Meet Henrik, Simulation Superhero at Visual Components

Henrik has been an Application Engineer at Visual Components (VC) for over 3 years. He is highly skilled in manufacturing simulation, having spent over 5 years in the field before joining the VC Simulation Expert team.

When Henrik is not busy giving product presentations and demonstrations to our customers, he has quite a few hobbies. He loves sailing and to be surrounded by nature, so you might find him wandering in the woods, hunting deer or even hiking in Lapland. Like many staff at VC, Henrik also enjoys travelling and playing sports, such as football or floorball with his colleagues.

What is your background and how did you end up at Visual Components?

I have always been interested in engineering and robotics automation. I studied Automation Engineering in Tampere University of Technology. My major was Factory Automation, and it gave me an in-depth overview of our industry. In 2011, I started working as a technical sales support in Pemamek, a Finnish welding automation company. I also did my Bachelor and Master thesis for the company, which focused on simulation using Visual Components software.

After 5 years at Pemamek I felt like I needed more challenges. Lucky for me a position in Technical Sales at VC had just opened and I applied immediately.

What about Visual Components caught your attention?

Firstly, it was the product. I’ve used the software before, and it was a very positive experience. Therefore, I wanted to continue using it for my career. On the other hand, the job advertisement described exactly what I’ve expected for my dream job.

Firstly, it was the product. I’ve used the software before, and it was a very positive experience. Therefore, I wanted to continue using it for my career.

What has made you stay at Visual Components for over 3 years?

Before joining VC, I knew some of the guys from the support team. They are really talented and highly skilled professionals, especially Dr. Scott Walter (one of VC’s three founders), who has been in the industry for many years. I’m proud and privileged to have the opportunity to work with them.

I also keep learning new things. Working at VC helps me challenge myself, and forces me outside of my comfort zone. Plus, I get to know people from different cultures and manufacturing applications from different industries. This significantly helps me broaden my knowledge. I used to work in the welding industry, but now I have customers from various manufacturing fields – one is making shoes, another building air crafts!

I used to work in the welding industry, but now I have customers from various manufacturing fields – one is making shoes, another building air crafts!

Last but not least, the company culture and the atmosphere are wonderful. We are like a big family!

What do you do as an Application Engineer at Visual Components?

There are plenty of different tasks. Mostly I give product presentations and demonstrations to our customers, and support our sales department with technical questions. I also provide end-user product trainings to customers and partners, create content for our Academy or Forum, and prepare tutorial and training materials.

I also take care of component modeling and eCatalog updates, and provide support and consultancy for our customers and partners in project work.

What does your regular day look like?

The best part of my job is that there are no regular days. I have daily and weekly routines, but it really depends on what I need to do at that time. I could be on a road trip visiting customers, hosting a training session, at a tradeshow, or in the office. Last Monday I was working remotely from our family’s cottage!

What do you enjoy most about your day?

It is always satisfying when I work on something complex and get it working. Receiving positive feedback from customers for our work or our product is always pleasant too. For example, I was supporting a customer who had been unhappy with a competitor’s product. They turned to us and were really satisfied with what we were able to provide. When they decided to do business with us it was the best feedback!

Do you have a fun fact or favourite anecdote from working at VC?

The most vivid memory for me is when I started working at VC and had my first customer training in China. At that time, I had just gotten married, and I flew directly from my honeymoon in Thailand to China.

There was a big class of students attending the training. Because we didn’t speak the same language, I needed to carefully prepared what I wanted to say so that the interpreter could correctly translate the instructions. Honestly, it was a trial by fire as a welcoming task for the new guy!

What advice would you give someone who’d like to work with us?

Be open-minded and self-oriented. Here we don’t wait for the boss to tell us what to do next. There are many things to be done either independently or in a team so don’t be afraid of challenging yourself – you will learn from that!

Remember, you don’t need to be ready – you will be supported, as we have good teams and it’s really easy to approach people here. Finally, be yourself – we are open to different kinds of personalities and skills.

Remember, you don’t need to be ready – you will be supported, as we have good teams and it’s really easy to approach people here. Finally, be yourself – we are open to different kinds of personalities and skills.

Describe in one sentence what it’s like to work at Visual Components.

You just need to experience it yourself!