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NORMA Group is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. The blog series 15 Voices – 15 Countries gives 15 colleagues from 15 countries an opportunity to report on their experiences at NORMA Group and tell us how NORMA Group has developed at their location.
Thomas Eriksson is a Warehouse Worker at the NORMA Group site in Anderstorp, Sweden.
Thomas, how long have you been working at NORMA Group?
I have been with NORMA Group for over 33 years now. But it definitely doesn’t feel like it’s been that long. I feel more like a junior, especially compared to my father, who worked for the company for 50 years.
What events at NORMA Group have been the most memorable for you in your time here?
At first glance, it might look simple and monotonous to spend 33 years in just one company, but here at NORMA Group it has certainly never been boring. In my time at the company, I have experienced two mergers, among other things. Both of them presented a new set of challenges and new areas of responsibility. I started at AWAB in 1988. In 1990, AWAB merged with ABA, resulting in the formation of the ABA Group. Then, in 2006, ABA Group merged with the German Rasmussen GmbH and today’s NORMA Group was founded. In the years that followed, production facilities were moved to Anderstorp – from Hillerstorp and from the Netherlands, for example. I especially remember the rubber clamp that was moved to us from Hillerstorp. These processes were all associated with new tasks. It is definitely anything but boring here.
How has NORMA Group changed or developed since you started working here?
A lot has changed in 33 years. When I started at AWAB and even later at the ABA Group, we were always a company with a family atmosphere. Today, we are a global corporation that employs thousands of people throughout the world. And, of course, the procedures and processes in such a large company are managed differently than they are in a small business. But being part of such a large company also offers many advantages. It allows us to position ourselves much better internationally, especially in relation to our competitors. From almost any perspective, the company’s development over the past 33 years have been enormous. When I started here at the warehouse in 1988, we assembled everything by hand. In 2021, our processes are fully automated. And our ERP system also didn’t exist in 1988. NORMA Group has become increasingly digitalized in recent years.
What would you like to see in the future of NORMA Group?
I hope that NORMA Group can continue to develop as strongly as it has in the past. I would like to see the same for NORMA Sweden. I also hope that we will be able to further expand our plant here in Sweden in the future. I am very much aware that we have great employees around the world with incredible expertise. By working together, we can successfully shape the future of NORMA Group. I wish all my colleagues at NORMA Group all the best and every success in the world. Stay strong – winners never give up!