Every year, Latvijas Finieris opens its doors to students and young specialists, giving an opportunity to turn theoretical knowledge into practice. Our colleague Jānis Zirnis, who is now the Development Engineer and works at Sastamala Mill, has his own story.

The duties of the Development Engineer, Jānis, are to monitor the technical condition of equipment and schedule maintenance works. He follows production processes, looks for potential faults and possible improvements, as well as implements them. Jānis is also actively working on implementing LEAN methods in everyday processes. Working in a foreign country is another factor which challenges and enriches one’s every-day experience.

How did your journey with Latvijas Finieris begin?

“One of my course mates at Riga Technical University was an intern at Lignums Mill for 2 years in a row. In 2017, as a student, I had an opportunity to visit two plants of Latvijas Finieris – Lignums Mill and Iekārtu Rūpnīca. It was my last year at university and I had to do an internship for 3 months. Since the excursion around Lignums Mill and Iekārtu Rūpnīca left a lasting impression on me, I applied for an internship at Iekārtu Rūpnīca. Soon my internship started – at the beginning I worked in the office, but two weeks later I was moved to Hapaks Mill where I worked as an assistant for the electronics regulator.”

What happened after your internship was completed?

“When it was completed, I understood that I would like to continue to work at Latvijas Finieris and build my professional life here. As there weren’t any suitable vacancies at Iekārtu Rūpnīca, I was offered the opportunity to work at Lignums. During the job interview I emphasised that I didn’t mind working with electricity and electronics but I preferred working in mechanics, which is my field of interest.  One year after my excursion to the mills, on 1 March 2018, I started to work at Lignums as a repair locksmith.”

How did you start to work at Sastamala?

“After becoming a full-time employee at Lignums and by showing initiative, I soon became a repair locksmith on duty at the dry ply processing manufactory of Lignums Mill. After  two and a half years, my direct manager told me about a vacant position at Sastamala Mill and I decided to apply for it. Everything fell into place and my application was successful. Shortly before moving to Sastamala, I managed to pass a qualification exam and began work as a Senior mechanic at Lignums.”

Outside of work

Jānis loves music and has a sharp mind. Even though his studies at Riga Technical University for obtaining a master’s degree in production engineering take up a lot of time, in his free moments he plays piano, with his favourite composers being S. Rachmaninoff and F. Chopin. He also practises  speed-solving the Rubik’s Cube and similar puzzles. At the end of October he even took a part in Finland’s Rubik’s Cube  speed-solving Championship.