Dan Sten Olsson - September 2018

EVERY GENERATION MUST BE THE FIRST GENERATION

How to have the courage to challenge – making the best better! Stena is a seventy-nine year old organization surviving foremost by focus on care, results, quality and collaboration. For the future that is not enough.

By overconfidence we might now be too relaxed. Our strength of long term commitment instead of hunger for change might become our worse enemy. Our success might lead us always to remain in our comfort zone. How do we use our power of taking initiative to prevent us from being a victim of external factors? How do we live in the two worlds of today and the future, with an ability to capitalize on both?

That was one of the subjects we discussed at this year’s sphere forum. 

In a dualistic world WE MUST CONTINUE BEING DECISIVE AND MANAGE DUALITY.

EVERY GENERATION MUST BE THE FIRST GENERATION, BUT THEY MUST ALSO UNDERSTAND WHAT EXISTS AND BE CAPABLE TO DEVELOP OR REVOLUTIONIZE IT.

Our partner LEGO is a fantastic partner to this. Their blocks are not only used for developing the engineer in you. They are also used to develop a child´s social ability to make friends. LEGO now creates fantastic communities for various ideas and phenomena on the internet and a virtual world. LEGO works with Facebook. It is interesting they do it to such an extent that the people in their joint teams no longer really know what company they work for. That you can call collaboration!

HUNGER FOR ACTION shall be our next library portal with films, workshop material etc, a toolbox to facilitate new learning for individuals as well as for teams. We shall preserve our values and continue to work on; How to be part of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in the form of innovation, digitalization, new technologies and what we can do with them. I am glad to learn that 87% of all managers have worked with the White Book and Stena’s basic values with their teams. 59% of management and teams have watched the films, and 58% have accomplished the team learnings on care, results, quality and collaboration. Continuous competence development for all of us is the most important aspect of sustainable care for our resources. 

This year’s forum took place in Halmstad on the premises of Stena Nordic Recycling Center and we had the opportunity to see and learn about various methods of recycling waste in the form of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap, paper, plastics, electronic waste, dangerous industrial and other waste. Stena Nordic Recycling Center has transformed Stena to be the technological leader for recycling in the Nordic countries. By flawless care of the waste we handle, we help our clients to run a green operation. The Stena Green Bond quoted on the Oslo Börs highlights our commitment to recycle everything with sustainable methods. In many instances our clients and we work so intensely in many groups that we really feel we work for the common good making the world a sustainable place, for the same task and not for our specific companies. An example of this attitude of colla-boration is the achievements by our company Envac together with Bergen city. Thanks to the solutions, in carrying waste in pipes instead of in containers, Bergen is clean from flying debris. We are also proud of the work our people perform in various groups with big as well as with small companies developing sustainable and safe methods in their production. 

In the cyclical economy, companies try to use as much recycled material as possible in their production. Not so long ago many car manufacturers boasted that they only used prime material in their production as a sort of guarantee. Today they boast about how much recycled material they use in their production. This is a fantastic change as it creates a market for recycled materials especially for aluminum and plastics.

Stena Properties’ contributions to sustainable communities are – How do we create safety and the feeling of care in our premises? Again it is about collaboration in a wider sense with our tenants for safe physical places, for easiness for our tenants to bond with each other, for easiness in communication with us, for help with school homework and the latest; we employ 350 young people during summer vacation to perform regular disciplined work and earn some money and get accustomed to, what it will be to have a regular job, once they enter the labor market. With a CV from working with us, it is also easier to apply for and get a job.

Saving energy is profitable and Stena Line, Stena Bulk, Concordia Maritime and our other marine activities still manage to keep on saving about 2% bunker-consumption annually. The industry has promised to reduce total energy consumption of oil with 50% till year 2050. We at Stena are on the right track. Stena Germanica, running on methanol free from particles, is doing fine. For Stena Jutlandica we are installing electrical battery power. Already the ship can call and leave port powered by electricity. This summer we plan to run for twenty-five minutes on electricity. Our next generation of ships most probably due in 2030 will, we envisage, run all the way to Fredrikshamn on battery.     

