Great Experience from the “Engine Room”

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Flemming Hansen has been the project manager at RIVAL for a good year. He is experienced in the business due to his former positions as machine worker and production engineer, which are valuable factors in the collaboration with the customers.

Flemming finds it very motivating to be involved in the customer’s project from the beginning to the end. He experiences having has a lot to offer in all phases of the project due to the knowledge, he has gained from his previous positions as machine worker, production engineer and constructor.

Close collaboration equals to the best starting point
“In the beginning of many of our projects, our sales director Christian Aarup and I discuss the customer’s needs and the technical possibilities to solve them already at the bidding,” says Flemming. “Thereafter, we might involve our foreman Glenn Scharling to get his opinion on the project. That results in the best starting point of giving the customer the best bid and ensuring RIVAL a reasonable economy on the project.”

Bigger projects and serial production
Right now, Flemming is the project manager of a big project to a customer in the defence industry, whose components RIVAL is responsible for assembling and installing after processing. “These types of projects are more and more frequent in our business, for which reason we are more experienced in helping the customer all the way throughout the project,” says Flemming. “At the same time, I am responsible for a number of projects, in which we serial-produce a large number of framework agreed components. In these types of projects, good communication is essential – both in-house and with the customer – to make sure that the project outcome is delivered in agreement with the terms.”

Wide experience provides daily benefits
Throughout the years, Flemming has had his hands far down in the engine room in the production as machine worker at several machining companies. The experience, he has built in the engine rooms is very valuable in the daily collaboration with both customers and colleagues in the production. “When we look at a new drawing of a component, which we have to design for a customer, I know pretty fast, which questions to ask. I share my knowledge with the customer’s engineers and we can solve potential confusions together very fast.”

Exciting development at RIVAL
Flemming appreciates RIVAL as his workplace. “At RIVAL we are very honest with each other, for which reason no one hold grudges, even though we do not agree on everything. It is very liberating and pleasant in the daily work,” says Flemming. “A lot has happened at RIVAL in the past year, we have started collaborating with new customers in new lines of businesses, we have implemented new machines in the production and we have carried out the new two-sided production strategy. It is very exciting to be a part of this development.”

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Lene thrives as an adult apprentice at RIVAL

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For 30-year-old Lene, being hired as an adult apprentice at RIVAL is absolutely the right thing for her. She really thrives in production and is not bothered by male jargon, cuts on fingers or the smell of burned skin.

Lene Kruse Jensen started as an adult apprentice at RIVAL in August 2016. She is a qualified physiotherapist but the profession was never a good fit for her. “I’m more on the same wavelength as my colleagues here, where we call a spade a spade,” says Lene. “It’s not a problem for me being one of a few women in a man’s world, both here at RIVAL and when I’m at school.”

Instructive running-in with small milling
As an apprentice, you move around in several areas in production, but until now it’s the “small milling” with Fadal and YCM milling machines that Lene thinks is the most enjoyable work. “It’s really exciting to be part of the entire running-in process of a new component, and being allowed to nerd around with the program and to find the correct tool,” says Lene. “You get a good feeling when it just works – and a good learning process when things don’t work and the tool doesn’t operate as expected. Overall, it’s very instructive and challenging to be allowed to try something. I get competent guidance from my talented colleagues, whom I can learn a lot from.”

Attractive workplace
Lene believes that RIVAL is a very attractive workplace with friendly and pleasant colleagues. “At the start, they could be a little surprised when I followed their jargon and made funny remarks too,” says Lene, smiling. “I feel really comfortable here, and we get on well, both during working hours and outside working hours. We have a good time at the social events, like the Christmas party.”

Lene is sharp
As an adult apprentice, Lene’s training course is 13 months shorter compared to a traditional apprenticeship. “It’s not a problem for Lene, because she’s sharp and quick at learning things,” says Production Manager Søren Djursland. “She’s the first female apprentice we’ve had here, and she’s coping really well. She understands that she can say no and she can join in the jargon, and she is very interested in the profession and in becoming more skilled. That’s a very good starting point.”

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Five quick questions to Frank

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How long have you worked for RIVAL?
I’ve been here for 11 years. I trained at Hammel Maskinfabrik, where I worked for a year. The job involved a lot of forging, so in order to further my skills I applied to RIVAL, where I got the chance to work with CNC machines.

What has changed since you started?
When I started there were only 15 of us, so you can certainly say the number of employees has gone up. Self-managed teams have therefore been created with six or seven people in each team. That means we’re pretty much free to plan the work ourselves, and that we all have a lot of influence.

What’s it like to work for RIVAL?
There’s a lot of freedom and the work is exciting. Things run well, and the atmosphere is good. Not just amongst
ourselves – the members of the management team are good listeners and very approachable.

What are the best jobs?
Special jobs where we have to produce a part quickly. It’s challenging, and you feel you help to make a difference because you know that someone, somewhere, desperately needs the part you’re working on.

What are the effects of the expansion?
The new production facilities are more spacious – there’s not much room to work here in the old building. Now there’s more  space between the machines, which makes it far easier to handle the parts. New and larger machines will hopefully also mean that we can increase production even further.

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Christian is actively pursuing the customers of tomorrow

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Sales Manager Christian Aarup has worked in sales at RIVAL for over four years. The nature of the work changes continuously, and today it is considerably more strategic than it was in 2012.

Christian is very satisfied with being part of the RIVAL sales force. “Being able to go to the customers with something very good is extremely motivating. Every day I meet more and more people who want to enter into long-term agreements with us because they have precisely the same experience and just like us, can see the many benefits of fixed agreements,” says Christian.

More targeted work
At RIVAL, people are now much more precise about which customers the company can add the most value to. It is about the customers that require advanced components that are serially manufactured, where there is a need for RIVAL’s unique competencies and its valuable exchange and sounding out of ideas. “It means a great deal for my work, that I can target these customers more, and that I have a good success rate in getting them to talk,” says Christian.

Huge potential
“Without doubt, there’s a huge potential in what we can offer,” continues Christian. “I have some talented colleagues, who can, and have the ambition and the desire to exchange and sound out ideas with customers, and thus help to develop the customers’ components. There are a great many people who make inquiries when they find out the option exists.”

Good experience in networking
Christian also spends a great deal of time networking, since he can see that it provides good leads and valuable input in several areas. “It applies to when we’re seeking new subcontractors, partners and new customers,“ says Christian. “For example, I’m in networks like Erhverv Skanderborg, and the Danish Oil & Gas Group. I meet a lot of people there, whom we can learn from and whom we can give new knowledge to.”

Competencies before product
Today, Christian puts a lot of focus on selling RIVAL’s competencies before he starts to look at the specific products that RIVAL can help the customer to produce. “It also means that we’re increasingly becoming involved earlier on in the customer’s design process and we can come with our input and process optimisation, for example in the technical production area,” says Christian. “It’s a new way of selling a machined component developer and manufacturer, but it fits precisely with what we at RIVAL want to be known for – as the machined component developer and manufacturer of tomorrow.”

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