A typical workday at RH Pumpers’ Jutland branch rarely follows a set schedule.
That suits Rasmus Pedersen just fine.
Because even though his main job is to calculate quotes and find solutions for customers, his day-to-day work is rarely limited to just one specific type of task.
“I’m used to showing up in the morning and rarely knowing exactly what I’m supposed to do,” says Rasmus. “All of a sudden, someone comes along and says something has broken, and that’s the task you have to tackle.”
Rasmus is a trained mechanical engineer and has many years of experience in the utilities industry. Today, he is a bid specialist at RH Pumper in Jutland, where his responsibilities include preparing bids for pumping stations, handling urgent tasks, planning, and managing all the practical aspects of the projects that keep a new department running smoothly.
From Supply to RH Pumps
Rasmus’s entry into the wastewater industry actually began somewhat by chance.
As part of his marine engineer training, he had to complete an internship, and that internship was with Aarhus Vand. There, he quickly realized just how much engineering, operations, and problem-solving are involved in the wastewater industry.
Later, he wrote his bachelor’s thesis at Skanderborg Forsyning on wastewater treatment plant maintenance—and that marked the beginning of many years in the utilities industry.
“I’ve spent seven years working for a utility company, where I’ve been on the other side of the table dealing with pumping stations, among other things,” says Rasmus.
That experience is a major advantage in his job at RH Pumper. Rasmus doesn’t just know the solutions on paper; he also understands the real-world context in which they must function.
I know, of course, what they’re up against and what they might be struggling with when they’re on duty. I’ve had many of those conversations myself and found myself up at 1:00 a.m., trying to figure out how to make things easier for them.
It makes a difference in our dialogue with customers. When Rasmus talks to utility providers, operations staff, and project teams, he knows what’s at stake—even when time is of the essence or when the solution has to work in a high-pressure, day-to-day environment.
A department built from the ground up
Rasmus joined RH Pumper in November and helped establish RH Pumper’s branch in Jutland.
It was Kim, the department head in Jutland, who reached out to him at a time when Rasmus was considering what his next career move should be.
I actually considered switching fields a bit, but I wanted to find a job where I could use my experience so I wouldn’t have to start from scratch. This turned out to be a really good compromise—trying something new while still using the skills I already had.
It wasn’t just the job that was new. It was also the challenge of helping to build a department from almost nothing.
“We started with nothing. We didn’t even have a doorstop to keep the door open,” says Rasmus with a smile.
Since then, products have been stocked on the shelves, systems have been put in place, and structure has been established for many of the daily tasks. But the department is still new, so a big part of our day-to-day work involves figuring out the right way to do things.
What should be kept in stock in Jutland? What’s the best way to plan tasks? How do the systems work together? And how do you ensure that what’s agreed upon in the office can also be carried out efficiently in the field?
We’re almost there. Now it’s a matter of fine-tuning—making sure we have the right items on the shelves and that the systems align with what we want to achieve.
Many tasks—and rarely on autopilot
On a quiet day, Rasmus works on quotes.
An inquiry comes in from a salesperson or directly from a customer. Then we need to find a solution, calculate prices, order the goods, and get everything ready so the job can be done.
But a big part of everyday life is also about everything else that goes on around it.
Time tracking. Order creation. Billing. Systems. Planning. Documentation. And the little things that constantly come up when a department is still growing.
There are a lot of additional tasks. In fact, they sometimes take up more time than the actual services themselves.
At the same time, there are tenders where the material can be extensive. Many documents, many requirements, and many details that must not be overlooked.
There’s a lot involved in putting together a bid. Sometimes there are a lot of documents, and you have to make sure you don’t miss anything important in a single line.
For Rasmus, it’s not just about setting a price. It’s about understanding the task, figuring out the requirements, and finding a solution that can both be delivered and work in practice.
When the customer needs a solution right away
Part of everyday life at RH Pumper involves tasks that come up on short notice.