With so many things happening right now – How do we stay relevant? Not only thinking about making good. How do we by our performance create profit? Without profit we shall have no oxygen. In that sense – Greed is good. Greed is necessary. But I am coming back to duality. Profit is necessary and good. But we create it by also working for other purposes.

Dan Sten Olsson 

Göteborg 23 september

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THE STENA SPHERE'S

MENTOR PROGRAM

THIS YEAR'S MENTORING PROGRAM HAS STARTED!

Since 2010, Stena Sfären has conducted an annual mentoring program designed to help our employees develop as well as network across company departments. This year’s program involved nine mentors and 9 mentees from different parts of Stena.

Mentors are key leaders from different Stena companies with valuable skills and experience. The mentees are nominated by their managers for their commitment and dedication to personal and professional growth.

Mentoring is a mutual agreement that involves responsibility and commitment. Through the mentoring program, Stena Sfären supports the development of each individual, which is to say, the mentor and mentee. Through the mentoring program, we also want to promote networking amongst Stena companies. The mentoring program runs like a red thread through our various leadership initiatives. We offer an arena where our leaders and specialists can meet.

Linda Mickelson

Publisher and editor

Members of this year's mentoring program:
MentorsPeter Arvidsson, Chief Operating Officer, Stena Line Margareta Jensen Dickson, Head of People, Stena Line Markus Lindbom, Chief Commercial Officer, Stena Line Cecilia Fasth, MD, Stena Fastigheter Henrik Wangeby, Purchasing Manager, Stena Rederi Annika Elfström, Head of Digital Transformation Lab Patrik Pettersson, Vice President, Stena Oil Mats Ottosson, Head of Operations, Stena Recycling Staffan Persson, Business Unit Manager, Recycling
MenteesFrida Lidén, Payroll Teamleader, Stena Line Johan Ekman, Operations Controller, Stena Line Sofia Noord, Chief Mate, Stena Saga Eva-Lotta Vinskär, Marketing and Sales Manager, Stena Bygg Hampus Rhondahl, Bunker Trader, Stena Oil Joakim Holmström, Branch Manager, Stena Stål Helena Cronholm, Personnel Lead, Stena Rederi IT Mattias Frösing, Project Engineer, Stena Teknik Samir Touam, Chief Information Security Officer, Stena Metall
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CONCORDIA MARITIME

NOMINATED FOR SWEDEN’S BEST ANNUAL REPORT

Concordia Maritime was this year once again nominated in the small cap class of Sweden’s best annual report.

”It means that we were among the top three on the entire small cap list of 100 companies. Unfortunately we did not win, but we’re still satisfied. We think it’s important to produce a really good annual report. This ambition and enthusiasm of ours makes the annual report acknowledged in a positive way. We’re pleased and proud to have been nominated (number 1-3) a number of times, in addition to winning the competition twice,” says Ola Helgesson, CFO Concordia Maritime.

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CONCORDIA MARITIME PARTICIPATES IN CAPITAL LINK’S 11TH ANNUAL SHIPPING SERVICES FORUM

500 delegates from all of London’s shipping cluster, including investors and analysts from around the world, gathered on September 25.

The markets of all shipping segments were highlighted, analysed and discussed through presentations and active panel discussions. Most shipping segments have begun a cycle of recovery except tankers, which are expected to pickup this winter. CEO Kim Ullman participated in a panel discussion together with other CEO representatives from product tanker companies. Kim argued for Concordia Maritime’s view of the market and the new IMO Sulphur Directive, which takes effect on January 1, 2020.

”In addition to our shareholder and investor meetings in Sweden, CFO Ola Helgesson and I attend at least three major international conferences of this kind each year. Giving us a good opportunity to market our company to the world on an international level.”

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TWO STUDENTS RECEIVED SCHOLARSHIPS FROM CONCORDIA MARITIME (BERMUDA) LTD.

2018 scholarships from Concordia Maritime (Bermuda) Ltd. has been awarded to Lamar Samuels and Anthony Durham Jr. as a support for their maritime studies abroad.

