Quant is a global leader in industrial maintenance services. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Quant is dedicated to helping customers boost productivity, enhance safety, and optimize costs through smart maintenance processes – such as predictive maintenance powered by machine-learning intelligence and real-time asset condition data.
Business Development Manager Europe and Middle East Emil Bergdahl has worked for Quant for over 6 years. His enthusiasm for his work is evident.
“My primary focus is driving efficiency. It’s a rewarding task. I feel a strong sense of pride every time we succeed in delivering tangible and measurable value to our customers through improved productivity,” he explains.
When I stepped into my current role, I wanted to deepen my expertise – and the GDDSL program seemed like the perfect fit.
“I also really enjoy my work because I am somewhat of an industrial nerd. I love being out on industrial sites and seeing how things work. It’s fascinating to see bread baking on an industrial scale, or to observe how products that I buy in the store are manufactured. I like knowing that Quant plays an important part in making these processes more efficient.”
Bergdahl has enhanced his skills in digitalization, leadership, and driving change in Aalto EE’s Leading Digital Transformation (Graduate Diploma in Digital Strategy and Leadership program).
“Although digitalization had been an important part of my work already before, it wasn’t my primary focus until I joined our digitalization team. When I stepped into my current role, I wanted to deepen my expertise – and the Leading Digital Transformation program seemed like the perfect fit,” he remarks.
A first-rate learning experience
Bergdahl attended the Leading Digital Transformation program together with a close colleague from Quant. He describes Aalto EE’s learning environment as first-rate.
“The instructors were outstanding, and the program exceeded my expectations. Although the lessons included pertinent theory, the business perspective was always front and center. It made the lessons directly applicable to my own work.”
Bergdahl highlights two key takeaways from the Leading Digital Transformation program:
“The program altered my mindset. That was definitely my greatest takeaway. It strengthened my conviction that digitalization is not an independent domain that needs to be integrated into daily business activities, but a powerful enabler for driving efficiency, improvement, and value creation,” he underlines.
Although the lessons included pertinent theory, the business perspective was always front and center. It made the lessons directly applicable to my own work.
“Another key takeaway was understanding just how important data collaboration is,” Bergdahl says.
“Being overprotective about data sharing doesn’t pay off. If you want to be successful in digitalization, you need to share and exchange data with partners and customers. Having an open mindset towards data collaboration is key to creating additional value together with partners and customers.”
Bergdahl also appreciated the wealth of practical examples and collaborative learning methods.
“I especially liked learning about real-life digital strategies from global multibillion-dollar companies and then working in smaller groups to apply these insights to our own contexts,” he notes.
“Alongside everything else, the program was also a great networking opportunity. Getting to know people from other types of businesses and sectors was really valuable, and I sincerely enjoyed our discussions. It was very interesting to hear about the challenges and opportunities that they were facing in their industries,” he mentions.
An actionable Digital Resilience plan
As part of the program, participants developed Digital Resilience plans tailored to their organizations. Bergdahl’s plan focused on how Quant could seize opportunities by adopting a platform economy mindset.
“Developing a Digital Resilience plan was an invaluable exercise. We are undergoing a business transformation – steadily evolving from a traditional industrial maintenance services company to a digitized maintenance service provider. To stay relevant to our customers, we must continually challenge ourselves and stay on our toes,” he explains.
Bergdahl’s plan explored how Quant could embrace platform economy principles to expand its services to a broader customer base while fostering closer collaboration with partners and suppliers to create shared benefits.
The Leading Digital Transformation was a real eye-opener. It pushed my thinking further.
“In essence, I defined a clear goal and outlined the activities needed to achieve it. While we are still in the early stages of implementing these ideas – partly because I went on parental leave shortly after GDDSL – key steps from my Digital Resilience plan will soon come to life,” he says.
A chance to think out of the box
Bergdahl lives in Sweden, and his day-to-day work is filled with strategic initiatives and problem solving on a global scale. Attending the Leading Digital Transformation program in Helsinki gave him the opportunity to explore new insights and take a fresh perspective.
“Disconnecting from work and immersing myself in the training environment was very useful. It helped me apply a broader mindset and think outside of the box,” he mentions.
“I’m happy to recommend the program,” Bergdahl says. “I had presumed that I was quite up to speed with digitalization, but the Leading Digital Transformation was a real eye-opener. It pushed my thinking further.”
“The content was highly relevant, the instructors were great – and while it might not be the main reason to attend, it’s worth noting that Aalto EE’s building is stunning, and the food was always really good,” he adds with a laugh.
Bergdahl has a few tips for people considering enrolling in the program.
I participated together with a close colleague from Quant, and it was definitely advantageous.
“The discussions in class are incredibly rewarding, and you’ll want to actively participate and contribute – so make sure you have time to read all the recommended articles carefully before each session,” he points out.
“I aspired to do so, but on one occasion I was so busy that I didn’t get the chance to read the material until I was on the plane to Finland. Although that session was beneficial as well, I know I would have gotten even more out of it if I had had time to prepare properly,” he reflects.
“Also, consider bringing a friend. I participated together with a close colleague from Quant, and it was definitely advantageous. After each session, we could immediately discuss everything we had learned from Quant’s perspective and brainstorm how to implement new ideas in our organization.”