Courage is K-G’s middle name
K-G knows Solar like his own back pocket. Not only has he been with our Swedish subsidiary for more than 20 years, he has also been involved in many cross-border projects and worked at the group headquarters in Denmark for four years.
- Solar is, and always has been, very expansive, which makes the company so interesting. That’s also why people stay here for so long, K-G thinks.
He’s got a point, because even though he has worked for Solar since 1994, he has taken on a new role on average every 3 years. He started out in purchasing, went on to e-business, and is now market manager for the electrical installation segment. In between, he has also managed to take management training at both IHM Business School and INSEAD.
We must have courage
Often, the possibilities of moving on to new positions were triggered by K-G’s accomplishments in the previous one - even if he had no prior experience with the new area. In fact, when he became e-business manager in Sweden, his boss had just asked if he knew anything about e-business. K-G answered “Not really!”, so the boss handed him a blank piece of paper and said “Great, now you will develop e-business in Sweden!” This was back in 2001. And he actually did such a good job that he was invited to the headquarters in Denmark five years later to be responsible for e-business across the group.
- Back then, we didn’t have the data we have today. We couldn’t make analyses to base our actions on. We used our gut feeling instead. I always say; what’s the worst that can happen? K-G says with a smile.
That is spoken like a true Solarian; courage is one of our values. And if you want to stay ahead in our business, you have to be innovative and ready to change.
- At Solar, we’re good at spotting changes in the market, so that we can stay ahead. We’re good at utilising our central warehouses, which minimises the need for physical shops. Our digital and logistics solutions like Solar Mobile and Solar Fastbox are proof that we are first movers, K-G states.
Logistics across borders
He believes that Solar is unique in the way we work across the group. For instance, we have a logistics setup across our main markets, which means that customers can gain access to a much wider selection of products that can be delivered within just four days, if the products are not available at their local warehouse. It’s not always easy to make these kinds of initiatives work, as our position varies from market to market, which influences the way we work in the different countries.
- Despite the cultural differences I have experienced from country to country, people in Solar are more or less the same. This makes it very easy to collaborate across borders. The people here are very devoted, ready to change and want to develop Solar, K-G assesses.
We assist the customers in doing what they do best
He thinks that the direction Solar is headed in is the right one. We’re in the process of digitalising our business. We use data to personalise our communication with our customers, and we want to convey to our customers what we’re able to offer them in terms of technical competences that can support them.
- We must digitalise the business without losing touch with our foundation. We need to make it clear to our customers which new services we’re able to add on top of our traditional business, K-G explains.
And there are currently some challenges in the market in terms of getting enough qualified manpower, which is blocking the construction sector in Sweden. This is where K-G believes that Solar can make a difference. We’re able to let the professionals do what they do best and let us handle the rest.