Especially when it comes to bypass pumping, the need often arises suddenly. A pump has stopped working. A process is at risk. Or a customer calls on Friday afternoon and needs a solution by Monday at the latest.
So now we need to figure out what we have here, what we have in Slagelse, and whether we can complete the task in time.
One example was a nursery where the pumps had to be turned on if the plants were to be watered.
We had to act quickly. We had to find the necessary equipment, coordinate transportation, and follow up, since the pump was acting up.
It wasn’t entirely smooth sailing, but the task was completed.
And according to Rasmus, that’s an important part of the job: not giving up on a task just because it turns out to be more difficult than first expected.
When a pump isn’t running, it can be critical—for a process, for the environment, or for something else entirely. So it can be important to get something like that up and running.
When the best solution emerges through dialogue
One of the things Rasmus finds most exciting is when a customer comes to us with a need—and RH Pumper can deliver a solution that turns out to be even better than what the customer had imagined.
It’s most exciting when customers ask for something, and you actually come up with a solution they might not even have thought of themselves.
A good example was the renovation of a pumping station.
Rasmus was standing on the site with the client’s project manager and an electrician. As they worked, he could sense that the electrician had previously felt somewhat overlooked in this type of renovation project.
He said something along the lines of, “I’m just an electrician, after all.” So you know he hasn’t always felt heard.
That comment was taken seriously. Together with the customer, a solution was developed that gave more consideration to electrical systems, cable routing, piping, and the protection of the installations.
We came up with a solution that they hadn’t seen before—and that we hadn’t tried before either. But it was developed based on the dialogue we’d had.
Once the work was completed, the feedback was positive.
For Rasmus, it’s exactly this kind of project that makes sense. When you listen to the people who will be using the solution in their daily lives—and use that knowledge to improve the solution.
This whole idea of making sure that the people whose daily lives revolve around these solutions are heard—I think that will pay off in the long run.
Challenges are solved together
When Rasmus describes the challenging aspects of the job, it’s not that the problems are something you’d rather avoid.
On the contrary, they are part of the task.
My job description is, after all, to solve these challenges.
Technical challenges are what he thrives on. When something doesn’t work, a solution must be found. When a task is new, it must be thought through. And when there are several possible approaches, the best one must be chosen.
That rarely happens on its own.
Rasmus works closely with Kim, who often handles customer contact and brings in the projects, and with Michael, who is a sales representative in the Jutland branch. In addition, communication with the installers is crucial, because what is planned in the office must be feasible in practice.
Everyone pitches in, and through teamwork, we usually find a good solution.
This collaboration also extends across the country. Although the Jutland branch is new, it is not on its own. We draw on experience from both Slagelse and Sweden, and that makes a big difference in our day-to-day work.
The social aspect and the people are some of the things I want to highlight. We try to help each other all the time, even though we’re in different locations.
The Freedom to Do It Right
For Rasmus, one of the special things about the Jutland branch is that he has been helping to shape it from the very beginning.
There is a sense of freedom in helping to build these structures. But there is also a responsibility to make sure they work.
We get to lay all the tiles ourselves. We’re the ones who decide which way they should go.
It’s a job that requires patience, expertise, and a desire to find better ways of doing things. Because at RH Pumper, no two jobs are ever exactly the same.
You can’t just take a solution that worked last time and copy it. It’s very hard to go on autopilot in this job—and that’s exactly what I like about it.
And when the workday is over
When Rasmus has time off, it’s not necessarily his body that’s tired. It’s his mind.
I don’t get physically tired, but I do get mentally tired. In fact, I spend so much of my free time recharging for the next workday.
At home, he relaxes, cooks, and enjoys spending time with his family. And maybe a new hobby is on the horizon. As a boy, Rasmus dreamed of becoming a motorcycle police officer, and the idea of owning a motorcycle hasn’t completely faded.
Only time will tell if it comes to anything.
Right now, work is his main focus—and that actually suits him just fine. For Rasmus, it’s all about finding solutions, making things work, and standing behind what he does.
Even when the day doesn’t go as planned.
