Electronics and electrical engineering have always been my subjects of interest. In childhood, I dismantled numerous old radios into small pieces and remember very well when I got my first soldering iron. My professional career started in 1981 with a summer job at a local waterpower plant, where I worked for several seasons. It was exciting for a 16-year-old to wander around the big machines. Those experiences laid the foundation for further education in electrical engineering and especially the operating of power plants.
After graduation I started as a trainee at an electricity distributor. Once the trainee period was over, I worked in the company for 15 years, approximately half the time as a medium and high voltage installer with cable systems as a special interest and the rest of the time conducting administrative tasks within purchasing and logistics. I also visited the plastics industry briefly but even if the period was short, I gained a lot of experience in various plastic materials, and that knowledge I use today in my daily work.
My Ensto career began in 2005 in area sales of Central Norway. Then I got more and more product responsibilities and today I work as the Product Manager, Underground Cable Accessories. The daily tasks include ever more documentation: I make sure that the product information is up to date for the customers, maintain the wholesalers product specifications and so on. Thanks to the earlier experience in sales, I can support the salespeople with their work.
My goal is to do things as efficiently as possible, not only for the end customer, but also internally so that we use as few resources as possible for back-office tasks and rather spend the time on sales and marketing of new solutions. We invest in online channels, and I have noticed that even if updating the product database is an eternal task and requires a strong buttock, a good website is worth gold. The customer can find the product data sheets, pictures and photos 24/7 online.
It is always interesting to listen to the challenges our customers have − they are often different from what we think. And that fact is of vital importance! I try to come up with simple creative solutions that can solve a problem for the customer. Sometimes it is easy, but sometimes it requires more time and resources. I like to go in depth on things, always trying to be carefully acquainted with the material before I present it to the customers. Studying standards and regulations for example is often time-consuming, but we at Ensto want to give the customer the correct information and the best products.
I enjoy sharing my knowledge with customers and colleagues. Field training within the Ensto Pro training program is always interesting and rewarding, and a good counterbalance for sitting at the desk. I also learn more from the customers as I teach them during customer visits and trainings. Part of my time is dedicated to designing or improving underground cable joints and terminations for the new and special cable types such as submarine cables and cables for ships and offshore. In these segments, you rarely get the same order twice: there is always something new and special adaptations are often required to achieve the desired function. Our customers in this industry are demanding and the risk can be high if the product does not work as planned. This needs a special focus from us!
For me creativity is important also outside the working hours and in other ways such as design and photography. Design can be so much: graphic design, CAD design, 3D printing. I also like to repair and restore old things and make things of wood or metal. Since the age of 15 photographing has been a dear hobby for me: that was when I got my first system camera. I don’t publish my photos anywhere; photo shooting is just for relaxation and fun. Still, in my daily job I often take pictures of products, milieu, and installations – and that I enjoy.
Frode Foss
The writer of the blog works as the Product Manager, Underground Cable Accessories in Norway.