Emil Östlund

Technical Project Leader

I was a newly graduated engineer from university looking for a new challenge, not fully aware of what I was getting into. I looked up the company and was intrigued by the opportunity to work with fire and explosion protection systems.

All projects where there is a strict deadline, such as the first board date for the panel board industry, the startup of a new Tissue Machine, or the hot commissioning for a new recycling or energy plant, are significant. Every project where we meet the deadline and seamlessly integrate our systems with the customer process makes me proud. A memorable project and moment for me occurred during Covid-19 in 2021 when a colleague, Fredrik, and I were upgrading an older Firefly system to the latest generation in Thailand at an MDF plant. We faced weeks of quarantine, strict hotel confinements, and numerous required documents. Despite these challenges, the project was successful. This experience taught me a lot about handling strict rules, deadlines, stress, problem-solving, and on-site revisions during the project’s timespan and installation.

The opportunity to help and work with customers to minimize the risk of potential hazards resonates deeply with me. Seeing our work, systems, and efforts make a real difference and have a positive impact is always appreciated and provides motivation to keep moving forward.

At Firefly, I have found opportunities for both personal and professional growth. I began as a project engineer supporting senior technical project managers and was soon managing my own projects. Starting with smaller projects, I gradually took on bigger and more complex ones, sometimes working with R&D and other departments to engineer new solutions or equipment. My journey started in Sweden, moved through the Nordics, Europe, and finally into the Asian market. As my experience and confidence grew, the company recognized this and provided me with opportunities to challenge myself and take on more responsibilities. Working with different markets and clients and traveling to various parts of the world has significantly contributed to my growth.

Firefly stands out due to its familiar atmosphere. At the office, you can laugh and chat with everyone. People are deeply invested and have been with the company for a long time, showing passion and commitment. The diverse backgrounds of the employees lead to interesting discussions, learning opportunities, and different perspectives.

For someone considering a career at Firefly, I would advise that the company values interest and dedication, allowing you to help shape your own path. An interest in new technology and being somewhat handy can make it easier to understand our solutions, customer processes, and clients, leading to better decisions on integrating our systems and addressing client issues.

Team dynamics and collaboration across different departments at Firefly are strong. Focusing on the Asian market, we work as a team, where everyone is involved in ongoing and upcoming projects. Shared problems and experiences are discussed effortlessly among sales, managers, project, and service teams to find solutions and improvements. As responsible for project deliveries, I work closely with multiple departments internally, including R&D for system design, Risk management for risk assessment, and Logistics, purchasing, and production departments to ensure goods are ready for dispatch according to deadlines. Close collaboration with service engineers continues until the system is implemented, commissioned, and approved. Open dialogue with R&D for improvement after feedback from project implementations is a norm.

Firefly’s contribution to society and the environment is significant. Industrial fires can negatively impact the climate and surrounding areas, and the loss of production affects thousands of people dependent on the factory. Minimizing the risk of accidents, injuries, hazards, loss of production, or facility damages has a substantial positive impact on society and the climate. Firefly’s clients and systems are implemented in the hygiene, personal care, and food industries, which people depend on in their daily lives. Firefly also works extensively with recycling processes and power generation, where maintaining production uptime in these areas speaks for itself.