Suvi-Kukka Kanerva: My third time working at Serres Oy

Hi there! My name is Suvi-Kukka Kanerva, and I am working at Serres Oy production line as a post-processor during this summer. In total it’s my third time here since 2021, so I can say I am quite accustomed to the workflow. Serres Oy manufactures fluid management solutions for hospital use, and it has two factories based in Finland. My workplace is in Saarijärvi, and suction bags are a product I handle for the most part in my day-to-day job.

I am currently studying game design at XAMK, South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences. Having studied for three years already, I am starting my fourth and final year after this summer and the next step is to find an internship. Throughout my studies, I have worked at Serres each summer to gather some savings. Since starting here, I have felt that the factory environment brings a nice balance compared to the creative and demanding field of game design.

Though, working at Serres is by no means easy, and in the beginning, there were a ton of things to remember. Factories have their own language, including new words and meanings which do not exist outside of the building. Another new aspect was adjusting to working in three shifts, and I personally was surprised to find the 6 am mornings be the toughest. Thankfully, with a couple summers worth of experience so far, getting back into the rhythm has been straightforward.

At first, I did not know what to expect as I had been applying to multiple summer jobs and the opportunity to join Serres came a little out of the woods. On my first day, I remember seeing all the machinery for the first time and to me all of it looked super interesting. There was a lot of paperwork to do before getting into the actual business, but I eventually got to practice handling the product. My work consists of post-processing the product, monitoring its quality as well as making sure that the machine producing it functions correctly. In case there is trouble, I am to call a mechanic to fix the issue as my time is spent on packing the product, which primarily involve suction bags.

It took me a while to learn the techniques used in inspecting the product, and I must admit that becoming efficient seemed like an eternity away. But at some point, during my first weeks I started noticing that certain movements got stored in my muscle memory. Since then, returning to Serres even after being away for more than half a year has been simple, though the factory and equipment are everchanging, which has brought new refreshing challenges each time.

Some qualities that make the work easier include a natural attention to detail, as well as a sleep schedule that can handle nightshifts. Of course, teamwork plays a role even though we work individually at the workstations, which are rotating each hour to bring variation to the day. It is important to think ahead and pay attention to your surroundings, while simultaneously focusing on what is most important. As our clients are hospitals, it is important to only pack clean and topnotch quality product.

The kind of “right here and now” work which this factory offers differs a lot from my studies with game design, where I tend to use a ton of brain power and I keep thinking of designs even before going to bed. At Serres, I work for a specific number of hours, and once I close the door behind me, I do not have to think about anything work related for the rest of the day. The nature of the work is certainly repetitive, and you can rest assured about what you will be doing at work, but to me it is not too much as each day comes with new surprises.

I am happy to be back at Serres Oy again and I wish you all a great summer. Thank you for reading!

Best regards,

Suvi