Pipe constructions for Kungälv's new water treatment plant

Robin Wester is the project manager of Rodoverken and he manages the project together with supervisor Peter Lenander. Together with their team of about twenty people, they operate pipe installations and mechanical installations in the treatment plant. It is a large site and a lot of subcontractors that work there at the same time, which means that there are a lot of people in motion.
Inside of the grey concrete walls it is cold, even though it is only the middle of September.
Here, electricians, scaffold workers and welders share the space and it is working out fine, the atmosphere is very good. The treatment plant has four floors and several basins that the water will be filtered through. On the bottom floor, the enormous pipe constructions hang almost 8 meters up in the ceiling.

"It is of course one of the biggest challenges with this job, that almost everything hangs from the ceiling. Pipe- parts that weigh several tons have to be placed several meters up and then assembled. There have to be trust within the team if this is going to work”, Robin says.
At the same time as Rodoverken has had other large projects, it has been important for Robin and Peter to keep their core-group. They want to create the best possible conditions for their co-workers, so they planned a whole day together with everyone that would be involved in the project. With the help from resources from Granitor Business School, the startup-day was implemented in the beginning of 2017.

"Our expectations were that we would get tools from the Management Platform which we then could implement here”, Peter says.

"Yes, and it was a way of trying to keep our core-group and at the same time creating a good atmosphere in the team,” Robin adds.

During the startup-day, the individuals’ strengths and weaknesses were discussed but also how they might affect the team.

"It was a real aha experience, to realize that we have different strengths and that we react different in different situations. They are simple tools that make it easier for
us to work together. It was a good thing to sit down and talk about this, it created a security for us in this team”, Robin says.

To make everyone in the team feel involved, shared goals and prerequisites for the project were also discussed on the startup-day. The team decided their project goals, outcome goals and also behavior goals, which they will follow during the projects duration.

"In the beginning of a project, you have to set rules of conduct, we all have to work in the same direction”, Peter says.

"Everything that concerns numbers and budget have been very open, and I believe this is something that has contributed to making everyone feel more involved in this project”, he continues.

But the project has not been entirely easy. Some deliveries took longer than expected and sometimes Rodoverken’s co-workers had to wait until another discipline finished their job before they could start working on theirs. Parts of the treatment plant have higher demands than for example the nuclear industry, since it deals with water that people are going to drink. It also means very high demands to relate to.

"It is about getting the right pipes here at the right time, it is a puzzle that needs to be laid. The greatest challenge is to get all the parts here in time, the dimensions are so large that we need a lot of forward planning”, Peter says.

The core-group of ten people has stayed throughout the whole project. It has been valuable, both for the team spirit and the cooperation but also so that the project can go on in accordance with the plan.

"To pull this off, we need a close-knit team. I am glad that we have been able to maintain a good spirit in this team, which is something I will hold on to. It is about security for all co-workers as well”, Robin says.

Many of the co-workers in the project team nod and agree when Robin talks. He has together with the team been able to establish an open and warm atmosphere.

"The best part of this work place is that it is easy to cooperate, even with the other contractors and NCC. Cooperating between all the different disciplines has been working out very well. If there is something that I take with me to future projects, it is that when everyone feels involved, then everyone heads in the same direction. This is our project, we who work here, and I believe that everyone feels proud over it. Then you want to make it good, which is great to see", Robin finishes.