Tech, Design, and Business. Mjølner UPDATE 4th, 2013

”MJØLNER LETS US SCALE TO DEMAND WHILE UPHOLDING THE QUALITY THAT SETS US APART” Rasmus Lundgaard Pedersen, CIO of Danske Commodities

4th Quarter 2013

EDITORIAL

CHANGING FOCUS WHILE UPHOLDING CULTURE The role of innovation and technology is constantly

Commodities maximize profit through customized software.

changing. As a result, our roles as consultants, software

Read about our new TouchGFX demo board that enables

developers, and designers are changing as well.

quick prototyping of high-end embedded graphical user interfaces on low-performance hardware. And get your tech-

Previously, the software industry has played a supporting

nology update by learning which Android KitKat features

and cost-minimizing role in business. Today, the services we

you should know before starting your next app project.

offer clients span a much wider area. These are services that generate profit by helping our customers create innovative

Furthermore, we are proud to share our ranking in this year’s

and strategic, business-oriented solutions.

Great Place to Work survey. Lastly, we tell the story of one of the great annual traditions that captures the unique Mjølner

In the spring, we reorganized ourselves in order to

culture.

better support our new role. This formal change was a manifestation of a long and still ongoing process. Looking back at 2013, it is evident that it has already had a great impact.

Best Regards,

All in all, 2013 has been a good year for Mjølner. We have

UPDATE

managed to shift course, while maintaining our unique corporate culture. The final 2013 issue of Mjølner UPDATE underlines this journey.

Jørgen Lindskov Knudsen, CEO

Cover photo: Rasmus Lundgaard Pedersen (CIO of Danske Commodities);

In this issue, you can learn how our software consul-

Michel Thrysøe, Rasmus Vestergaard, Dennis Madsen, René Schade,

tants help the rapidly growing energy trader Danske

Stephan Henningsen & Henrik Jørgensen (Mjølner).

EDITORIAL

CHANGING FOCUS WHILE UPHOLDING CULTURE The role of innovation and technology is constantly

Commodities maximize profit through customized software.

changing. As a result, our roles as consultants, software

Read about our new TouchGFX demo board that enables

developers, and designers are changing as well.

quick prototyping of high-end embedded graphical user interfaces on low-performance hardware. And get your tech-

Previously, the software industry has played a supporting

nology update by learning which Android KitKat features

and cost-minimizing role in business. Today, the services we

you should know before starting your next app project.

offer clients span a much wider area. These are services that generate profit by helping our customers create innovative

Furthermore, we are proud to share our ranking in this year’s

and strategic, business-oriented solutions.

Great Place to Work survey. Lastly, we tell the story of one of the great annual traditions that captures the unique Mjølner

In the spring, we reorganized ourselves in order to

culture.

better support our new role. This formal change was a manifestation of a long and still ongoing process. Looking back at 2013, it is evident that it has already had a great impact.

Best Regards,

All in all, 2013 has been a good year for Mjølner. We have

UPDATE

managed to shift course, while maintaining our unique corporate culture. The final 2013 issue of Mjølner UPDATE underlines this journey.

Jørgen Lindskov Knudsen, CEO

Cover photo: Rasmus Lundgaard Pedersen (CIO of Danske Commodities);

In this issue, you can learn how our software consul-

Michel Thrysøe, Rasmus Vestergaard, Dennis Madsen, René Schade,

tants help the rapidly growing energy trader Danske

Stephan Henningsen & Henrik Jørgensen (Mjølner).

CASE

Rasmus Lundgaard Pedseren, CIO of Danske Commodities

DANSKE COMMODITIES & MJØLNER: IT AT THE TIPPING POINT MJØLNER PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN DANSKE COMMODITIES’ GROWTH RACE. WE HELP THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY TRADER DEVELOP SOFTWARE THAT DELIVERS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE.

make crucial decisions in a fraction of a second and sets us apart from our competitors.