Lamar Samuels will study marine engineering at undergraduate level at South Tyneside College. He has been awarded a three-year scholarship and as a first step a sum of 2,750 USD. Over the last few years, Lamar has been employed as Watch Leader aboard the Spirit of Bermuda where he gained valuable work experience and participated in several international travels. The experience from his time aboard the Spirit gave him important professional skills. And the fact that he got excellent seamanship training is something he thinks will also be useful during his studies at South Tyneside College.

Andre Durham Jr. will study higher education, which will support his main career goal; namely to start a charter business. In September, he began studying applied science at the Northeastern Maritime Institute’s science programme.

For the last three years, Andre has been employed as a mate aboard the fishing vessel F/V Hakuna Matata, and abroad on the fishing vessel the Vitamin Sea. Andre will receive a scholarship of 2,000 USD.

Concordia Maritime (Bermuda) Ltd. annually allocates a total of 10,000 USD to scholarships. In addition to awarding scholarships to ambitious students, the committee also assists with mentorship for the scholarship holders during the course of their studies.

The committee consists of Angelique Burgess, Catharine Lymbery, Taran Card and Mario Thompson.

Andre Durham Jr. | Lamar Samuels.

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THE STENA BLUE SKY WAS AWARDED FOR RESCUE OPERATION BY THE CHAMBER OF SHIPPING OF AMERICA

The award was recently received for professional seamanship and conduct when the Stena Blue Sky conducted a rescue operation. It concerned a fisherman who was rescued from his capsized boat in the waters of North Korea and Japan on October 26, 2017.

”There are international laws governing these events and for us it’s only natural to act according to them. But it’s never-theless rewarding and important that it’s noted – as in this case by the Chamber of Shipping of America. I would also like to take the opportunity to express my appreciation to our crew aboard for acting professionally and in line with our expectations in this situation,” comments Erik Hånell, CEO Stena Bulk.

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STENA METALL OPENED THE OSLO STOCK EXCHANGE

Monday, 3 September, Stena Metall had the honor of ringing the opening bell of the Oslo Stock Exchange. The reason being that Stena Metall Group's green bond had been listed that same day.

”This was a special day because it was the first time a company issuing a bond was invited to hold the bell ringing ceremony. Up until now, it had always been companies that were selling shares, said Peter Gustafsson”, Managing Director Stena Metall Finans.

Peter Gustafsson sees a pronounced interest in green bonds right now. Moreover, Stena Metall’s green bond is unique with its connection to advanced, sustainable recycling technology at the Stena Nordic Recycling Center in Halmstad.

”More and more people want to invest sustainably and are thus attracted to the kind of investment we offer with our green bond”.

It’s the first time that Stena Metall Group is issuing a green corporate bond. The amount is 800 MSEK, with a maturity of five years. The money is earmarked to finance the Stena Nordic Recycling Center in Halmstad, which you can read more about in the article on the next page.

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STENA NORDIC RECYCLING CENTER IMPRESSED THE GUESTS

This year’s Sphere Forum was held at the Stena Nordic Recycling Center in Halmstad – one of the world’s premier recycling facilities. Since the acquisition of the property five years ago, the buildings have been filled with advanced technology that takes recycling to a new level. Today, the Stena Nordic Recycling Center is a game changer in recycling.

”I really think it’s worthwhile to come to the facility in Halmstad and to really experience and see everything happening here. When taking a tour here, you both see and understand how we’re part of a broader context – and that Stena actually stand for the solution to some of the challenges the world faces today,” says Eva Hansdotter, HR Director Stena AB and one of the participants at Sphere Forum.

She and the over 200 other guests received an encompassing walkthrough of the entire plant, that within a short time has become a recycling hub for the Nordic industry. Assembled here is cutting-edge technology for recycling materials from complex products, such as cars and other vehicles, phones, computers and other electronics.

New processes are continuously installed to comply with industry developments and customer demands for higher recovery rates. One of the latest additions is a facility for recycling the flexible plastics that, for example, to a large extent is used as packaging materials by the industry.

The recycling of plastics impressed many guests, including Niclas Mårtensson, CEO Stena Line, who could put some pellets of recycled plastics in his pocket.

