Interview with Ulf Holmström

- New General Manger - United Operations

Six quick questions to Ulf Holmström, the new General Manager of United Operations, who started on August 4.

What is your background?
I have been working in the transport business for 35 years, in Sweden and abroad. My employers have been mainly ASG and UPS, where I have taken on various positions over the years.

What motivates you?
Many things. In my work I have a passion for developing practical logistics solutions. The quest for the optimal logistics solution, based on completeness and simplicity, is my main incentive.

What made you choose United Logistics Group?
My decision to work for United Logistics Group (ULG) was based on the fact that I realized that I, for the first time, had found a company with a business idea that included development and a competence to manage the clients’ logistics processes. A complete offering including services, systems and knowledge made me decide to leave the protected life at UPS for the challenge of developing United Operations within ULG. ULG simply is an exciting company with major potential.

In what way will you run the business?
The challenge of developing United Operations is to break new grounds within the logistics industry. To offer new services is often both time and money consuming. Since we are not a transporter, but a company that administrates and develops our clients’ logistics processes it is necessary that our message is crisp and clear. By offering added value to the clients we can grow while keeping the profitability, and to be able to offer the added value we have to have the right competence.

The goal is to build the Demand Chain Control Center (DCC) offering together with our ULG colleagues at Establish and United Solutions, and to become the leader in the 4PL business in Sweden and the other Nordic countries.

Which are the focus areas in the next year?
Our focus will be on the marketing and selling of United Operations’ services in Sweden and abroad. By growing we will be able to recruit more competent co-workers and develop our staff, and rapid growth is only possible by developing our products in close cooperation with our clients.

If you were to describe your new job in one sentence what would it be?
We need people who can do what has never been done before.