- Rasmus Lundgaard Pedersen, CIO of Danske Commodities Scaling to Demand Recruiting the right people at the right time is one of the

Dennis Madsen & René Schade, Mjølner consultants

Danske Commodities

biggest challenges for Danske Commodities as they have doubled in size every 11 months since their founding. One

Danske Commodities is an independent, international

way they deal with this challenge is by using Mjølner’s

Agility is Essential

I’ve been at Danske Commodities for four months now,

energy trader founded in 2004. Today, the company employs

consultants.

The energy market is big business - conducted at a breath-

and have already worked on five projects using about ten

taking pace. It changes every minute, as does the demand for

different technologies. I make use of a wide range of my

customized software.

competencies, and when I fall short, I have a back-up team of

more than 400 people and trades in more than 30 countries.

We do not compromise on quality to ensure quantity.

IT as a Differentiator

Mjølner shares our core belief in professional and agile

IT and software play a vital role in Danske Commodities’

software development. This makes Mjølner our preferred

Working in this rapidly changing environment calls all your

value creation. Danske Commodities uses IT to optimize

supplier. Their consultants give us the freedom to scale to

skills into action, and applying them in the right way, at the

management and processes. And most importantly: to give

demand while upholding the quality that sets us apart.

right time, is essential.

their trading activities a competitive advantage.

-Rasmus Lundgaard Pedersen, CIO of Danske Commodities

The combination of trading know-how and intelligent IT

The first Mjølner software consultant at Danske

systems is the key to their success:

Commodities started in April this year. Today, nine consultants work on-site at Danske Commodities’

We optimize and quantify our trading know-how through software. Customized software enables us to

headquarter.

IT professionals at Mjølner.

“

MJØLNER SHARES OUR CORE BELIEF IN PROFESSIONAL AND AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT. THIS MAKES MJØLNER OUR PREFERRED SUPPLIER.

Rasmus Lundgaard Pedersen, CIO of Danske Commodities

- Christian Stenz, Senior Software Architect, Mjølner Mjølner’s consultants ensure flexibility and consistency for Danske Commodities. Add to that Mjølner’s experience and competencies and you have a promising setup.

Learn more about Mjølner’s software consultants: Ellen Agerbo +45 41 95 36 38 ela@mjolner.dk

CASE

Rasmus Lundgaard Pedseren, CIO of Danske Commodities

DANSKE COMMODITIES & MJØLNER: IT AT THE TIPPING POINT MJØLNER PLAYS A KEY ROLE IN DANSKE COMMODITIES’ GROWTH RACE. WE HELP THE INTERNATIONAL ENERGY TRADER DEVELOP SOFTWARE THAT DELIVERS A COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE.

make crucial decisions in a fraction of a second and sets us apart from our competitors.

- Rasmus Lundgaard Pedersen, CIO of Danske Commodities Scaling to Demand Recruiting the right people at the right time is one of the

Dennis Madsen & René Schade, Mjølner consultants

Danske Commodities

biggest challenges for Danske Commodities as they have doubled in size every 11 months since their founding. One

Danske Commodities is an independent, international

way they deal with this challenge is by using Mjølner’s

Agility is Essential

I’ve been at Danske Commodities for four months now,

energy trader founded in 2004. Today, the company employs

consultants.

The energy market is big business - conducted at a breath-

and have already worked on five projects using about ten

taking pace. It changes every minute, as does the demand for

different technologies. I make use of a wide range of my

customized software.

competencies, and when I fall short, I have a back-up team of

more than 400 people and trades in more than 30 countries.

We do not compromise on quality to ensure quantity.

IT as a Differentiator

Mjølner shares our core belief in professional and agile

IT and software play a vital role in Danske Commodities’

software development. This makes Mjølner our preferred

Working in this rapidly changing environment calls all your

value creation. Danske Commodities uses IT to optimize

supplier. Their consultants give us the freedom to scale to

skills into action, and applying them in the right way, at the

management and processes. And most importantly: to give

demand while upholding the quality that sets us apart.

right time, is essential.

their trading activities a competitive advantage.

