Athina Savvidou
May 2021
Education: Master of Engineering (Meng) in Production & Management, MBA student
Country of placement: Germany
Field of work: Product Marketing
Interests: Travelling, cooking, meeting with friends and family
Can you briefly tell us about yourself?
My name is Athina Savvidou, I am from Greece but the last three years I’ve been living in Germany, more specifically in Stuttgart. I have already finished my MEng in Production and Management Engineering in Greece and since January 2020 I have been involved with my MBA (Master in Business Administration).
Where are you based during this internship?
Last April, I started at Synatec GmbH in Stuttgart as Product Marketing Intern. This means that I am based in Stuttgart, Germany.
In which field of work is your assignment?
Together with the project team, we are working on the project “Remote Services in the Industrial Technique Service (AIS) Division”.
Why did you apply for the Atlas Copco Industrial Internship Program?
I decided to apply to Atlas Copco’s Industrial Internship Program to gain more practical experience in the industrial field. While I was researching the company, I found out that it has a huge international presence and very innovative solutions, this made the idea of working here even more appealing.
What do you know about our company so far?
That sustainability, profitability, ethics and of course the right people are keys to success. You really have to know your customers and their needs in order to provide them with the most efficient solutions.
What are your expectations of the program?
- To gain practical experience by working on an international project with an international team.
- To extend my current knowledge in different areas.
- To become more familiar with the company and learn more about some of the products that Atlas Copco provides.
- To know more about Atlas Copco’s strategy and what they do to be “First in Mind − First in Choice”.
- To get to know the people who work here as well as meeting some of the company’s external partners.
Checking-in during summer
July 2021
Tell us about tasks and experiences in the internship so far.
The journey so far has been delightful, and I have enjoyed the internship and the workshops with business leaders as well. The collaboration with my colleagues and with the project sponsor has been very good. We have weekly meetings to discuss how the project is going and to analyze our tasks. It is easy to get in touch with everybody and there haven’t been any communication issues so far. I’m involved in the project “Remote Services in the Industrial Technique Service (AIS) Division”.
What are the project goals?
The aim of the project is to understand:
- How much value it could bring to our customers.
- How the business model could look like and how it would fit into our overall service product and delivery infrastructure.
- How to convince customers to spend the same on remote service rather than on on-site services.
- What the resources needed to build a remote service structure are including the required skills of our workforce.
Can you explain more about the dedicated project that has been assigned to you?
The first step of the project was to collect useful insights from managers all over the world in Atlas Copco’s different divisions. We interviewed the managers both in small teams and individually, depending on their role and schedule. The interviews were helpful for our own understanding about the project and about potential obstacles. After collecting this information, we analyzed it and presented it to our project sponsor.
From the interviews conducted we were able to identify the most common problem when it comes to remote services and customers willingness to pay. Our next step was to analyze all the current solutions regarding remote access products within Atlas Copco, do a competitor analysis to identify how far the competition is and identify the synergies within our division. To work efficiently we split these three tasks and three colleagues are working on the remote access products, two on the competitor analysis and one on the synergies. Personally, I’m involved in the competitor analysis. The step now is to present our results to the team and the project manager. After that, we aim to start building the business model.
What have you learned about our culture and values so far?
I have to say that I am really impressed about Atlas Copco culture. I like the way of thinking and that people play such an important role both inside and outside of the company. Ethics is a critical topic and Atlas Copco does the best here as well. I also like how innovative the company is and that it always tries to be first in mind and first in choice. Sustainability is also a key factor. But as already mentioned the value they show to other people is to my mind the most important and respectable aspect.
Checking-in after completed business project
August 2021
How did the project turn out?
I think the project turned out very well. We worked together as a team and had the chance to deliver all our findings in a way that was clear and understood by everyone. The feedback that we received was very positive.
How was the internship experience as a whole?
It was a very rewarding internship experience. I enjoyed all those months and all the work that we completed.
I think that the most important part was our internal communication within the group and of course the support from our project sponsor and mentor. The most amazing and worthwhile part, however, was the ability to interview different managers within Atlas Copco. They were more than willing to share their experiences with us which is something I very much appreciate.
What’s it like working at Atlas Copco?
It’s a unique experience. Even if you work in a specific country, you always need to deal with international people and work in different teams. This makes the job more challenging and gives you the chance to develop your skills and expand your knowledge.
Will this internship help you in your future career?
Yes, definitely! I have learned how to use different tools and methods to analyze and understand the market and the company itself, build business models but most of all to be patient and work in a team.
What are your main learnings and takeaways from the program?
Cooperating within an international team, overcoming language differences as well as time obstacles.
What was the nicest experience during the internship?
The best part of the program was the final presentation with the presidents and sponsors. The feedback we received was very positive and as a team, we felt very proud of our work.
