In 2022, Ponsse was loo­king for ser­vice mec­ha­nics for Ponsse’s inter­nal exc­hange pro­gramme. Ponsse’s emplo­yees att­rac­ted by the idea of wor­king abroad applied for the pro­gramme, some of whom have already tried what it is like to work in other Ponsse loca­tions across the world.

The idea of an exc­hange pro­gramme for ser­vice mec­ha­nics was already rai­sed before the coro­na­vi­rus pan­de­mic, but the applica­tion process was not star­ted until a couple of years ago. The long-term goal is to gat­her a group of mec­ha­nics who, if requi­red, can tem­po­ra­rily pro­vide extra hands for the needs of Ponsse’s local main­te­nance orga­ni­sa­tions. There is a glo­bal demand for skil­led ser­vice mec­ha­nics.

In the exc­hange pro­gramme, ser­vice mec­ha­nics can work for shor­ter periods abroad, ran­ging from a couple of weeks to a few months. This lowers the thres­hold for wor­king abroad.

“Our ser­vice mec­ha­nics have the oppor­tu­nity to expe­rience dif­fe­rent cul­tu­res and con­di­tions and share their exper­tise with local orga­ni­sa­tions,” says Tapio Mer­ta­nen, Ponsse’s Chief Ser­vice Busi­ness Officer. “Posi­tive feed­back recei­ved while wor­king abroad strengt­hens ser­vice mec­ha­nics’ pro­fes­sio­nal mind­set and inc­rea­ses apprecia­tion towards their work,” Mer­ta­nen says.

Dif­fe­rent wor­king envi­ron­ments and cul­tu­res also teach crea­ti­vity. In the des­ti­na­tion
country, the con­tent of the tool­box may not neces­sa­rily be the same as what a mec­ha­nic is used to, and field con­di­tions may dif­fer sig­ni­ficantly. Furt­her­more, dis­tances between ser­vice cent­res and mac­hi­nes may be lon­ger than in the Nor­dic count­ries.

“The oppor­tu­nity to work abroad seems to moti­vate ser­vice mec­ha­nics and helps them deve­lop their pro­fes­sio­nal skills. This will hope­fully result in lon­ger emplo­y­ment rela­tions­hips with Ponsse over time,” says Mer­ta­nen.

From Jyväs­kylä to Ire­land via France

Hai­ling from Jyväs­kylä, Juha Kahe­lin has always wan­ted to try a work period abroad. With this exc­hange pro­gramme, he deci­ded to make his dream come true, and he was accep­ted to work in France for four months.

Juha was able to reach the best pos­sible agree­ment for a family man with his emplo­yer.
“I was a bit ner­vous at first about going and being sepa­ra­ted from my family, but it all went well,” Juha says. He wor­ked in France in fourweek periods, spen­ding two weeks at home in Jyväs­kylä between them.

What kinds of expe­riences did you get in your tool­box? Did the way of wor­king dif­fer from the Fin­nish way?

“The amazing sce­nery and the oppor­tu­nity to learn more about a dif­fe­rent cul­ture were the best parts. The work itself wasn’t that dif­fe­rent,” Juha says. “The cus­tom of sha­king hands has especially stuck to my mind. Any­one, from cus­to­mers to col­lea­gues, was always gree­ted by sha­king hands,” says Juha. “Wor­king hours also took some time to get used to. I like to start my day at 7 am, so wor­king from 8 am to 5:30 pm with a lunch break of 1.5–2 hours in between dif­fe­red from my rou­ti­nes.”

Did you learn any French?

“We mainly spoke English, but I know a few gree­tings and plea­sant­ries in French. While some of my col­lea­gues spoke English, some­ti­mes we had to use body lan­guage to unders­tand each other.”

Ins­pi­red by the expe­rience, Juha will be going on a new six-month work period in Ire­land. “I’d encou­rage eve­ry­one inte­res­ted to use the exc­hange pro­gramme! It offers educa­tio­nal expe­riences and makes you see things from a new pers­pec­tive,” Juha says encou­ra­gingly.

An expe­rienced world tra­vel­ler

Wor­king in Örns­kölds­vik in Swe­den, Den­nis Viberg is a vete­ran glo­bet­rot­ter. The idea of wor­king abroad was spar­ked when he was offe­red the oppor­tu­nity to go to Brazil. Den­nis deci­ded to accept the chal­lenge.

“After the first work period, I wan­ted to see the world and all the dif­fe­rent log­ging sites,” says Den­nis. Fol­lowing Brazil, he has already wor­ked in France and Ire­land.

What makes you want to work abroad?

“It’s inte­res­ting to see dif­fe­rent work cul­tu­res – and cul­tu­res in gene­ral. Mee­ting new people and see­ing dif­fe­rent ways of wor­king are highly educa­tio­nal expe­riences.”

What dif­fe­rences have you seen while wor­king in dif­fe­rent count­ries?

“As there are sig­ni­ficant dif­fe­rences not only in ways of wor­king but also in cul­tu­res in gene­ral, it’s dif­ficult to point out any single fac­tor. What all of these places have in com­mon is the will to keep cus­to­mers happy by hel­ping them as quickly as pos­sible and in the best pos­sible way.”

“I’d defi­ni­tely recom­mend the exc­hange pro­gramme if you want to chal­lenge your­self, meet new people and learn more about their cul­ture,” Den­nis says encou­ra­gingly before hea­ding off for a new work period abroad later this autumn.