-Rasmus Lundgaard Pedersen, CIO of Danske Commodities

The combination of trading know-how and intelligent IT

The first Mjølner software consultant at Danske

systems is the key to their success:

Commodities started in April this year. Today, nine consultants work on-site at Danske Commodities’

We optimize and quantify our trading know-how through software. Customized software enables us to

headquarter.

IT professionals at Mjølner.

“

MJØLNER SHARES OUR CORE BELIEF IN PROFESSIONAL AND AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT. THIS MAKES MJØLNER OUR PREFERRED SUPPLIER.

Rasmus Lundgaard Pedersen, CIO of Danske Commodities

- Christian Stenz, Senior Software Architect, Mjølner Mjølner’s consultants ensure flexibility and consistency for Danske Commodities. Add to that Mjølner’s experience and competencies and you have a promising setup.

Learn more about Mjølner’s software consultants: Ellen Agerbo +45 41 95 36 38 ela@mjolner.dk

PRODUCT

GET AN INSTANT PROOF OF CONCEPT WITH THE NEW TouchGFX DEMO BOARD OUR NEW DEMO BOARD GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE AND FEEL HOW HIGH-END GRAPHICS CAN BE ACHIEVED ON LOW-POWER HARDWARE.

Still, resistive screens are better suited for certain use contexts, just as the price of capacitive touch is too high for certain products. Because of this, we offer demo boards supporting both technologies.

Instant Proof of Concept

In the last year, our graphical framework TouchGFX has

The most valuable benefit of the demo

received a lot of attention from interested clients around the

board is the possibility of moving very quicly from

globe. We’ve gotten lots of feedback and have acquired new

idea to proof of concept. Using only the board

insights, which leads to new ideas for ways in which the

itself and the free TouchGFX trial framework,

product can evolve. To create a platform that showcases some

you can develop your own high-end

of the new possibilities, we have partnered with EKTOS and

embedded graphical user interface (GUI)

created a new TouchGFX demo board. This board offers a

on low-performance harware in a

great way for our customers to create a fast and effective proof

matter of days.

of concept.

Because the TouchGFX demo During our many demonstrations of TouchGFX we have

board

comes

in

discovered a high demand for capacitive touch. So far, there

display

sizes

and

exists no other commercial demo board on the market with

tions,

you

capacitive touch. However, in order to achieve an effortless

a board that matches your final

experience that lives up to people’s expectations heightened by

hardware platform of choice making it much

the proliferation of smartphones, capacitive touch is essential.

easier to arrive at a proof of concept.

can

multiple resoluchoose

TouchGFX demo board specifications: MCU’s for TouchGFX: - NXP LPC4350 / LPC4353 / LPC4357

Interested in getting your own

Displays for TouchGFX: - U.R.T. 3.5” / 4.3” / 5.7” / 7.0” TFT display

Jørgen Mygind, Account Manager

Touch functionality: - Capacitive / Resistive Typical Application: - Home Appliances / Health Care / Industrial Devices

proof of concept with TouchGFX?

+45 30 98 41 15 jmy@mjolner.dk www.touchgfx.com

PRODUCT

GET AN INSTANT PROOF OF CONCEPT WITH THE NEW TouchGFX DEMO BOARD OUR NEW DEMO BOARD GIVES YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE AND FEEL HOW HIGH-END GRAPHICS CAN BE ACHIEVED ON LOW-POWER HARDWARE.

Still, resistive screens are better suited for certain use contexts, just as the price of capacitive touch is too high for certain products. Because of this, we offer demo boards supporting both technologies.

Instant Proof of Concept

In the last year, our graphical framework TouchGFX has

The most valuable benefit of the demo

received a lot of attention from interested clients around the

board is the possibility of moving very quicly from

globe. We’ve gotten lots of feedback and have acquired new

idea to proof of concept. Using only the board

insights, which leads to new ideas for ways in which the

itself and the free TouchGFX trial framework,

product can evolve. To create a platform that showcases some

you can develop your own high-end

of the new possibilities, we have partnered with EKTOS and

embedded graphical user interface (GUI)

created a new TouchGFX demo board. This board offers a

on low-performance harware in a

great way for our customers to create a fast and effective proof

matter of days.

of concept.

