Markus Dangelmaier, Northvolt Ett
Just a few weeks into his role as CEO of Northvolt Ett, Markus Dangelmaier arrives this Friday morning wearing a checked shirt and the now-ubiquitous black Northvolt hoodie.
He greets everyone politely before settling into the sparsely furnished conference room next to the factory in Skellefteå. Since starting on January 2, he has yet to speak with the Swedish media.
– I've been prioritising listening and learning, he explains.
– Getting to know the people, the products, and the processes. You can't drive change without that understanding.
Originally from Germany, Markus began his career as a project engineer at the global company TE Connectivity, where he spent over 20 years rising through the ranks to senior leadership positions.
– At the top, it's very much about the numbers, he says.
– But at heart, I'm still an engineer.
Took a break
At TE Connectivity, he managed factories in Germany, the Czech Republic, and South Korea. He later led their European operations, overseeing ten factories, 15,000 employees, and a 3 billion kronor turnover.
During the turmoil at Northvolt in autumn, Canadian Mark Duchesne left his post as Northvolt Ett's CEO.
When Northvolt began its search for a new CEO for the Skellefteå factory, Markus was taking a career break to focus on his health and well-being, as his LinkedIn profile states.
– I'd been working a lot and wanted to take some time to consider my next move. I was in no rush and wanted to see what opportunities arose.
For ten months last year, Markus Dangelmaier took a break from his career after more than 20 years with his previous employer. “I wanted to reflect on the next step, what I should do for the next 20 years,” says the newly appointed CEO.
It's not a health issue, Markus assures.
– No, I've been asked that by many, but it was simply just a break.
Huge potential
Markus found out about the Northvolt job from Matthias Arleth, their COO, whom he already knew.
– He called me and asked what I was up to and that was that.
– Northvolt's had a bit of a bumpy ride lately, he admits.
– We've got a big challenge ahead of us to keep growing. But I really enjoy that kind of thing. I'm a growth guy.
Markus Dangelmaier, Northvolt Ett
Markus is confident in the factory's enormous potential.
– Just look outside. Batteries are already being produced, and we have everything we need: the buildings, the production lines, and the employees. I've also seen good progress already, he adds, noting the improved productivity since his last visit to Skellefteå last autumn.
Asked about the current state of the production lines, Markus smiles before replying.
– As I said, challenges remain, but we're ramping up new equipment and new lines every day. We're making progress.
While declining to specify the exact weekly battery production, he confirms their goal of 100,000 cells per week by year's end.
– I can assure you we're on track, and things are generally looking good, he says.
Here to stay
Having only started in Skellefteå at the beginning of January, Markus is still settling in. So far, he's mostly seen his accommodation and his workplace.
– To be honest, I didn't know much about Skellefteå before this, he says, smiling.
– But it's quite similar to where I'm from, just with more snow.
He has three children, and two of them have moved with him to Stockholm, where he'll live on weekends.
– We decided on Stockholm instead of Skellefteå to find a German school for the kids, who are 13 and 15. I'll be there on weekends and in Skellefteå during the week.
Markus Dangelmaier sees several similarities between his previous job and his new role as CEO of Northvolt Ett. “We didn’t manufacture batteries, but we made everything around them,” he says.
When asked about his long-term commitment, Markus's response was emphatic.
– As you can see from my CV, I'm not one to change jobs frequently. I'm committed to this project and fully intend to stay. I want to contribute to its success, he said.
Listening vital
Asked about his leadership strengths, he cited attentiveness and accountability.
– I believe in listening carefully and considering all viewpoints before deciding anything. Also, accountability is key. Decisions must be followed through, and that requires taking responsibility.
He also advocates for evolution over revolution, as he puts it.
– As a new CEO, you can come in and change everything, but that doesn't work, in my experience. You need to listen and learn.
To accelerate progress, he has three focus areas: safety, quality, and productivity.
– Safety is always number one for me, and then, of course, we also need to work on quality and productivity.
Norran met the new CEO on the morning of Friday, January 31. This is the first interview Markus Dangelmaier has given since he took over as CEO on January 2.
Norran met the new CEO on the morning of Friday, January 31. This is the first interview Markus Dangelmaier has given since he took over as CEO on January 2.
What will you do first to improve things?
– I need to understand the current situation and how we can fix it technically. We have a lot of talented engineers working on it.
He's leaving the chapter 11 process in the U.S. to others.
– We have a team taking care of that. My job is to run this factory, he says.
Then we talk
He acknowledged the recent lay-offs, but emphasised that nearly 3,000 employees remain at the Northvolt factory. The more recent reduction of 90 positions affected the Materials business unit and was unrelated to production lines.
– I believe we currently have a well-balanced workforce, he says.
Markus Dangelmaier, Northvolt Ett
Markus asked about his expectations for Northvolt Ett in a year's time, pointed to a line of ants marching across the table in front of him.
– I see batteries rolling out like ants in a row, he explained.
– Batteries just flowing out of the factory, non-stop. Can you picture it?, he asked, smiling.
To those who doubt Northvolt, he replied:
– We should talk again in a year, after we've handled things like chapter 11 and shipped a lot of batteries. Then we can talk.
He also reminded everyone that almost 3,000 people are working at the factory now, and batteries are being made every day.
– Of course, there are challenges, but in my three weeks here, I've already seen so much commitment. Everyone's focused on the same thing: getting those batteries flowing out of the factory.
Markus Dangelmaier, Northvolt Ett