Since Marel’s involvement, the organization has changed significantly—and not for the better. While leadership promotes the idea of a unified “JBT Marel,” in practice Marel appears to drive nearly all major decisions. Core systems are being replaced with legacy Marel platforms, and many long-time JBT employees who previously held administrative responsibilities have seen those rights reassigned to Marel personnel.
The annual goal-setting and performance review process feels poorly designed and largely ineffective. Employees are not required to finalize their goals until the end of the first quarter, which effectively shortens the time available to work toward them by several months. Similarly, year-end review activities begin as early as October, further compressing the period in which meaningful progress can be made.
Financial and operational planning also seem misaligned. The AOP (Annual Operating Plan) is routinely not finalized until late in the first quarter, despite planning activities beginning months earlier in October. This delay creates confusion and undermines clear direction for the business.
The culture has become highly micromanaged, with HR appearing disproportionately large compared to other departments, and much of that function based overseas. The overall environment feels unsupportive and, at times, uncomfortable. In particular, some leadership behaviors foster a sense of cultural bias—for example, repeatedly emphasizing the supposed superiority of Swedish work ethic over that of American employees—which can be demoralizing and divisive.
Given these issues—unclear governance, ineffective processes, heavy micromanagement, and a strained culture—this is not a company I would recommend to prospective employees.
