Swati Bhatnagar has worked at FlexLink for six and a half years. During that time she have had many different tasks and responsibilities within the company. In this interview we will learn more about Swati, her many roles and what made her grow into what she is today.

Expanding the horizon!

Swati started in at FlexLink in 2011. “First I was hired as a Purchasing Agent. Quickly I got promoted to Purchasing Analyst and Strategic Buyer and after a few years I got assigned the Global Category Lead role for the Product and Supply Division”, Swati says. “Today, I am the Operations Manager for the American Distribution Center, which means I am responsible for making sure that we provide the right products at the right time to all of our projects. My team and I supply products to Canada, Mexico and the U.S. I like working at FlexLink, as this company is very good at identify and foster leadership attributes which promotes both personal and professional growth”, she says.

Growing as a professional and as an individual

Swati was born in India and is where she got her Master in Electronic Engineering and spent three years of teaching. Once in U.S she achieved her MBA, which made her very well equipped for the Purchasing Agent position. “My education was very helpful when looking at electronic device specifications and collaborating with Applications Engineers and Project Managers. I felt comfortable with that. It was the practical aspects of how the devices were applicable to our systems that were hard. But in time I got my head around that, too“, she says. “I am very curious and I often read about, for example, Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things, as I believe these technologies will be even more dominant in the future. I also learn a lot from the vendors and the engineers I worked with.”

The job as Purchasing Analyst and Strategic Buyer has also given her extensive knowledge about FlexLink’s products and services, which has been very useful as her responsibilities have increased over the years. “At first, when I purchased electronic devices I had to learn everything from small-scale commercial items to bigger and more expensive equipment. It was a strategic process”, she explains. “And that have helped me get the full picture of our Costs Of Goods Sold (COGS). The role of electronic devices is becoming more and more important in the manufacturing industry and I am really glad I did my masters within this field”, Swati adds.

An environment that cultivates creativity and individuality

“My co-workers are great and the culture is strong. You can sense that the people are caring for and empowering each other”, she says. “I also really like where we are heading, the products we are launching and the new technologies we are developing. It leads us to a higher level of automation“, she continues. “I get to challenge myself here, which makes me evolve and grow, both professionally and personally, every day”.