Strong Women in Production: Careers at wienerberger

Carolin Johansson and Josefine Karlsson are two examples of successful women in production. As Production Manager and Production Team Leader at Pipelife Sweden, a solution brand of wienerberger, they not only help achieve production targets. A key part of their work is supporting and developing employees. Their career paths reflect a company culture that recognizes talent, fosters growth, and enables development.

Talking to Carolin and Josefine makes you want to join their team right away.

Both women work as female leaders at wienerberger’s Pipelife site in Ljung, Sweden, where plastic pipe systems for water, energy, and data are developed and produced. 

The plant employs 280 people, runs 53 production lines, and produces around 36,000 tons annually. This makes it one of the country’s largest facilities of its kind.

Carolin, as Production Manager, oversees 75 employees, while Josefine, as Team Leader in the injection molding department, is responsible for twelve of them. Their career stories show how women take on leadership roles at wienerberger.

Josefine has been with the company for over 20 years. Her career was anything but planned. Growing up on a farm, she attended an agricultural school.

“After school, I wanted to start working right away. My father read in the newspaper that Pipelife in Ljung was expanding and opening an injection molding department. Since I enjoy hands-on work, I applied as a machine operator,” she explains.

Her entry into production was smooth. She learned the injection molding know-how directly on the job. Josefine proved herself and was promoted after just a few years: as a machine setter, she was responsible for monitoring the injection molding systems and processes.

In 2023, she took over leadership of the injection molding department. “At Pipelife, we’re good at identifying and developing talent. That was also the case for me. My manager offered me the position – and I was ready for more responsibility,” she says.

Alongside training, the support of experienced leaders helped her settle into her new role. Her leadership principle: “Listen and learn.” This means staying open, asking questions, and continuously developing.

Today, Josefine alternates every two weeks between early and late shifts. Her responsibilities include ensuring production targets are met, shift scheduling, and planning and coordinating equipment upgrades and maintenance.

Her day usually begins with a team meeting: Who operates which machine? What are the priorities? “I make sure the right people are assigned to the right place based on their skills.” To prepare for the morning meeting, she analyzes the previous 24 hours of production data.

Throughout the day, Josefine acts as a liaison between machine operators, maintenance, and management, ensuring goals are achieved. “I enjoy this role because it allows me to combine working with people with production processes,” she says.

What she appreciates most is her room for influence: “With my work, I can directly impact the day’s results. And I can support my employees in their professional development and in working safely.”

This is also why she views production automation positively: “Automated processes take over physically demanding and risky tasks, making the work environment safer and better.”

Employee development is also central to Carolin’s work as Production Manager.
“We promote competence development in a very targeted way. For each employee, we create an individual development plan,” she says.

It’s not just about technical qualifications. It’s equally important to identify whether someone has an interest in technology, planning, or leadership tasks. “It’s important to talk openly with your manager about your goals – that’s the only way they can support you.”

Ultimately, this benefits not only employees. In times of skilled labor shortages, building know-how is a decisive competitive advantage for the entire company.

Carolin describes her role as a balancing act between strategic planning and immediate problem-solving.

“My days are very varied. At the core, I’m constantly working to make production as safe and simple as possible. That may mean securing future competencies. And the next moment, I’m standing at the production line helping fix a machine issue.”

She consciously spends about half of her time on the shopfloor.

Increasing automation brings new leadership challenges. Modern systems, robots, and artificial intelligence entail not only technical but also emotional challenges.

“Some employees are excited about automation and learn quickly. Others need more support and encouragement to try new things. Building teams where employees learn from one another and strengthen each other is central to my leadership approach,” Carolin explains.

This strong team support is a key reason why Carolin enjoys working at wienerberger.
“The company values of trust and collaboration match my own. It must be normal to ask questions when you don’t know something – and to receive support.”

She experienced this firsthand when she became the first woman to take on the Production Manager role in Ljung in 2022, after more than 20 years of work experience.

“The machine processes were completely new to me. The local and central technical support teams were always there and answered all my questions, which was incredibly valuable,” she recalls.

However, trustful collaboration doesn’t happen automatically. It develops when different competencies are recognized, questions are welcomed, and mistakes are seen as part of learning. “No one is perfect, and everyone on the team is important – regardless of gender. It’s the diversity that makes us strong,” says Carolin.

For both women, these are not just buzzwords but everyday reality in an industry often perceived as male-dominated. "Expertise, decisiveness, and personality aren’t determined by gender,” Josefine emphasizes.

Carolin and Josefine want to encourage other women and girls: “Women shouldn’t limit themselves. They should be brave. The biggest barrier is the one in your own mind,” Carolin says.

This means: expressing ambitions, taking responsibility, and actively discussing goals and development opportunities with supervisors.