Diversity broadens the perspective
After Saab had taken over the management of the Armed Forces’ central and garrison warehouses from the Swedish Armed Forces Logistics (FMLO G), the operation needed to be rationalised and streamlined.
Stocks were located in several places in the country, including a central warehouse in Arboga and 16 garrison warehouses across Sweden for air force, navy and army purposes.
“We needed to develop the organization as well as administrative support and improve the logistics flow,” says Britt-Marie Holmbom, departmental manager at Saab Aerotech.
The takeover from FMLOG began in 2007. The project began in earnest in 2008 with Combitech consultant, Stina Svensson, responsible for aviation stocks and one of four regions, the south.
“Stina has specialist expertise as a project manager with extensive knowledge of logistics,” says Britt-Marie Holmbom.
“It’s not crucial but sometimes it’s good to have a female project manager in a typically male-dominated environment, which is what the defence world is,” she continues.
The project is now complete and one of the results has been that the call-off and purchasing functions for defence equipment have been brought together to one location in the country.
“This leads to greater efficiency and expertise, leaving staff with more time for customer contacts in the local area,” says a satisfied Britt-Marie Holmbom.
For Stina Svensson, the project opened doors to a whole new world.
“Different and highly educational! Ninety-five percent of the Swedish Armed Forces are men. I had an advantage in being a woman and that I did not come from that world. I've previously worked with an entirely different type of product at Ericsson, in short, fast projects. Here the cycle was different. I could ask questions in my own way and, by doing that, I was also given answers to other things,” she notes.
“The reality at Combitech is different, from a diversity perspective. Things are going in the right direction,” says Stina Svensson. “In my own department, Logistics, 60 per cent of the staff are women.”