”It’s the first time I’m here and I’m very proud of what I’ve seen. Not least concerning the recycling of plastics. For us in the shipping industry, the amount of plastics in the oceans is a very important issue. Here we have a concrete example of how we at Stena work to take care of plastics and re-cycle it. So we can have clean seas on which to sail our environmentally-friendly vessels.”

In parallel with world-leading recycling, the Stena Nordic Recycling Center will also be used as a knowledge center and testbed for new recycling technology and development of new products – under the name Stena Recycling Lab.

”Here we offer a physical testbed and collaboration workspace for entrepreneurs, researchers and students. The vision is to act as a catalyst for innovation and development in order to achieve shorter innovation cycles for new technology and new products and services within recycling,” says Mats Torring, Head of New Ventures, Stena Metall Group.

The guests also got to experience the newly built exhibition that explains the processes and what actually makes the Stena Nordic Recycling Center a world leading recycling facility.

Kristofer Sundsgård, CEO, Stena Recycling AB explains what it’s all about:

”We surround us with many complex products that consist of many different materials. Advanced technology is required to recycle them. That’s the challenge we solve here. Building this facility, we utilised our size and developed new innovations that take recycling to the next level. That’s what makes the Stena Nordic Recycling Center a game changer,” he says.

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NEW LEADERSHIP PROGRAM – READY FOR ANYTHING

CONTINUING TO DEVELOP STENA'S LEADERS OF THE FUTURE

Leaders in Stena are responsible for advancing their business, their team and themselves, which requires new skills in a constantly changing world, with new needs and expectations arising both within and outside Stena. The new leadership program, Ready for Anything (R4A), is a step further on the path towards developing Stena leaders’ ability to seize future opportunities. The program is divided into six modules and is designed for leaders and their teams at Stena.

In an increasingly digital world, it’s not just technology that’s changing, it’s attitudes and behaviours too. These shifts require new ways of leading. To be able to understand and take in new trends and developments, it’s necessary to make an effort to capture knowledge by, for example, networking within and outside the company in a completely different way than before.

”As a leader, you need to expand your surroundings to include more than what you are formally responsible for and be able to make the most of the human resources at your disposal – whether that concerns people in your own organisation or external experts you can bring in,” says Eva Hansdotter, HR Director, People, Soft Values and Organizational Excellence.

Through the new leadership program R4A, participants get the opportunity to develop the skills needed to tackle the new challenges linked to digital transformation. The program is divided into six modules of 1-2 days. The first three modules start in the fall and the rest happen in the spring. The modules will be ongoing, so participants can choose which module they want to start with based on what is most relevant to their own business. The modules that start in the fall are ‘Envisioning the Future’, ‘Exploring the Golden Minds’ and ‘Gain or Drain’.

‘Envisioning the Future’ is all about analysing the world from a slightly different perspective than we are traditionally accustomed to. The module is primarily virtual with a few workshops along the way.

The only way to avoid falling behind is to move faster than the rest of the world. This also applies to our leadership, where “Ready for Anything” serves as an important tool in helping our leaders stay ahead.

Dan Sten Olsson

ENTER THE SITE HERE

”The focus is on what we need to under-stand and relate to, given today’s rapid pace of change, in order to determine what is important to us and our business today and tomorrow,” says Annika Elfström, Head of Digital Transformation Lab and coordinator for ‘Envisioning the Future’.

‘Exploring the Golden Minds’ addresses the importance of diversity as it relates to ideas and perspectives. The training is held over two days and includes several prac-tical exercises.

”Combining different experiences and approaches to reasoning creates a breeding ground for innovation in companies. To achieve this you need to both recruit with diversity as a starting point and then be able to bring forward those different perspectives. The challenge then is to retain and foster the dynamic that it creates in the team, said Maria Holmberg,” Head of HR, Stena Property and coordinator for ‘Exploring the Golden Minds’.

‘Gain or Drain’ is about becoming aware of how you give and take energy, understand different people’s motivations and generate positive energy in a group. The module is divided into a virtual component and a one-day training on-site.

