Hi! My name is Paula Coslugeanu and I started as an EPOS Global Operations Graduate in May 2021.
I would like to share with you one of the most memorable moments I had so far in the Graduate programme.
During the introduction weeks all new graduates are presented with the different areas of Demant. We had the chance to discuss our vision for the company with Demant’s Vice-Presidents, and we visited several locations and business units of Demant: we went to see the premises in Smørum and Ballerup (where EPOS is located), the business center, production facilities and distribution center in Poland, the diagnostics business unit located in Middelfart and the amplifier production in Ballerup. Although they were all very interesting in terms of setup, people, diversity in the business unit opportunities and challenges, my uttermost favorite was our visit to Eriksholm Research centre.
In fact, during my last year of university I struggled with a choice: should I continue my studies with a PhD, or should I get out in the real world and get hands-on experience based on the knowledge I have acquired? I very much wanted to gain the practical experience and to see if and how businesses use the knowledge, frameworks, concepts that we are taught as best practice in university. In the end, the scale tipped towards getting a “real world” job, and I applied to the Graduate programme. At the same time, I loved the academia’s quest to push the boundaries of knowledge, to improve, to look across companies and industries in order to understand the most effective ways to manage supply chains. I was thus sad to let go of the curiosity regarding what is outside our familiar environment.
When we entered Eriksholm, it felt like stepping into a fairytale. A castle, with large, open, green surroundings, and amazing people who were curious and excited about everything related to the way humans process sound. A group of people closer to academia than to businesspeople, fairly disconnected from the business world, far away from HQ, working on pushing the boundaries of knowledge regarding sound. For instance, they explore the relationship between sound and vision or your blood colour, the way sound is processed in the brain and try to understand why some people using hearing aids experience cognitive fatigue, among others. Not only for the benefit of Demant, but for the benefit of the entire industry and scientific community. I was confirmed once again then that Demant is in the business of doing good, not in the business of making money. And I was happy with my post-university choice: I am in the real world, and the company I work for is invested in pushing the boundaries of knowledge – for the benefit of everyone.
If you would like to hear more about the research in Eriksholm, I recommend you to listen to the podcast: How is the color of blood related to hearing? - Hear It | Podcast on Spotify. Also, you can visit the dedicated webpage.
Paula Coslugeanu, Global Operations Graduate
plcl@demant.com