Because the TouchGFX demo During our many demonstrations of TouchGFX we have

board

comes

in

discovered a high demand for capacitive touch. So far, there

display

sizes

and

exists no other commercial demo board on the market with

tions,

you

capacitive touch. However, in order to achieve an effortless

a board that matches your final

experience that lives up to people’s expectations heightened by

hardware platform of choice making it much

the proliferation of smartphones, capacitive touch is essential.

easier to arrive at a proof of concept.

can

multiple resoluchoose

TouchGFX demo board specifications: MCU’s for TouchGFX: - NXP LPC4350 / LPC4353 / LPC4357

Interested in getting your own

Displays for TouchGFX: - U.R.T. 3.5” / 4.3” / 5.7” / 7.0” TFT display

Jørgen Mygind, Account Manager

Touch functionality: - Capacitive / Resistive Typical Application: - Home Appliances / Health Care / Industrial Devices

proof of concept with TouchGFX?

+45 30 98 41 15 jmy@mjolner.dk www.touchgfx.com

PRODUCT

1 2 3 PULL

C B A

PRODUCT MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Screen dumps from the preinstalled GUI application on our new demo board.

TouchGFX enables high-end graphics with full screen transitions; alpha-blending; transparency; and anti-aliased fonts and kerning.

Furthermore, it includes gestures like scroll, drag and drop, and swipe.

PULL

STORY

MJØLNER IS A GREAT PLACE TO WORK THE GREAT PLACE TO WORK INSTITUTE JUST ANNOUNCED DENMARK’S BEST WORKPLACES. MJØLNER WAS AWARDED 3RD PLACE IN THE IT CATEGORY AND 7TH PLACE IN THE MEDIUMSIZED WORKPLACE CATEGORY. Great Place to Work is an international research, consulting,

In Denmark, Great Place to Work uses five different top-ten

This Calls for a Celebration

and training firm dedicated to creating and sustaining great

lists. Mjølner ranks high in both categories that we qualify

Great Place to Work announced their lists at a reception on

workplaces all over the world.

for: Best Medium-sized Workplace and Best IT Workplace.

We’re proud!

Mjølner is a great place to grow your competencies.

November 14th. The following Friday, we celebrated our best combined ranking yet by upgrading our weekly morning meeting to a brunch with all the trimmings.

By running an annual survey, they pinpoint strengths and areas of improvement for workplaces. As an extra feature,

Trust, Pride and Community

the survey is used to rank the greatest workplaces in each

The survey is based on three core values: trust, pride, and

country.

community.

93% of Mjølner’s employees participated in this year’s survey. Overall, Mjølner moves forward on credibility, justice, community, respect, pride and trust.

Mjølner’s management is open and responsive.

With lots of great new insight from the survey, we’ll work for

At Mjølner, we have mutual respect for one another.

Interested to joining our great workplace?

an even better ranking next year!

Ellen Agerbo +45 95 36 38 ela@mjolner.dk

Here are some of the comments from the survey we are most proud of:

www.mjolner.dk/career

STORY

MJØLNER IS A GREAT PLACE TO WORK THE GREAT PLACE TO WORK INSTITUTE JUST ANNOUNCED DENMARK’S BEST WORKPLACES. MJØLNER WAS AWARDED 3RD PLACE IN THE IT CATEGORY AND 7TH PLACE IN THE MEDIUMSIZED WORKPLACE CATEGORY. Great Place to Work is an international research, consulting,

In Denmark, Great Place to Work uses five different top-ten

This Calls for a Celebration

and training firm dedicated to creating and sustaining great

lists. Mjølner ranks high in both categories that we qualify

Great Place to Work announced their lists at a reception on

workplaces all over the world.

for: Best Medium-sized Workplace and Best IT Workplace.

We’re proud!

Mjølner is a great place to grow your competencies.