”As a leader, it’s important that you can create, transmit and use energy in the right way, both for yourself, your team and your network. Generally speaking, we tend to believe that extroverted leadership would be better than introverted when it comes to channelling energy, but the fact is that both are powerful in their own ways,” says Linda Mickelson, Head of HR, Stena Rederi, coordinator for ‘Gain or Drain’ together with Janine Sjöö, Head of Employee Experience.

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THE PORTRAIT – LENA ALVLING

WITH THE WORLD AS WORKPLACE

We meet Lena Alvling, Marketing and Event Manager at Stena Bulk, in Bohuslän’s archipelago where she finds the necessary relaxation all year round. Lena is employed at Stena Bulk with the formal title of General Manager Marketing & Corporate Events WW. The role often entails travelling worldwide as responsible for a variety of international events. The working pace is high, the details are many.

NAMING CEREMONIES – A SPECIALTY

Few people have participated in as many naming ceremonies as Lena Alvling. Especially as Manager of the events. So far, there have been about 20 namings worldwide. From Concordia Maritime’s P-MAX tankers in Croatia to Stena Bulk’s Suezmax tankers in South Korea. And most recently, the IMOIIMAX vessels built in China but often named in different parts of the world.

”Working with ship namings is great fun. It’s not ‘just’ an event, but also a way to work strategically with customer relations and partners to preserve old traditions and build brand,” says Lena.

The work covers everything from finding the best place for the event to establishing contacts with different suppliers all around the world. As well as cooperating with the vessel crews of course. And, very importantly, establishing a good connection with the godmother, who usually has not been in a similar situation before.

To ensure that everyone involved are confident with their tasks and are well prepared, and to make sure that the guests have an enjoyable and flawless experience are things Lena deems important and always pays extra attention to. “The details are important,” she emphasises.

All namings are unique in their own way. From smaller events, such as the naming of the Stena Imperial in Savannah, USA, with some 50 guests. To the much bigger event when the Stena Weco Impulse was named in Copenhagen, with Crown Princess Mary of Denmark as godmother and a huge media coverage.

Here you can download a large number of naming ceremonies.

RESPONSIBILITY FOR MANY DIFFERENT EVENTS

Over the years, Lena has been responsible for many kinds of events and sponsorships. Including the sailing tournament Stena Match Cup Sweden on Marstrand, where Stena was the main sponsor for several years. She had the overall responsibility for Stena AB’s activation of the sponsorship, planning and activities. It was a challenging task initially, as it was the first time that all the companies within Stena AB and Stena Metall AB were to be promoted under one umbrella in the same sponsorship.

”At the same time, we saw a unique opportunity to showcase the broad range of our different companies and increase awareness of the wide scope of businesses that Stena covers,” Lena says.

Another rewarding project was the worldwide platform created for the Volvo Ocean Race, which several Stena companies used in 2017-18. It gave them the opportunity to represent internationally at their customers’ home base – a much appreciated approach.

”It’s really great when we can offer a platform that fits many of the companies and is used by several of the companies to spend valuable time with their customers, as a group or individually,” she adds.

In 2017, Lena also had the honourable assignment of managing Dan Sten Olsson’s official 70th birthday celebration. Both locally in Gothenburg and for international guests in London.

”Continually at home and marketing wise we currently focus a lot on how we work globally with the brand, culture and visibility of Stena Bulk – also an exciting task!”, Lena Alvling concludes.

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FLEET SAFETY SPECIALISTS ATTEND HEAD OFFICE SEMINAR

Northern Marine Fleet Safety Specialists converged on Group Head Office in Glasgow recently for a week-long seminar.

The eleven specialists, who work nomadically across the managed fleet of oil tankers, gas carriers, offshore vessels, Ro-Pax and Ro-Ro vessels, met for a series of training classes, discussion forums, teambuilding exercises and objective setting meetings.

Working onboard with crews, the vastly experienced group of former Masters and Chief Engineers ensure implementation of Behaviour Based Safety process, conduct HSE training, hold audits and inspections and assist with investigations as well as other HSEQ related key duties.

