Cables with the power to enable a green transition
This time, our journey to get to know Sigma and their experts working for a better tomorrow takes us to Sweden's capital – a hub of rapid innovation and technological advancement. In the heart of this dynamic environment, at Sigma Industry Development, we meet one of their experts: mechanical engineer Robin Mattsson. His expertise is invaluable in building factories for high-voltage cable production, playing a key role in developing infrastructure for power transmission – efficient, sustainable, and ready to meet the needs of tomorrow.
Robin was born and raised in Karlskrona, where he attended both primary and secondary school. But when it was time for university, he left Blekinge and headed north to Sundsvall. There, he spent five years studying technical design at Mid Sweden University and earned his Master of Science in Engineering in the spring of 2019. Longing for home and offered a job at Sigma Industry South in Karlskrona, Robin returned to his hometown. He secured the position in early 2020, just as the pandemic was bringing the world to a halt.
“It was such a strange time. I graduated right before everything shut down, and I didn’t know what the future would hold. I remember thinking, ‘Am I even going to get a job now?’ But I was lucky – Sigma believed in me, and I quickly landed a project with NKT Cables. It felt surreal, going from complete uncertainty to having a key role in such an exciting project,” Robin recalls about landing his first job.
The assignment involved optimising production at NKT’s high-voltage cable facility, and it marked the beginning of Robin’s journey toward becoming an invaluable asset with unique knowledge of the industry. He worked on the NKT project for three years. When his partner, a medical doctor, was offered a new job, it was once again time to leave Karlskrona – this time for Stockholm.
“It was a pretty smooth transition for me because I had great support from Sigma in moving from Sigma Industry South to my current role at Sigma Industry Development here in Stockholm,” Robin says of his relocation within Sigma.
Once in Stockholm, his expertise in high-voltage cable production proved valuable right away, as he was assigned to a project for the well-established Taiwanese company Walsin Lihwa, founded in 1966. Robin’s role in the project is to assist in developing and preparing a new high-voltage cable factory in Taiwan – a task where he brings his extensive experience from previous assignments.
“When we secured this project, it was thanks to everyone at Sigma who pushed to find a client where we could make use of what I had learned during the project for NKT’s similar factory in Karlskrona,” says Robin about landing the Taiwanese assignment.
Robin’s official title for the project is Design Engineer and Expert Consultant. His main focus is on layout and design, where it’s crucial for safety and efficiency to optimise transport paths between machines. Ensuring the power supply for production is also a key concern – even the slightest interruption or power outage can have serious consequences for product quality, as the cables must be manufactured in a smooth and controlled flow. Any disruption means the cable must be discarded – a costly and time-consuming issue. While the project is managed remotely from Sigma’s Stockholm office, Robin has also travelled to Taiwan to conduct various training sessions for Walsin’s staff.
“When you work so closely with a project, you get personally invested and of course, you want to be there when they press the start button and the production begins. But that’s not always the case for us consultants. Still, that doesn’t take away from the pride I feel in the work I’ve delivered,” Robin says about working remotely and not being on site for most of the project.
Robin hopes to be present for the factory’s inauguration, although he knows it might not be possible. He’s already looking forward to his next project, aiming to find new opportunities to grow his expertise – preferably within similar initiatives contributing to the green transition, where electrification plays a central role.
“It feels good to be part of the green shift, where high-voltage cables are critical in transmitting electricity from, for example, wind and solar farms. Without these cables, there’s no green transition. So, I really feel like I’m contributing to a better tomorrow,” Robin says when asked about his role in securing cleaner, more efficient energy supply.
Robin also sees a growing trend among manufacturers to consider product longevity in their designs. EU requirements mandating replaceable batteries, for example, reflect a new mindset that aims to make products easier to repair and extend their life rather than replace them outright.
“It feels good to be part of the green shift, where high-voltage cables are critical in transmitting electricity from, for example, wind and solar farms. Without these cables, there’s no green transition. So, I really feel like I’m contributing to a better tomorrow.”
“I have a personal interest in hi-fi products – headphones in particular – but also computers and other electronics. And I’m always pleased when I see a product that’s designed to last and be repairable. Then I know an engineer really thought it through and created something good. It’s a sharp contrast to products that are designed with a limited lifespan,” Robin continues as we talk about a better, more sustainable future and the role engineers play in shaping it.
Robin has always enjoyed product development and finds plastic moulding and designing better solutions particularly interesting. Looking ahead, that’s an area he hopes to explore further.
“You never really know what’s around the corner as a consultant. But what I do know is that, if I want to deepen my knowledge in a certain area, Sigma will support me in that. Together, we’ll find an exciting assignment where I can continue growing and become an even better engineer – one who contributes to a better tomorrow,” Robin concludes as we wrap up our high-voltage conversation.
