A journey of discovery
Svein-Ove is responsible for identifying, qualifying, and selecting suppliers that develop relevant technology, or that have other important capabilities required for reMarkable to develop and create the products we want. We establish and build relationships with numerous suppliers all over the world. Through these relationships, we maintain an overview of the technological development, and we clearly communicate what is important to us to make sure we are pushing development in the right direction. In addition, Svein-Ove is responsible for negotiating optimal conditions and contracts with suppliers.
“The ambition for growth and innovation is what makes it so cool to work at reMarkable. We have specific goals and a structured approach to achieving these. But a lot of what we do is being done for the first time. Our projects are developed along the way, and we must live with a certain amount of uncertainty, which is scary, but mostly incredibly exciting and instructive.”
Absolute belief in the product
Svein-Ove believes that finding the right suppliers largely depends on locating those that have the technology and expertise to match reMarkable’s needs. They must also understand reMarkable, share our values, like our product ideas, and be motivated by our level of ambition.
“The suppliers we work best with are those who like our vision, understand our product intentions and see their own opportunities in our growth.”
reMarkable seeks to develop high-quality innovative products, and we must push the boundaries of what we believe is possible. To achieve this, we are entirely reliant on suppliers who share this attitude.
“We therefore focus a great deal on our suppliers’ ability to solve technical and procedural challenges.”
Geared up for the vision
The suppliers we deal with generally focus on well-established product categories such as mobile phones, tablets, and computers. It takes a lot of hard work to whet the suppliers’ appetites for a new product category, which reMarkable represents.
“When searching for new suppliers, we spend a lot of time making sure that the supplier is right for reMarkable. Anchoring in the management of a supplier is essential, and we spend time communicating our vision, what we have achieved and our ambition moving forward. This has been successful so far, and we have established a collaboration with several world-leading suppliers.”
Adapting to the terrain
How do you bring a new supplier on board? How do you ensure that this specific supplier is the best? Svein-Ove says it is generally a question of structure and good processes, with skilled people to lead the processes to ensure that we match with the best suppliers with the right conditions.
“We are a young company, with a lot of drive and ambition. However, the necessary structure and process may not always be entirely in place. Much of what we do we are doing for the first time. That is why it is necessary to enjoy adapting to the terrain, where the goal may change along the way, and where you learn, develop and adjust the work to achieve that goal.”
Svein-Ove believes that the internal culture is influenced by skilled people with the right attitude, who are willing to roll up their sleeves and tackle problems that may be new and unfamiliar.
“It is important to preserve this culture as we grow. Building a team with people who have the right experience, combined with a fearless and structured approach to new challenges and problems is crucial when building a world-leading, global supply chain from Oslo.”