During the week, productive discussions were held with onshore colleagues and management.

Anwar Modak, Fleet Safety Specialist (FSS), attended the event.

He said: “The primary role of an FSS is to ensure that all shipboard operations are carried out in the safest manner while adhering to company policies.”

“This helps ensure the health and safety of the seafarers, the safety of the ships and the preservation of the environment.”

“The seminar held in August was one of the best I have attended. There were several value-added training courses in Maritime Partners in Safety Program, Asbestos Awareness, Lifting Equipment Examination and Fire Fighting Technique.”

“These courses provide us with more knowledge which can be used while carrying out onboard training and inspections.”

GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE EXPERIENCES

As well the opportunity for face-to-face operational discussions with fellow FSS’s and onshore management, the seminar also provided the opportunity for rare team building exercises including Helicopter Underwater Escape Training at Clyde Training Solutions, and a team hike in the nearby Kilpatrick Hills.

Bogdan Asalomia, FSS, added: “To have all the Fleet Safety Specialists together was a great opportunity to share our experiences.

“The seminar creates a positive and memorable learning experience that encourages teamwork and individual contribution, ultimately stimulating improvement.”

Ko Ko Naing, Head of Health, Safety, Environmental & Quality, added: “The objective of the seminar was to motivate Fleet Safety Specialists and members of HSEQ Team to promote Northern Marine Occupational Health and Safety, Environmental and Quality Policy within the Company and Fleet as a priority issue, as well as effective utilisation of Fleet Safety Specialists (FSS) and inclusion in Companywide visible leadership and management visit plans.

“It is also provided the FSS team with the additional skills that they need to carry out their tasks and increase their success during ship visits for training, audit and inspection.”

Fleet Safety Specialists have been deployed by Northern Marine since 2002.

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YOUNG CHANGE AGENTS SEEK TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH A MOBILE APP

Six summer workers - four weeks - one mission! This year Stena Fastigheter launched a new summer initiative that challenges youth to undertake innovative projects and carry out their ideas. Gabriella, Ornina, Medra, Bruno, Hanna and Hanna were hired as change agents, with the task of preparing a proposal for a digital solution that would increase security and comfort for tenants.

”It has been such a great learning experience. We developed our entrepreneurial abilities, we worked well as a team and had fun on the job. It feels like the salary I earned for my work was just an added bonus,” says Gabriella Quintero, who is in her third year of technical-focused high school studies.

Gabriella Quintero, 18, and Ornina Zaytoun, 20, are two of the six youths that worked as change agents for Stena Fastigheter in Gothenburg this summer. All participants in this initiative are tenants in Stena Fastigheter residences, but they live in different parts of the city and bring different perspectives and knowledge with them.

”I knew right away when I saw the ad that this was a summer job for me. As a tenant, I could play a part in changing my situation and make my everyday life easier,” says Ornina Zaytoun, who studies human resources at university.

NEW INNOVATIONS

The idea of hiring young change agents originated with Sari Isberg, Relationship Manager at Stena Fastigheter Göteborg. The concept started to develop after she came into contact with The Role Models (formerly Young Action Force), an organisation that works to empower young people and create the conditions for their energy and passion to be utilised in society.

”One of our guiding principles at Stena Fastigheter is innovation and we wanted to pursue something different this year. We started a collaboration with The Role Models and we gave the summer workers a concrete task where they could develop ideas and solutions,” says Sari Isberg.

Bruno Desic, IT, Hanna Wackeroth, secretary, Medra Malki, HR, Julia Hult, Förebildarna, Sari Isberg, Relationship Manager, Stena Fastigheter Göteborg, Gabriella Quintero, IT, Ornina Zaytoun, project manager and Hanna Delin, marketing.

A MOBILE APP EMERGES

When the summer workers, aged between 18 and 21 years old, started their four-week-long summer job as change agents, they knew that their mission was to develop a proposal for a digital solution that could in some way increase security or create meaningful ways to spend free time for those that live in Stena Fastigheter residences. They didn’t, however, know what roles they would take on in the project. They would decide on that together. Based on the participants’ varying skills, they appointed two IT managers, a marketer, a secretary, a HR manager and a project manager.

