Lisa, Project Manager Precast

"It is both important and fun to be out on the construction sites and meet people.”

Lisa Lidar works as a project manager at Heidelberg Materials Precast Abetong, Division Hus. She has a long history with the company, having started her career in the early 90s.

Since then, she has worked as a designer and project manager, and for a short time also as a salesperson. In the office in the small, idyllic town of Kvicksund outside Eskilstuna, Sweden, she sits with her colleagues in sales and project management, about 10 of them. The design department and production facility are right next door.

- We are a good team that has fun and enjoys working together. During the pandemic, things were a bit different, of course, but it became even clearer that we are good at looking up and looking after each other. Even though we were mostly seen digitally, we managed to maintain a really good team spirit and achieve good results together.

What do you do at work as a project manager?

- It depends on whether we have a contract where we are responsible for both the supply and the erection of the concrete frame, or whether we just supply the material for the frame. The frame is the actual skeleton that supports the apartment block, walls, floors, columns, and balconies. In both cases, I am involved from the time we sell the project until the final approval. First there's the design phase, and then we order materials that must arrive at the right factory at the right time. This can be materials we buy ourselves or materials provided by the client. In a project, the finished concrete elements are often delivered from several of our factories.

- If we have a contract, we are also responsible for the installation, and then I am on site an average of two days a week. This can involve various meetings, but also coordination with the installation manager. There are always questions that come up. I think it is important and fun to be out on the sites and meet people.

What is a normal day in the office like?

- It can be very varied, and I like that. It's rare that a day goes exactly as I had planned. The day usually consists of one or more meetings, with the design team and/or the factory. Then I update the schedules. Keeping track of project schedules is very important. As a project manager, you usually have several projects going on at the same time and it is important to keep track of each one. There are a lot of phone calls and emails during the day and sometimes you can feel overwhelmed. Now I'm also involved in a development project, so there's a lot of work involved.

What is the best thing about your job?

- The feeling of togetherness and the corporate culture, where you feel supported by the organisation. And the variety, I never know what is going to happen from one day to the next. Then the fact that I am constantly learning new things and that I can contribute to the development of the company.