Major employee focus when two companies became one

When the Finnish contracts manufacturer Scanfil recently acquired Swedish-based PartnerTech the two companies faced a great challenge; to unite the two corporate cultures. The change not only resulted in an increased focus on employer branding but has also led to expanded career opportunities for Scanfil’s employees.

”Scanfil is one of the world’s most exciting companies to work for”. This is how Eva Klevås, newly appointed Group HR Director at Scanfil, describes the company known for producing high quality products on behalf of its customers. Eva, who is originally from PartnerTech, now says that with two companies having recently been merged, the internal work and focus on its employees has only begun. Eva says:

- It is very interesting to be able to lead this work here at Scanfil, an exciting company where many of the products we manufacture can be found throughout society, in everything from surveillance cameras to vending machines.

Employer branding is key

When the two organisations started merging during the fall of 2015, internal employer branding was identified as a key tool in an early stage. Eva says it is all about making every employee feel that they are all working for the same company. New core values were therefore necessary in order to lay a good foundation. Eva explains:

- The core values we developed were a mix of PartnerTech’s and Scanfil’s core values. Our two companies are very alike which has helped quite a bit.

Great emphasis was also placed on transparency where Scanfil made sure to provide employees with information regarding the changes. For example Scanfil’s CEO Petteri Jokitalo visited every PartnerTech factory to speak to the employees. Eva says:

- We have put a lot of effort into informing employees as well as creating updated organisation charts visible for the full organisation. This increases the feeling of being a part of the new organisation.

New career opportunities in a new organisation

One of the largest benefits of being a part of a larger organisation is that it allows for even more opportunities for its employees. Kristoffer Asklöv, Vice President Operations, sees this as something very positive:

- From a career perspective the possibilities have increased with even more countries now included in our group. Since we now also have a wider scope of product development, manufacturing and penetrated markets I see a bright future for employees who wish to take their career to the next level.

According to Eva career development has been of much interest to the management team. By concentrating on constantly developing our employees, Scanfil can grow and be even more successful. Eva elaborates:

- Talent management can sometimes be a complex tool. It is important to know your people and to have a trust in them. We are happy to let people grow and take on more responsibility. That way we end up with motivated and skilled employees throughout the organisation, who know the company, what we stand for and already have an established network within Scanfil.

Kristoffer agrees:

- If there’s an interest and potential from a specific individual we provide the right tools for him or her to develop. But we also see the benefits of raising the entire organisations skills and competences. One way we do this is through different educational programmes in basic economics and lean production.

Was given the opportunity to take more responsibility

Like Eva, Kristoffer was given the opportunity of taking more responsibility. As the former Managing Director of PartnerTech’s entity in Åtvidaberg, Sweden, Kristoffer was recently appointed Vice President Operations at Scanfil. Kristoffer concludes:

- I am now responsible for several entities within Scanfil as well as being part of the group management team, which is very exciting. I really feel that Scanfil gives its employees the opportunity to take more responsibility, but as always it’s about the individual’s own ambition and goals, Kristoffer concludes.