”One of the reasons I applied for the job was that I wanted to develop my leadership abilities. I’ve never had a leadership role before and I’m glad I got to work as a project manager. It has been a good experience and definitely something I’m going to put on my resume,” says Ornina.

Every morning, the group held morning meetings facilitated by Ornina. Director Julia Hult from The Role Models was also present. During the meetings, everyone decided what should be done that day and before everyone went home, a follow-up meeting was held. Early in the project, the group had a brainstorming day where everyone wrote down their ideas. Many of the ideas came from the summer workers’ own experiences in their neighbourhoods.

”We interviewed the tenants and sent out questionnaires with questions about how they viewed security in the area. Then we decided to create an app that tenants can use. I was responsible for the technology and worked on designing the app, its features and interfaces,” says Gabriella Quintero, IT manager.

PRESENTING TO MANAGEMENT

The project culminated in the change agents presenting their prototype app, STINA, to Stena Fastigheter’s management group in Gothenburg. The app includes several features, among them the ability for tenants to book laundry times and sign up for activities in the area.

”If the tenants are aware of what is happening in their area and get good information, it contributes to both safety and comfort. Some don’t feel safe going downstairs to book a laundry time in the evening, so it’s a good idea to be able to do it digitally. Everyone forgets to read the information in the hallway, but would do it if they received a notification from the app”, says Gabriella Quintero.

Agneta Kores, CEO of Stena Fastigheter Göteborg, was one of the members of the management team who listened to the presentation.

”The change agents have given us very exciting proposals that we will continue to work with and I hope we can present STINA, the Stena app, soon,” says Agneta Kores.

Ornina Zaytoun describes the presentation as the highlight of the whole project.

”It was exciting, and felt good afterwards. The entire project has given me the confidence to find similar jobs in the future.”

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STENA LINE INTRODUCES

FIRST AI-ASSISTED VESSEL

Right now, Stena Line is conducting a pilot study with artificial intelligence on board the Stena Scandinavica. The aim is to reduce fuel consumption and minimise environmental impact.

In close collaboration with the technology company Hitachi, an AI-model is being developed that will help predict the most fuel-efficient way to operate a certain vessel on a specific route. The model will be a support for the captain and officers on board, and if successful it will make an important contribution to Stena Line’s sustainability target to reduce fuel consumption by 2.5 % annually.

“The model simulates many different scenarios before suggesting the most optimal route and performance setup. With the help of AI we are able to consider a number of variables, such as currents, weather conditions, shallow water and speed through water, in various combinations which would be impossible to do manually”, says Lars Carlsson, Head of AI at Stena Line.

The model is still under development and it would not be possible to take it further without a committed captain and crew. That is why the first pilot study is taking place on the Stena Scandinavica, under the supervision of Senior Master Jan Sjöström who has been working with fuel optimisation at Stena Line for the last 40 years.

“Since we are helping the AI to evolve, we might be assisting the AI more than we are at the moment, but it is a very exciting and rewarding process. We’ve been making adjustments to the model after each trip and it is amazing to see how quickly it is learning”, says Jan Sjöström, Senior Master at the Stena Scandinavica. 

The goal is to create a model so precise it would be the ultimate decision support system for the captain when planning each trip. For example, if AI could assist with accurate predictions of currents, which is one of the most complicated variables today, it would help even the most experienced captain or officer.

Moving forward, the model will also help sharing competence and knowledge to the next generation of captains and officers.

“Planning a trip and handling a vessel in a safe and, at the same time, fuel efficient way is craftsmanship. Practice makes perfect, but when assisted by AI a new captain or officer could learn how to fuel optimise quicker. In return, this contributes to a more sustainable journey”, says Jan Sjöström.

Stena Line has an overall goal that the whole company should be assisted by AI in 2021 and the pilot study on the Stena Scandinavica, on the Gothenburg-Kiel route, is the first of several studies regarding AI-assisted ferry trips within the fleet this year. At the end of the year there will be an evaluation of the project, before deciding how to continue with AI-assistance on the company’s 38 ships. Stena Line is already being assisted by AI within several areas such as administration, finance, customer experience and customer care.

