Odd-Einar Warholm wearing a hard hat with headlamp and high-visibility jacket, smiling on the deck of a vessel at VARD Søviknes with blue sky behind.
Employee Story · VARD

The United Department

Odd-Einar Warholm · Department Manager Machinery

Photo: VARD
VARD

We have met Odd-Einar Warholm, Department Manager Machinery. He has worked his whole life in VARD, starting as an apprentice. “Show interest in the craftmanship” is his advice.

Name Odd-Einar Warholm
Role Department Manager Machinery
Location Vard Søviknes, Norway

Odd-Einar knows what he is talking about. He started his career in 1992 at Brattvaag skipsverft in a project position, left to serve in the military, and returned to Søviknes as an apprentice in 1994. He has worked here ever since.

As department manager, Odd-Einar does a lot of administrative work to support the leaders and skilled workers in his department. The department has 25 employees and is organised into three teams:

  • CommissioningStarts and tests machinery
  • MechanicalInstalls machinery
  • Machine ShopHandles cutting and milling

I am an office person now. I miss the outdoor work a bit, though. So, I really enjoyed myself during Easter when I got to be a helping hand during the mounting of thrusters on one of our vessels. It is nice to show colleagues and apprentices that the boss can do more than bossing.

Odd-Einar Warholm

Around the World

Talking to Odd-Einar one soon realizes that this is a person who likes to challenge himself. This has given him and his team a lot of exciting experiences. Especially back in the days when he was working as an industrial mechanic.

Malta
3.5 weeks of winch work in 30–40°C heat, knee-deep in oil
Japan
3 weeks mounting thrusters on a hull of new design
Romania
Regular building supervision between partner yards

“I especially remember Malta where the collaboration and teamwork established between us, the others we worked with, and the crew on the ship, was really special,” he says. “The people I met were so nice and helpful!”

His department is also the only one in VARD with a mobile machinery equipment they can bring wherever mounting, cutting, and milling is needed.

Odd-Einar Warholm watches a young colleague working closely on precision machinery in the VARD workshop.

Apprentices & Competence

The machinery department is also a “learning institution” welcoming apprentices. During this spring, three apprentices are taking their exams to get certified as skilled workers, after learning the craft in Odd-Einar’s department.

Ask questions The most important thing is that they ask questions to the skilled workers to make them share their knowledge.
Show interest in the craft Show genuine curiosity for the craftmanship. Only by showing determination can you succeed.
Volunteer for tasks Step up and seek knowledge through hands-on experience. The apprentices are a part of all our processes — they are learning by doing.
Odd-Einar and a colleague working together on heavy industrial machinery in the VARD workshop hall, with bright daylight from the large doors.
Hands-on in the workshop — the department’s mobile machinery equipment in action.

The Best Job

When we ask Odd-Einar what the best thing is about being employed at VARD, there is no hesitation:

The teamwork feeling. The working environment with the colleagues and the way we collaborate, is the best. This makes us bond in a special way and has led to many of us, including the apprentices, spending our spare time together. That reflects on the working environment and the job we do.

Odd-Einar Warholm
Two VARD workers in protective clothing study a work sheet together in the workshop, reflecting the close teamwork Odd-Einar describes.
“The best job ever,” he smiles.

VARD is on the lookout for new talent. With a team of dedicated professionals, each bringing unique strengths to the table, we seek individuals who can contribute to its continued success.

More about VARD
This article is published with permission from VARD. Original content © VARD.