Double Swedish success: Maria and Camilla Europe’s best in maintenance!

Swedish maintenance is world class.

This was made abundantly clear on 16 September, when Maria Ryytty was named European Maintenance Manager of the Year (EMMA), at the industry’s European congress in Rimini.

And that’s not all. On the same occasion, another Swede, Camilla Munther, received the EFNMS Excellence PhD Thesis Award.

This year’s EuroMaintenance Congress, 16-18 September in Rimini, was historic. For the first time, the prestigious EMMA prize, awarded since 1988, went to a woman: Maria Ryytty from Sweden.

Behind the EMMA trophy is the umbrella organisation EFNMS, which brings together the national maintenance organisations of 24 European countries. The main sponsor is the Salvetti Foundation.

– Maria Ryytty is a fantastic role model in Swedish maintenance, as is Camilla Munther, who was also honoured with a prestigious award, says Maria Stockefors, CEO of the Swedish Maintenance Association.

– Both have made outstanding contributions and are very worthy winners.

But the fact that the jury actually chose two Swedish women in a traditionally male-dominated sector – really shows that change is underway!

Rigorous jury process

Maria and Camilla’s names are well-known in the Swedish maintenance sector.

In 2022, Maria Ryytty received the Maintenance Manager of the Year award at Underhållsmässan, the Swedish Maintenance Fair in Gothenburg. Camilla Munther (who was then called Lundgren) was also honoured there for the Degree Project, Master or Ph.D. of the Year.

Swedish Maintenance awards the Swedish prizes, always every two years at the Gothenburg fair. The national organisation then nominates the winners for the corresponding awards at European level.

After a long jury process, these are the prizes that were awarded on 16 September 2024, at EuroMaintenance in Rimini.

“A huge honour”

Maria Ryytty, Strategic Maintenance Manager at LKAB, Iron Ore Business Area, received the most prestigious honour of all: the European Maintenance Manager of the Year Award (EMMA).

– I am, of course, incredibly proud and happy. It’s a huge honour, she says.

– To make it through such a top European competition, and win as the first woman, – well, it’s a little hard to take in.

The nomination highlighted that Maria has demonstrated how a well-thought-out predictive maintenance strategy, enhanced with digitalisation and AI, can help achieve sustainability goals and create added value in the mining industry.

– The jury may have realised that what we have done affects the work environment as well as the external environment and energy, and this means there is a business case for working on maintenance, well planned and in good time, she says.

– Anyway, it’s great fun and a bit of a celebration to receive the award.

“Started crying with joy”

Camilla Munther, formerly at Chalmers, is currently a researcher at RISE, the Swedish research institute. She received the European degree award with the full name EFNMS Excellence PhD Thesis Award in Maintenance.

– I started crying with joy when I got the news, she admits.

– Then I got a little stressed and panicked with the logistics and babysitting for our two-year-old. So the babysitter is coming to Italy. It’s going to be a big hit here! she said.

Camilla is rewarded for her pioneering research into strategies on how companies can actively work with the implementation of Smart Maintenance.

– We talk a lot about technical innovation in industrial maintenance, but with my thesis I want to show how we can also achieve organisational innovation.

She suspects that this may, at least in part, explain Swedish success.

– I think there may be a connection with the fact that in Sweden we have started to talk more and more about organisational development. Maintenance is about so much more than just technical availability. And more and more people are starting to realise the importance of this.

Eyes are turned to Sweden

Both Maria Ryytty and Camilla Munther have gone through the eye of a needle, in fierce competition. Which means that Europe’s attention is now on Sweden.

– We welcome that. We have a very innovative and strong maintenance industry in Sweden. Our nominations and selected winners emphasise that we are at the absolute forefront, says Maria Stockefors.

– Industry cooperation will continue to develop both through the Swedish Maintenance Association and our partners in the industry. We are very proud and happy for the winners and their well-deserved award, she adds.

EuroMaintenance will next be held in 2026, in collaboration with the Swedish Maintenance Association, SVUH, and in parallel with Underhållsmässan, Europe’s leading maintenance fair. For more info about the fair and further info in future about EuroMaintenance: Underhållsmässan 10-13 March 2026

Want to know more? Contact Maria Stockefors, CEO Swedish Maintenance, Telephone Office: 08-664 09 25, Mobile: 070-888 23 02, e-mail: [email protected]