she explains.
Plans for the future
However, Jennie admits that she misses shift work and hopes to return to it when her children are older and more independent:
- I’m a night owl, so shift work suits me best. I feel a bit stressed trying to fit everything into the few hours I have in the afternoon. It’s much better to have several days off in a row to catch up.
