From Paramedic to Product Manager | Kent Fredriksdotter
It is Wednesday evening. Not much is happening on the night shift today. Lost in thought, Kent sits in the emergency response vehicle and looks at the devices that he has already used many times. His eyes rest on the ventilator: WEINMANN Emergency. He has often noticed this name before but has never thought about who or what is actually behind it. A couple of minutes later he clicks through the website on his mobile phone and the “Careers” page particularly arouses his interest. What catches his eye immediately is the dual study program in industrial engineering. At that, he tries his luck and submits an application.
A year later he starts as a dual student at WEINMANN Emergency. He looks forward to the combination of practical phases and theoretical phases in the lecture halls at the Nordakademie University of Applied Sciences. More than five years have passed since then and Kent is now in talks about the new level of the MEDUCORE Standard². Following promotion from his role as Junior Product Manager, he is now jointly responsible as Product Manager for products in the area of Defibrillation + Monitoring together with his team colleagues. At the same time, he has assumed primary responsibility for the LIFE-BASE portable unit and emergency cases and backpacks as well as for the subject area of hygienic reprocessing.
Users’ problems always in mind
Although Kent is no longer involved in emergency medical services, he remains constantly aware of the needs of users. He knows exactly what really matters when it comes to the devices and understands the importance of rapid, intuitive operation. This practical background was not only a plus point in his application but also helps him during his day-to-day work. To constantly stay up to date, he exchanges views with his former colleagues and attends regular training courses and congresses. “We address problems experienced in practice and then find suitable solutions. This application-related work is the reason why I enjoy product management so much,” explains Kent. He realized relatively quickly during his dual studies that he wanted to work in product management. To help him fulfill this desire, he was above all supported by Samir, Head of Product Management for Emergency and Transport Ventilation. “In this way, I could already work in product management for a large part of my practical phases and even take on my own projects,” adds Kent. For example, he introduced a tool that makes it considerably easier to prepare, record, and evaluate usability studies: “The usability of a medical device determines to a large degree whether a user will readily and safely work with this device – or not. That is why we give it such importance.”
Every day is different
Kent does not have a typical working day. For part of the day, various matters spontaneously land on his desk: Which products can be offered to a customer with special requirements? What sales volumes are expected for a product in the coming years? A core part of his activities involves regular interaction with various interfaces – especially R+D – in order to integrate the respective market requirements into the development of products, for example. His range of tasks also includes looking ahead to the future and identifying optimization potential. “It is never boring – quite the contrary. The fact that WEINMANN Emergency is growing all the time constantly presents us with new challenges. We develop ourselves every day,” explains Kent. What he especially likes is the feeling of togetherness within the company: “I have felt very comfortable since the very first day. Colleagues treat each other as equals. No matter whether someone has already been working here for ten years or only ten days – everyone is valued equally and is immediately a part of the WEINMANN community.”
Five quick facts about Kent
- In my job, it is above all necessary to adopt and represent the perspective of the user.
- My day-to-day work is characterized by my previous work in the emergency medical services.
- My colleagues say that I am structured and someone that you can always ask for advice.
- For me, WEINMANN Emergency is more than an employer. It is an opportunity to be actively involved in the continuous improvement of out-of-hospital emergency medicine.
- At the weekend exercise and time on the water are essential!