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THE ACTIVITY THAT STRENGTHENS BODY AND MIND

After Renée Karlsson's daughter met a bowler and took up the sport herself, Renée and her husband also wanted to try it out. It became even more exciting when Mariana Andersson joined Stena Line and it turned out that she had bowled as a child. Now Renée and Mariana, together with their partners, bowl 20 weekends a year with the Mölndal club IK Heim.

”I was 45 years old when I started bowling. You could say that it’s never too late to start. In our team, the youngest is 21 and the oldest is 81! You can keep bowling throughout your whole life. It’s also an incredibly social sport where you socialize across generations. A real people’s sport,” says Renée.

A bowling club is made up of various teams that each consist of eight people. Each team gets qualified in the league system and to proceed to the next league you need to win each division.

There are national leagues, local leagues, a premier league and a reserve league. In addition to league games, you can also play “raven bowling” where everyone is welcome. During weekdays, lots of seniors take part.

”There are 80-year-olds who are getting very good results and perhaps this is partially due to not needing to be in extremely good physical shape. Fitness is not important. You rather need to be strong, particularly in your torso, back and legs. I exercise and strength-train at Friskis & Svettis (gym) as a supplement, but the bowling elite are often just as well-trained as the athletes in any other sport,” says Renée.

BESIDES A STRONG BODY, A STRONG MIND IS ESSENTIAL

The team is divided into four pairs and when playing in a match the pairs in each team take on each other. A match consists of four series and one plays 5 points in every series. Each table plays for one point and one point is awarded to the team with the most bowling pins in total.

”We of course play four series when it’s time for a match, but when we organize bowling activities here at work, we play three series. You notice that some don’t have the mental energy and lose focus. When you bowl you must constantly focus on the next shot. Just like golf,” says Renée.

Renée and Mariana play 20 games a season. In addition to the matches, there are trainings once a week at the club. They train techniques like spare and run-up, but beyond that one needs to be good at reading the bowling lanes and try out different oil patterns on the lanes because the bowling balls behave differently depending on the oil pattern.

”Ambitious players practice more often, but we bowl because it’s so incredibly fun. Mariana and I have been in Prague and Malta at competitions and even if my results were not great, we had so much fun. The combination of it being fun, exciting, technical and that you have to use your brain is why I got hooked on bowling. Also, being able to share this interest with my family and with my best friend here at work is a real plus,” says Renée.

FACTSThe bowling ball used is an American strike-ball. They are made up of weight blocks inside. The most important thing to consider when choosing balls is that the holes are drilled to fit your hand like a glove, as well as your playing style. Ask at your pro shop.
A new bowling ball costs about 3,000 SEK, but there are entry-level packages with shoes and balls for around 2,000 SEK.
Membership in a club costs from 150 SEK/month, and in addition to that one pays 200 SEK/match.
Mölndal's bowling alley has a youth school on Fridays where you can try your hand at bowling.
In Partille there are two teams with world-class players who play on tours in the United States and make their living from bowling.
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EUROPRIDE HAPPINESS

From mid-July until early August the pride flag was seen on board Stena Line’s ships and terminals as the company became a proud partner of EuroPride 2018. The grand finale was the EuroPride closing parade in Gothenburg.

Around 70 cheering employees participated in the EuroPride parade on the 18th of August and celebrated the values of Euro-Pride. Except for the rainbow flags on board the ships and terminals around Europe, the colourful Pride symbol was also visible in most of Stena Line’s social media channels and employees were wearing rainbow badges.

“At Stena Line we welcome everyone, whether you want to work here, travel with us or be one of our business partners. Therefore we were proud to support EuroPride and the values of equality and diversity they represent”, says Ian Hampton, Chief People & Communications Officer at Stena Line.

Diversity in the workforce not only contributes to a more caring working environment but it also helps Stena Line to understand their customers better.

“Like us, our customers are diverse and the more knowledgeable we get, the better we will become at fulfilling their needs and creating a great travel experience which shows that we care”, says Ian Hampton.

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