November 14th. The following Friday, we celebrated our best combined ranking yet by upgrading our weekly morning meeting to a brunch with all the trimmings.

By running an annual survey, they pinpoint strengths and areas of improvement for workplaces. As an extra feature,

Trust, Pride and Community

the survey is used to rank the greatest workplaces in each

The survey is based on three core values: trust, pride, and

country.

community.

93% of Mjølner’s employees participated in this year’s survey. Overall, Mjølner moves forward on credibility, justice, community, respect, pride and trust.

Mjølner’s management is open and responsive.

With lots of great new insight from the survey, we’ll work for

At Mjølner, we have mutual respect for one another.

Interested to joining our great workplace?

an even better ranking next year!

Ellen Agerbo +45 95 36 38 ela@mjolner.dk

Here are some of the comments from the survey we are most proud of:

www.mjolner.dk/career

TECH

NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR ANDROID APP DEVELOPMENT GOOGLE RELEASED ANDROID 4.4 KITKAT ON OCTOBER 31ST. WITH A LONG LIST OF NEW FEATURES, THE OS ENABLES BETTER AND MORE COHESIVE ANDROID APPS.

A More Immersive Experience

The latest version of Google’s dessert-named Android

This is probably most relevant for games and e-book

software, KitKat, includes a range of new features, three of

reader apps, but it’s also possible to make the top and

which are especially promising. Here are the features you

bottom areas transparent and thereby offer a more

should familiarize yourself with before starting your next

immersive user experience.

Immersive mode is another interesting new feature. Immersive mode lets you hide the top bar and Android system buttons and dedicate the entire screen to your app.

Android project.

More Cohesion and Less Hassel A Redesign that Lets Your Apps Shine

A last improvement worth mentioning here is the

This first change may seem small, but holds great potential.

performance optimizations that let budget devices and

Since Android 4.0, the interface has been dominated by a

older

light blue color used e.g. for text in the top bar. With KitKat,

the number Android versions your app needs to support.

models run KitKat. In time, this should reduce

this is now a greyscale.

Furthermore, it means that Google delivers on their The change to a more subtle color reduces the aesthetic clash

promise to offer a more cohesive Android experience

between the operating system and the visual style of different

across all devices.

apps. Also, it lets the design of your company’s app stand out more clearly, emphasizing your corporate brand.

KitKat definitely seems promising, and we are looking

- Bjarne Knudsen, Software Developer, Mjølner

forward to using its new features in our app development.

TECH

NEW POSSIBILITIES FOR ANDROID APP DEVELOPMENT GOOGLE RELEASED ANDROID 4.4 KITKAT ON OCTOBER 31ST. WITH A LONG LIST OF NEW FEATURES, THE OS ENABLES BETTER AND MORE COHESIVE ANDROID APPS.

A More Immersive Experience

The latest version of Google’s dessert-named Android

This is probably most relevant for games and e-book

software, KitKat, includes a range of new features, three of

reader apps, but it’s also possible to make the top and

which are especially promising. Here are the features you

bottom areas transparent and thereby offer a more

should familiarize yourself with before starting your next

immersive user experience.

Immersive mode is another interesting new feature. Immersive mode lets you hide the top bar and Android system buttons and dedicate the entire screen to your app.

Android project.

More Cohesion and Less Hassel A Redesign that Lets Your Apps Shine

A last improvement worth mentioning here is the

This first change may seem small, but holds great potential.

performance optimizations that let budget devices and

Since Android 4.0, the interface has been dominated by a

older

light blue color used e.g. for text in the top bar. With KitKat,

the number Android versions your app needs to support.

models run KitKat. In time, this should reduce

this is now a greyscale.

Furthermore, it means that Google delivers on their The change to a more subtle color reduces the aesthetic clash

promise to offer a more cohesive Android experience

between the operating system and the visual style of different

across all devices.

apps. Also, it lets the design of your company’s app stand out more clearly, emphasizing your corporate brand.

