changes What’s driving the process industry

Through thick and thin

Saara Huomolin spends most of her free time in the forest.  At Endress+Hauser Finland, she gives her best to fulfill customers’ wishes.

Text: Alexander Marzahn
Saara Huomolin

My name is Saara Huomolin. I was born in Lappeenranta, a small city on the beautiful shore of Lake Saimaa. I still enjoy spending time there, but school and work have taken me from one place to another. Nine years ago, I moved to a small country­side village approximately one hour’s drive from Helsinki. I live here with my two dogs, Jax (9) and Routa (1). Sometimes I miss my home town, as my parents and younger brother still live there.

I really like Finland a lot because it is a good and safe place. I especially enjoy each of our four seasons, be­cause there are always different things to do. Last winter I taught myself to knit and was proud to have made an entire Icelandic sweater – with the help of a knitwear book and Google. You can learn anything when you try hard enough.

Outdoor pursuits

 

In my spare time I like gardening as well as collecting mushrooms and berries in the forest. I make mushroom soup and sauces, the berries I use in various smoothies and for baking. I strongly believe that people should make more use of ber­ries, mushrooms and plants that grow in our forests as gifts of nature. Come the winter, I can still enjoy the bounty I collected and froze during the year.

I dedicate much free time to training my dogs. I got my first one aged eight in 1990: a miniature poodle that stayed with my parents when I moved away from home. When I got a house of my own in 2013, I bought my first Rottweiler and that really triggered my passion for dogs. Routa is my fifth Rottweiler; by now I am very familiar with their breeding. For someone who likes to spend time in nature, dogs are the best moti­vation. I train my dogs in forest track­ing and people search and rescue, as well as protection. Sometimes I take part in competitions. But mostly I like to be with the dogs because they are loyal and love you unconditionally. Working with dogs means that you need to be able to read them. It’s fun to observe their wholehearted enjoy­ment at doing things with you.

Mein Team und ich Das ist unser großartiges Key-Account-Team: Kari, Hanna, ich, Janne, Jouni und Lauri.

Me and my team

This is our awesome key account team: Kari, Hanna, me, Janne, Jouni and Lauri.

Mein liebster Gegen-stand Dieses Gemälde von meinem ersten  Rottweiler Doni habe ich zum Abschluss meines Studiums von einem Kollegen geschenkt be-kommen.

My favorite object

This painting of my first Rottweiler, Doni, was a graduation gift from a colleague.

Mein Traumziel „Ruskaretki“ nennen wir eine Herbstreise nach Lappland. Es ist eine friedliche Landschaft mit farbenfroher Natur.

My dream destination

‘Ruskaretki’ is our Finnish word for an autumn trip to Lapland. It’s a peaceful place with a colorful landscape.

Mein liebster Ort Im Home-Office kann ich meine Arbeit in meinem eigenen Tempo und mit voller Konzent-ration erledigen, was bei großen Projekten sehr wichtig ist.

My favorite place

In my home office I can work at my own pace without distractions, which is important when handling large projects.

Career path

I am precise and system­atic by nature, and like to get things done on time. Maybe that’s why I be­came an engineer specializing in automation technology. I graduated in2010 and initially worked for a pulp mill. Later I moved as sales coordinator to Endress+Hauser Metso, which at the time was a joint venture between Endress+Hauser and Metso Oyj,a Finnish industrial machinery company. When Endress+Hauser set up its own sales center in 2015 I became a technical sales engineer, then a project engineer and today a key account manager. I also support my colleagues as Salesforce administrator.

I enjoy interacting with customers and solving problems. I write project offers and communicate frequently with them to deepen the cooperation. My main goal is to be worthy of the customer’s trust in any situation, by providing the best possible service. It’s important to listen to the customer, keep in touch and be both polite and effective.

With the team

A big plus is that Endress+Hauser is a family business. This brings the feeling that we are doing things together, and together we are stronger and invincible. From my first day at Endress+Hauser and especially during the transition phase, the emphasis was clearly on collabo­ration. Looking back, it is amazing to see how we have grown as a team and as a company!

“It’s important to listen to the customer.”

Saara Huomolin

Key Account Manager, Endress+Hauser Finland

Saara Huomolin