Meet the Team: Knut Johansen

Knut Ulvøy Johansen is Product Manager at Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems and is located in Kongsberg, Norway.

1. What is your role at Kongsberg PCS?
As product manager, I have a special responsibility for everything related to the Kongsberg tables, tooling and consumables. 

My role includes contact with almost all parts of the company, like giving input to marketing, support and product training of sales people and dealers. Building business cases for new products together with finance, R&D, sales and marketing.

I also stay in close connection with strategic partners like material vendors and suppliers.

Product management is also responsible for making and maintaining the R&D roadmap for new developments.

As I’m also looking after our consumables from the product management side I’m also responsible for our product offering in the online E-store.

2. What does a typical day look like for you?
I typically start early in the morning (6 AM) with sorting e-mails. Typically technical / configuration issues from sales around the world. Then meetings about ongoing development projects and / or new ideas we are looking into. Important to say. No two days are the same.

3. What aspect of your role do you enjoy the most?
I like to take part and in some cases leading the direction our products are going. Also to meet people from all around the world as I’m doing product training for sales people and partners. Also visiting trade shows for sales support on new products but also for looking at the market, what does competition do, what are the trends, new introductions etc.

4. What has been your favorite project at Kongsberg PCS?
The coolest machine we have ever made is the XP (2008) and the XP-Auto (2010 - before Danaher). In the late years I really liked the VariAngle as its disruptive new technology which makes a great impact in the market and none of our competitors have anything like it.

5. If you could switch your job with anyone else within Kongsberg PCS, whose job would you want?
None, I think I have an interesting job with a large grade of freedom and influence.

6. How did you get started in the business?
By accident. Back in 1979 the Kongsberg drafting table business was part of a larger group where I was doing quality control in the jet engine division. In 1985 I applied for a QA function in the drafting table department. I did get the position and have grown into different roles after that. Since 2006 in the product management team.

7. How would you describe the company culture at Kongsberg PCS?
After the carveout from Esko, I feel a lot of enthusiasm in the organization and that we are now one team moving / pushing together for better results every day.

8. What would be your dream job?
I have always been very fascinated by flying and flying machines and for 30 years my favorite hobby was flying Hang gliders, so I suppose piloting any kind of flying machine would be my dream job (probably too late to change now).

9. Outside of work, what’s your passion?
I’m married (for 38 years) and have two daughters and 3 grand kids. As many other Norwegians I have a cabin up in the mountains where I spend a lot of time, especially during winter, with cross country skiing and outdoor life. In the summer a lot of time is spent on my boat, typically weekends and vacation periods, on a large lake and the sea. I’m also a petrol head with both a motorcycle (café racer) and a classic Volvo in the garage, hence a lot of things to do for recharging my batteries.

10. What is your favourite quote or personal mantra? 
Ingen forbedring uten forandring, meaning if you want to improve something you have to change something.