November 20, 2023
"This is fun. I’m going to clean up an edge that goes into a corner, so now it’s a matter of getting the angles just right."
Although we talk over the phone, you can hear how she really glows when talking about what she does. It is her second day in the quarry at Obbhult, just outside Varberg. The assignment is typical of what she usually does.
For Lisel, having the job of a driller is something she inherited.
"He gave me a handheld 65, Atlas Copco’s very first model, then it was just a matter of working away."
"He thought it was too cold, hard and dirty, but I wouldn't give in! Eventually, I convinced him," explains Lisel.
A neighbor of Lisel’s family was planning to put an addition on their house and had hired Göran to blast some bedrock on their plot.
Controlling the drilling pattern at micro level is something Lisel appreciates about her SmartROC T40.
"He gave me a handheld 65, Atlas Copco’s very first model, then it was just a matter of working away."
"I thought my body was going to break down, it was totally crazy. And afterwards, I had pain everywhere. But since I had been nagging so stubbornly, I felt like I had to see it through..."
It ended up being two weeks of hard work with the 65, then Göran was convinced that there was no stopping his daughter’s desire to become a driller.
"I realized that it had been a test under fire. He probably hoped I'd get tired during the heavy manual drilling, but that I held out and kept fighting was proof that I really wanted to drill."
Lisel now works at NCC on projects in the Halland region – SmartROC is constantly at her side.
Her next task was to work with a rig, but she returned to manual drilling many times over the first few years – something she is grateful for when looking back.
"You don't get any closer to the drilling than that. Manual drilling taught me a lot that I’ve been able to use in other tasks," explains Lisel.
There would be more assignments, and not just for her father Göran. After a couple of years in the company he worked for, where she got to run a 512 and eventually a D3, she moved on to Veidekke first and then Skanska.
"I was eager to improve as a driller, and at Skanska I had the opportunity to work on even bigger projects. Like blasting the entrance to the tunnel under Hallandsåsen. It was a lot of fun," says Lisel.
"I really love how smart the SmartROC is. That you can build the drill pattern directly in the rig and from the start, at micro level, control how the holes are positioned."
Lisel with the drill rig "Hildur" in the background – a long way from the handheld drills she started with.
"I really love how smart the SmartROC is. That you can build the drill pattern directly in the rig and from the start, at micro level, control how the holes are positioned. And every salvo is really maximized! That is, as long as you’ve thought it through the right way. It used to be a bit more 'this looks OK', and then you'd hope for the best," says Lisel, adding that the cab is not bad either.
"To be honest, I don't know how was able to stand all the winters outside! It’s almost embarrassing how good I have it at work now that I have a SmartROC. Especially during tasks like what I have today – standing at a low ledge and drilling according to my own drill pattern. So flashy!"
Another advantage of working at NCC is that she can go home after work every day. Since Lisel met her partner, it hasn't been as fun being away for weeks.
"And now that we have two children, it’s obviously great to be able to spend the evenings with them. I’ve never been a lone wolf who enjoys sitting huddled up in a trailer."
Lisel likes her job, where she always sees an opportunity to learn.
In the future, Lisel foresees that she will continue to drill and blast for as long as she can. The job is too good for her to want to be anything else.
"People sometimes ask 'What will you be doing in ten years?'. I always feel like such a bore then, because I really just want to keep drilling. It's so independent, stimulating and satisfying to see so clearly what you have done. The rock is gone! Completely! Yeah, I've found my calling."