KitKat definitely seems promising, and we are looking

- Bjarne Knudsen, Software Developer, Mjølner

forward to using its new features in our app development.

STORY

BUSINESS STRATEGY, BOTTLED WATER & BEING A CONSULTANT WHAT DO THE SUBJECTS ABOVE HAVE IN COMMON? THEY WERE ALL DISCUSSED AT MJØLNER’S ANNUAL OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION FOR THE ENTIRE STAFF. HERE’S WHY WE FIND THE TRADITION SO IMPORTANT.

After this, we dedicate a few hours to a specific topic. This

80 Minds are Better than one

It all Ends with a BANG!

year, we focused on our new organizational structure having

The aim of the open forum, which usually lasts for three

After three hours of discussion, we end the day with a bang

all the departments present their new role and strategic

hours, is to engage in an open and honest discussion where

with our annual Christmas party.

goals.

everyone can voice their opinion on the issues that matter to them.

This celebration is also full of traditions, one of which is the legendary foosball tournament. This year’s winner was

The Floor is Open!

Honoring a grand tradition, the structured morning was

Having all employees engage in the discussion creates great

Every year on the last Friday of November, the entire Mjølner

followed by the open forum discussion in the afternoon.

synergy and forms a common ground for everyone to share. In

staff gathers for a joint meeting. We devote the morning to

As always, everyone was encouraged to share the

a consultancy where we spend all of our time helping clients

going through the year that has gone by and looking in the

issues they found important. Every year, the only rule of this

improve their business, it’s important to create a space for

crystal ball for the year to come.

session is that no issue is too big or too small and that all

strengthening the social and professional aspects of our own.

opinions are welcome and equally important.

-Jørgen Lindskov Knudsen, CEO of Mjølner

Troels Lund Rasmussen.

Mjølner congratulates thee!

STORY

BUSINESS STRATEGY, BOTTLED WATER & BEING A CONSULTANT WHAT DO THE SUBJECTS ABOVE HAVE IN COMMON? THEY WERE ALL DISCUSSED AT MJØLNER’S ANNUAL OPEN FORUM DISCUSSION FOR THE ENTIRE STAFF. HERE’S WHY WE FIND THE TRADITION SO IMPORTANT.

After this, we dedicate a few hours to a specific topic. This

80 Minds are Better than one

It all Ends with a BANG!

year, we focused on our new organizational structure having

The aim of the open forum, which usually lasts for three

After three hours of discussion, we end the day with a bang

all the departments present their new role and strategic

hours, is to engage in an open and honest discussion where

with our annual Christmas party.

goals.

everyone can voice their opinion on the issues that matter to them.

This celebration is also full of traditions, one of which is the legendary foosball tournament. This year’s winner was

The Floor is Open!

Honoring a grand tradition, the structured morning was

Having all employees engage in the discussion creates great

Every year on the last Friday of November, the entire Mjølner

followed by the open forum discussion in the afternoon.

synergy and forms a common ground for everyone to share. In

staff gathers for a joint meeting. We devote the morning to

As always, everyone was encouraged to share the

a consultancy where we spend all of our time helping clients

going through the year that has gone by and looking in the

issues they found important. Every year, the only rule of this

improve their business, it’s important to create a space for

crystal ball for the year to come.

session is that no issue is too big or too small and that all

strengthening the social and professional aspects of our own.

opinions are welcome and equally important.

-Jørgen Lindskov Knudsen, CEO of Mjølner

Troels Lund Rasmussen.

Mjølner congratulates thee!

DANSKE COMMODITIES & MJØLNER: IT AT THE TIPPING POINT GET INSTANT PROOF OF CONCEPT WITH THE NEW TouchGFX DEMO BOARD MJØLNER IS A GREAT PLACE TO WORK NEW POSSIBILITIES IN ANDROID APP DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS STRATEGY, BOTTLED WATER & BEING A CONSULTANT

Mjølner Informatics A/S

Finlandsgade 10, DK-8200 Aarhus N

+45 70 27 43 43

www.mjolner.dk

info@mjolner.dk