"To stay competitive, we need a more fast and agile approach”
With over half a million connected Scania products on all continents, sending and receiving data, there is a big demand for advanced online data processing and digital tools. “All aggregation and analysis is now cloud-based, says Ulf Holmström, Lead Data Scientist at Scania. It makes it scalable and supports our focus on business solutions.”
Ulf spent two decades building bridges between IT systems and business solutions, within bank and insurance, and as independent data analyst. He has developed an eye for business requirements – and how to meet them.
A few years ago, Ulf joined Scania and a team of data scientists. He predicted an exponential growth of streamed real-time vehicle data, that would need instant processing to become useful for customers and for Scania. This, Ulf figured, require cloud-based applications to manage. “To stay competitive, we need a more fast and agile approach.”
Scania vehicle’s data can now swiftly be processed by Ulf and his team with cloud-based, future-proof business solutions. “AWS provides infrastructure in the Cloud, and Snowflake works like a simplifying ‘turbo’ for us to manage data directly, Ulf explains.”
Most of today’s infrastructure and transport operations are based on traditional combustion engines. This is now changing as battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are introduced. It requires new ways of working for both customers and Scania. “The electrification journey needs more advanced business models and puts an extra emphasis on digitalisation, AI and connectivity, says Ulf.”
Ulf’s team constitute an important link in the future business chain, creating new operating models based on data analysis. “Outside my office I can see how the new battery plant is taking shape, while we are building our AI factory in the Cloud. We feel that we are creating the future here.”
Outside office hours Ulf is a keen runner and likes to participate in various running events. He wants to run in the main cluster, also in competition with other brands in the transport sector. “The race is on, but thankfully we started early.”
