Meet Jana Traue, Senior Manager of Production at Konecranes, with experience in process engineering and optimisation of manufacturing processes. In this interview, she talked about asserting yourself when working in a male-dominated field, the importance of knowing the processes of operation within your company and the opportunity that AI presents in the field of engineering.

Interviewed by Alexia Lecerf

As Senior Manager Production at Konecranes, you hold a leadership role in a field that remains largely male-dominated. Could you describe your current responsibilities and reflect on how your experience as a woman has shaped the way you navigate the most exciting—and most challenging—aspects of managing production in an industrial technology company?

In my current role, I am responsible for all productive departments in our factory. We have a high level of vertical integration in our plant. In addition to traditional areas such as machining, I am also responsible for more specialised areas like motor winding or aluminium die casting. This diversity makes the job very interesting and versatile, but also challenging, as you are constantly confronted with different topics that you may not be familiar with.

As a woman in a heavily dominated field, you often face the challenge of having to prove yourself to everyone. This results in feeling as if you are expected to always be the best and better than everyone in anything that you may do. It is essential to strike a balance between perfectionism and calmness.

I have realised that you do not need to be an expert in every field; rather, it is more important to build a functioning team that can overcome challenges together.

Looking back on your professional journey, what have been some of the defining roles or experiences that influenced your leadership style and approach to operations?

I started my career at Bosch as a process engineer in the production development of electrical motors. There, I learned how important it is to follow two guiding principles: make decisions based on numbers, data and facts, and know your processes. It is also important to take a step back after improving something and evaluate whether the improvement was beneficial to the entire process. Growth cannot be generated from stagnation.

Finally, the biggest impact on my leadership style has been my current position at Konecranes. Konecranes invests a lot in leadership development. I have learned so many things, like situational leadership styles and the importance of coaching. It is always important to keep in mind, as a manager, that you are not responsible for solving your employees or your team members’ problems. Rather, strive to empower your team members to find their solutions and strategies. Once you do this, you will be able to have a team full of people who work independently and are intrinsically motivated.

Your academic background is notably international, with a Master’s in Präzisionsmaschinenbau (Precision mechanical engineering) from HAWK Hochschule and a semester abroad at Universidad de Extremadura in Spain. How has that mix of German and Spanish engineering education influenced the way you approach production management? And how do your language skills—English, German, Spanish, and even a bit of French—help you when working across cultures or on international projects?

When you spend time abroad, you quickly learn to recognise the advantages of diversity. It is, in my opinion, necessary to remain open to change and to understand other points of view, especially those who have grown up in different cultures. You often get new ideas and things that previously seemed obvious to you and see them in a completely new light because you get different input, and different ways of thinking. In production, where complex issues are often discussed, you can see the whole spectrum of problems and issues, and make sure to improve them continuously.

My time in Spain also helped me a lot with my personal development. I often try to become aware of my unconscious bias, which is not easy, of course, because it is unconscious. But I try to be aware of them and compare them with reality. I really hope that this will eventually lead me to become a fairer manager, with whom everyone can discuss every topic openly, as this is my overall goal.

I think that, especially in multicultural projects, it is indispensable to speak more than one language.

Only through communication and work can people connect. If you can’t connect to people, you are not able to grow further.

The manufacturing and industrial production sectors are rapidly evolving with the rise of AI manufacturing and sustainability pressures. What are some current debates or innovations in your field that you find particularly impactful or controversial?

Many people are afraid of AI. However, in my opinion, AI presents an opportunity to increase efficiency and competitiveness at exponential rates. We can ask it anything, and it will give us all the information we need at any given moment. However, we must include this topic in education as well. We must stop fighting all the AI technologies. We need to advance our tasks in universities and schools to get students to think about the prompts that AI provide. If we can organize these tasks in a way that gives students the ability to recognise AI, and the ability for them to discuss it, finding arguments against and for it, we will have the chance to generate a new generation of professionals.

When it comes to sustainability, I think it is only logical that we, as a large company, lead the way and try our best to use the resources at our disposal to improve, and eventually use fewer resources. We understand that we only have one world, and we need to find a way to share these resources amongst each other.

You’re currently taking part in the 10th edition of the Women’s Talent Pool (WTP) leadership programme. What does this opportunity represent for you, and what have been some of your key takeaways so far?

I am incredibly proud that Konecranes chose me to be part of this year’s Women’s Talent Pool Leadership Programme. It is a great opportunity for me to increase my visibility, like this interview, for example, and to fulfil my role as a role model as a senior manager and as a woman in leadership.

I have already taken away two key points. First, you are not alone with your insecurities and challenges. By reminding yourself that many others face similar struggles and that solutions are possible, you gain perspective. Secondly, you must consider who you are allowing to judge you and why. When I asked myself why I thought it was okay for everyone to judge me, it didn’t make any sense. With these two guiding principles, challenges become more manageable, and you can approach life with much more composure.

Fun question: What talent or passion do you have outside of work that people might be surprised to learn about?

I am an outdoorsy person, and I prefer living in the countryside rather than the city. I have two dogs, two cats and five horses at home. This is how I balance my work life. It is nice to come home to my five horses and spend time with my other animals!