Young Talents in Maintenance – Sanni and Elina’s Role in Sustainable Rail Maintenance

Sanni graduated as an environmental engineer and while looking for a job in her field, she found FleetCare's advertisement for an environmental specialist. Even as she was applying, she felt that the position was a good fit for her and that the job description met her expectations. 

Her goal for the summer was to update the sorting guidelines for the Oulu and Joensuu depots. She worked in Pieksämäki, where the sorting instructions have already been updated. Therefore, in Pieksämäki, Sanni's main task was to increase the recycling rate by identifying what kind of waste is generated in production and how best to recycle it. During the summer, various recycling options were planned, such as recycling wood and packaging pallets.

Other tasks included unifying the labeling of waste containers in the depot. Also, if Sanni noticed something that she would like to address better, she could talk to her supervisor about it and thus influence her to-do-list. One such issue was the reorganization of the hazardous waste area.

Sanni is motivated by problem-solving and making things work. She says that it feels good if she can make things run smoother.

Sanni also expresses a wish that FleetCare could in the future have a wider environmental team, which could fully address environmental issues as requirements and legislation change. Environmental work is important to ensure that the business remains responsible and sustainable in the long term. “And it’s this responsibility aspect of environmental work that is visible to the passenger," says Sanni.

After the summer, Sanni started as a climate coordinator in another project and started her master’s degree in circular economy. However, she expresses a possible interest in returning to FleetCare in the future.

Summer 2024 was the second summer Elina worked at FleetCare. She originally applied in 2023 for the position of an environmental specialist but ended up as a technical specialist. During the covid-19 pandemic, she completed a degree in aircraft maintenance and therefore she has experience both as an engineer and a mechanic. During the job interview, she was asked if she would be interested in the work of a technical specialist. She was, and afterward, she was glad that the job opportunity was offered to her, as otherwise, she might not have thought of applying for such a role. 

After her first summer at FleetCare, she continued her environmental engineering studies at Tampere University of Applied Sciences and worked for FleetCare through her own company. FleetCare was also the client of her bachelor’s thesis. In the middle of summer, Elina turned in her thesis and received the highest marks in it, and a degree certificate. For the summer of 2024, she returned to work at FleetCare as a development specialist.

At FleetCare organisation, Elina was part of the Factory Services unit, which is responsible for the management and maintenance of production machinery and equipment in the maintenance units. She had various assignments during the summer: tasks related to defect repairs, working with subcontractors, and involvement in process development. She also covered for her colleagues who were on summer vacation, and as a result, her to-do list had a wide variety of tasks.

One good example of her duties was to maintain Spotilla, which is a machinery and equipment maintenance system. If some equipment went out of order, Elina would go to the production site, locate the equipment, enter the necessary information on the equipment card, and place the equipment maintenance plan in the correct place in the system.

Elina has learned to be methodical and says that analytical skills, time management, and tolerance for slight pressure are necessary to successfully manage her tasks. Sometimes there were surprises, and she had to adapt to new situations as best she could.

The work experience was interesting and challenging and made her more confident in her skills. Elina also says she has learned more about different types of equipment and maintenance, which is, after all, an environmental issue. Extending the life of equipment reduces waste and resource consumption, which is good for the environment.

After the summer Elina continues working at FleetCare, in the same unit but under a different title. Her new title is work planner and in her new role, she’s responsible for organizing and developing planned maintenance and inspections, focusing on preventive maintenance instead of reactive. She also oversees calibrations and matters related to the Spotilla, including the development and technical support of subcontractors. The new position is more precisely defined compared to her role in the summer, and it brought her more responsibility.

Elina is happy to stay on board. To someone who would like to seek job opportunities like the one Elina had in the summer, Elina would say: "Learn to tolerate uncertainty, enjoy being with different people, enjoy problem-solving, always keep your eyes open for possible development, question why things are done in a certain way, don't be too perfectionist and – good luck!"