I actually started in Aasted as a temporary employee. I had just been released from my old workplace. I called my friend and asked for some advice, and he told me about this factory in Farum. "Farum", I said – "I live in Farum. What do they make? – chocolate machines?! Perfect!". I grew up in Farum and went to school here and all, but I had no idea that we had such a huge factory and company until I started working here in Aasted.

Your success is up to you

The cool thing about being a service engineer is seeing how things work out with the customers and seeing the chocolate run after many years of building the machines here in Farum. When I travel, the best thing is to gather all the valuable know-how and get back and share it with my colleagues in Aasted. I believe that all of my colleagues at home in the factory should have the chance to see how the machines are installed and used with the customer's chocolate because that really pays off in the quality afterward. When I returned from my very first trip, I had a whole new perspective on these things. Seeing how the chocolate is produced is great. It is almost like being in a garage building cars and then actually driving one.

Here in Aasted, I think your own success is up to no one but yourself. You can weld parts for the same machine for 40 years and be really happy about that, or you can try out new things. I have had many different positions, both inside the factory and out traveling. My first trip with Aasted was more than 10 years ago. I used to travel a lot less than what I do now because my children were young. But they grew up, and that allowed me to travel more and go see the world. I travel a lot with my job right now, and I have done so for the last 4 years.

You get to see the world

I have traveled in Russia, the Baltic countries, Ukraine and Poland. I have been to France, Switzerland, New York, Austria, Italy, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. The new countries of the eastern block have definitely been the most exciting ones to visit.

I have stayed in a hotel in Warsaw for over 600 nights, and some of my favorite restaurants served me dinner over 50 times during my past many years as a traveling service engineer. They almost treat me like a rock star when I get there, and everybody is saying, "Hello, Rune!". That has never happened to me here in Copenhagen! But in Warsaw or Ukraine, I can return after 10 years, and they will still know who I am.

The real benefit of my job is that I get to see the world. I see places like Ukraine, Poland and Belarus. In Ukraine, I joined the local football team because I stayed there for such a long time. And a city like Warsaw is just a super cool city where I love taking walks by the river or visiting different museums and exhibitions.

When I travel, I get to see lots of different countries, scenery and cities. I meet different people all the time; the customers, the locals, and the people who actually work in the chocolate factory. It enriches me mentally and makes me appreciate the life I have and that I am able to both travel a lot but also have a great life back here in Denmark. I love my home and have never visited a better place than Denmark. The last many years have changed me mentally and taught me not to take things for granted and to really appreciate my life. That is something I try to pass on to my kids.

– Rune

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