Who are you and what does your company do?
My name is Magnus Björkskog, and I started working at AMADA Automation Europe, or AAE, as an
electrical assembler in 1998. Since then, I have held various positions, with the longest period
being a supervisor for 15 years. Since October 2022, I have been working in the HR department,
handling tasks such as competence development, recruitment, and training. During my time at
AAE, both the company’s revenue and the number of employees have steadily increased.
AAE is located in Bennäs, Pedersöre, Finland, and is part of the Japanese AMADA Corporation. The
corporation is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of sheet metal processing machines, with
more than 100 companies across five continents and around 9,000 employees, of which
approximately 2,000 are in Europe. AAE develops and manufactures automation solutions for the
corporation’s sheet metal processing machines, and the majority of their production is exported to
Europe and North America. The company has around 200 employees, and its core values are
defined as openness, responsibility, and commitment. AAE’s management system is certified, and
its operational policy includes delivering high-quality automation solutions, minimizing the
environmental footprint in a sustainable manner, and understanding customer needs,
requirements, and expectations. Occupational safety is also an integral part of their quality work.
How has the recruitment need looked like?
We haven’t had any major recruitment problems, but in recent years, we have noticed a decrease
in the number of applicants for certain positions. Access to welders and electrical and automation
assemblers in the area has been particularly challenging, as many are recruited during their
studies. Those who are hired by us tend to stay for a long time. This applies to young individuals as
well, but studies and military service can naturally change their direction in life.
Some time ago, we sought help from Dobra for the recruitment of automation assemblers and
received several candidates offers relatively quickly. Since this was a new way of working for us,
the decision-making process took a bit longer from our side, which led to a couple of candidates
accepting other jobs. However, the rest of the recruitment process went very smoothly. It feels
good that we conducted a thorough evaluation, even though it took a little longer to get started.
We gained a clear understanding of how the process works and know that it will be smoother in
the future.
Why did you choose to hire a staffing agency?
There was a significant recruitment need, and because we noticed increased competition for
certain positions, we wanted to establish a functional concept for the long term as well. We also
knew from before that Dobra had succeeded in recruiting many welders, so that was one of the
reasons we chose them.
How do you feel about the hired worker?
We are very satisfied with our choice. The learning process was quick, he is skilled at his job, and he
has integrated well into the community. We are an international company, so communication in
English goes relatively smoothly, which, of course, also facilitates future needs.
How has the collaboration with Dobra been?
I have always received answers to my questions, and communication has worked excellently.
Whenever I wanted to, I could contact a contact person from Dobra, and they, in turn, contacted
us if there were any questions regarding vacations, etc. There has been less work with certain HR
matters. While we still have some issues to consider for hired workers, we avoid many
responsibilities and wage-related matters that we must think about with our own employees. We
had a good start and see that we will use Dobra in the future to recruit workers when we can’t find
them ourselves. It has been great that Dobra has offered comprehensive solutions with
accommodation, registrations, etc., so that we can focus on our work. We don’t have the resources
to start handling other matters.
Do you have any advice for other companies?
I would recommend companies to give it a try! The collaboration with Dobra has been a good
experience, an alternative that has worked well and that we have the opportunity to use more in
the future. It is a good way to get help during temporary peaks and for shorter or longer periods.
