Since February, Jonas Söderlund is Inission’s new Business Development Manager. Jonas most recently came from the role of Business Development Director at the Finnish Tepcomp Group. With his broad background, positive attitude and passion for improvement, he and his new colleagues want to make Inission the new Scandinavian market leader in electronics and mechanics.
Jonas grew up in Roslagen with a father from Åland and a mother from Finland. He early graduated as an electronics engineer and got a job as an electronics designer. Over the years he has also been educated in business development and economics.
Why he currently works with sales is due to a special situation that occurred during his time as Test Engineer and Team leader at the certification institute Intertek.
– Business was slow and I was faced with two alternatives, to lay off employees or increase sales. I was young and eager and preferred the latter. We started focusing on the Power supply industry and began visiting companies throughout Asia. It went well and instead of firing my colleagues, the team grew. It was where the interest for sales started and since then I have not actively worked as an engineer.
Jonas’ career in EMS began in 2014 when he was hired as Business Development Manager at Note in Norrtälje. It was a success and a few years later he was being promoted to Global Business Development Manager with the task of helping all Notes’ factories.
– I had the same role at my next employer Tepcomp Group in Finland where my specific assignment was to turn things around, which we did. The combination of my technical background and talent for business has been a success factor. I can speak the same language as both designers and managers.
What did you find interesting about Inission?
– I had no plans leaving Tepcomp, but after several conversations with Inission’s sales manager Fredric Grahn, interest grew. I like building and improving businesses. At Inission, I could contribute and see it grow to the next level. Inission has good prerequisites in terms of modern factories, long-term goals and committed owners and staff.
Jonas task as Business Development Manager is to develop and improve the business. To do this, he has developed his own successful workflow.
– I have a 20/60/20 methodology. It refers to what I spend my time on. 20% of the time I spend on processing opportunities that are far in the future, ie. startup companies and new products. If they develop well, it can be awesome. In addition, startup companies have enormous energy and it is contagious. 60% of the time I spend on existing projects and projects that are almost finished, ie. where it takes at least 6 months up to a year before the product is ready. The remaining 20% of the time I spend on dream companies, ie. larger, very demanding customers who on their own can drive the development of our business forward.
Jonas also works actively with networking, mainly through Linkedin where he keeps in touch with old customers and establishes contact with new ones. He also makes sure to always be available if anyone needs help.
– It is edifying to help others. In addition, there is a chance that they will return later as a customer. This is how I have worked since 2005 and it works well for me. If it aint broken don fixt fix it.
What are your best qualities that you take with you to work?
– I have a positive attitude and it takes a lot for me to get depressed. A problem is just a solution you have not seen. With a positive attitude comes high energy. I do not give up and I dare to fail. If you do not dare, you will not win anything. With my experience, I also have a good foundation. I have worked a lot, traveled a lot and met many people.
What do you like most about your job?
– I like that no two days are the same and that I can control my time. I have meetings with completely different companies and people. One is a startup, the other is a traditional industrial company. I can go to unexpected fairs and chase customers at an after work. I always try to think outside the box in a conservative industry that generally can be a little nuanced. So far, it has yielded results. For example. I won> 60% of my quotes during my time at Note.
What do you think is important for a business to work well?
– In my experience, everything is about the people and the leadership. What should we do, what should we not do, where should we do it and how should we do it? Leadership is concretely the most crucial, it affects everything.
What are your interests besides work?
– I am weak for sports cars and motorcycles. I have two sports cars and a third on the way. I also like to visit Åland where we took over and renovated the family farm. Roslagen is also a favorite.
Many thanks Jonas and good luck!
For more information:
Jonas Söderlund, Business Development Manager
jonas.soderlund@inission.com
+46 703 75 10 83
About Inission
Inission Inission is a profitable total supplier that offers demanding industrial customers in the Nordic region complete electronic and mechanical products of the highest quality. Our services cover the entire product life cycle, from development and design to industrialization, volume production and aftermarket. By combining this with logistics services and a production based on high flexibility, customer adaptation and short lead times, our offer becomes very competitive. Inission has production units in Stockholm, Västerås, Borås, Munkfors, Malmö, Løkken Verk (Norway), Lohja (Finland) Lagedi and Tallinn (Estonia). Inission is listed on Nasdaq First North