Anette Matre

Formidable growth

The company continues to grow and is looking for more skilled employees.

AutoStore has had a solid and consistently high growth rate over the past decade.

“In 2020, we had a flat year in terms of turnover, but we continued the high growth in the number of employees and recruitments both locally here in Haugalandet, Norway, and globally. To put this in perspective, we were probably a little more than a handful of employees in Norway in 2010. At the end of 2018 we were just over 240 employees and at the end of 2021 we assume we will have a good 500 employees globally. So there has been a formidable growth of a company and products are in high demand,” she says.

Matre says that it is also natural in the future to have high ambitions for further growth of both turnover and number of employees. “We continue to invest in resources we believe will help to lay a good and solid foundation for even higher turnover figures in the long run,” she says.

Rapid changes

Matre says she is impressed with the employees of AutoStore who have been on this journey.

“They have had to adapt to a rapidly changing world and everyday life and have solved it exemplary. There have been people with a sense of ownership for the company and the products, of cooperation and team spirit, and of finding solutions,” she says.

She believes that precisely this has been an important contribution to shaping the unique culture in AutoStore today.

“Here you have your feet firmly planted on the ground, while at the same time you find it completely natural to be the leading player in a global market with high competition. It is an interesting dynamic and culture that may not have arisen so many places other than in the secluded western fjords. Here you do not take yourself so seriously. You are also part of a region and local community with a culture and tradition for entrepreneurial companies succeeding locally and internationally.”

‍Further growth

AutoStore has grown a lot and continues to grow.

“We will need steady and good access to most disciplines within our researchand development department (R&D), everything from software and developmentbackground, to mechanics, automation, electronics, product development andproduct management, project management, to name a few,” says Anette Matre.

And what type of employees are they looking for?

"In addition to the mental attitude about ownership of the product andthe company, it is important to be solution-oriented, cooperative, andteam-oriented. We see we need a good sales and marketing apparatus as well asimportant functions to enable further commercial and technological development,in everything from finance, law and HR, to IT and business developers andstrategists.

‍Focus on the employees‍

She says the formidable growth AutoStore has had over the past decade has provided natural opportunities to grow and develop in step with the company.

“We do not think that trend will reverse immediately. In addition to this, we are now investing significant resources in structuring development courses for all employees in line with the direction of the company. Among other things, we facilitate support for further education and training when needed, and that employees give themselves the opportunity to spend time doing activities and participating in arenas that provide development beyond their usual job.

“We have many initiatives underway and are ambitious in terms of facilitating a workplace for all our employees that is both professionally challenging and rewarding - on both the personal and professional level. As the world looks today, we believe companies prioritizing investment in the growth and development of their employees - structured and dedicated - will succeed far better than others over time.”