HAHN apprentices take 4th place at German championship for mechatronics engineers

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HAHN apprentices take 4th place at German championship for mechatronics engineers

The apprentice team consisting of Valentin Butz and Jonathan Seis from HAHN Automation Group missed the podium at the German championship of mechatronics by a hair’s breadth: they finished fourth, only 0.4% points behind. During the WorldSkills Germany competition at the Festo Learning Center in St. Ingbert from October 17 to 21, the two apprentice mechatronics engineers had to compete against five teams from other companies. The team from Sick AG won the competition. They will now continue training to officially represent Germany at the WorldSkills Championships in September 2024 in Lyon, France.

Every two years, the best future mechatronics engineers meet for the German championship of the WorldSkills Germany organization. From assembly and connection, to maintenance and optimization of a technical system, the participants were expected to complete three to four consecutive tasks on each of the three days of the competition, which they had to master as a team in a specified time.

Fulminant race to catch up

Unfortunately, the first day of competition went anything but well for Valentin and Jonathan. They had to deal with many technical problems and were completely thrown off their game. The two prospective mechatronics engineers were only able to complete a small part of the day’s task and thus scored almost no points. “After the final whistle, they were devastated. It was clear that gold and silver were in all likelihood out of reach and they know what they are actually capable of,” explains Stephan Boos, Trainer at HAHN Automation Group. “It took some good coaxing and motivation from the mental coach and me to get them back on their feet.”

The next day, everything was to go differently. With their heads held high, Valentin and Jonathan started into the competition and everyone saw immediately: the previous day was history. They started a brilliant race to catch up, completed the remaining work from the previous day and mastered the actual day’s task with flying colors. They were able to leave the competition area before time ran out. As a reward they received thunderous applause from all participants and jury members.

The task of the last day of the competition was to optimize the sorting system, which had been assembled and programmed on the first two days, in terms of cycle time and air consumption. “Valentin and Jonathan went all out and were the only team to rebuild their system not only programmatically but also mechanically,” says Boos. “Everyone else focused only on program operations.” And this plan worked: as on the previous day, they dominated the field and were the first team to leave the competition area 36 minutes before the time was up. Thus, the HAHN Team was not only able to score the extra points for the most efficient layout, but also time points.

Since the other participants also performed very well, it was exciting until the award ceremony whether the race to catch up was still enough for a place on the podium. In the end, the HAHN Automation Group Team missed third place by only 0.4% points. “Under these circumstances, this is a terrific result. I am extremely proud of Jonathan and Valentin and they can be too”, Stephan Boos is happy about the performance of his apprentices.

Team performance

At the Regio Cup in July, the two budding mechatronics engineers were still opponents, but at the German championships they competed as a team. After their first experience of competition in the summer, they were both driven by ambition: “For me, it’s exciting to be able to compete with others,” explains Jonathan Seis. “In addition, you gain a lot of experience in a very short time during the competition and also during preparation, which can also help you later in your career.” Valentin Butz can only agree: “My motivation to take part in the German championship was mainly that I wanted to prove my skills and measure myself against other apprentices in my field.”

They traveled to the competition well prepared. In September, they had already gone through a training camp lasting several days. “After that, we knew exactly where we stood and which screws still needed to be tightened,” explains Trainer Stephan Boos. “Together we drew up a training plan and successively tackled one point after another.” Since there were quite a few points, many a weekend fell victim to the training. In addition to the practical training, they also had the opportunity to participate twice in mental coaching with a sports psychologist, which focused, among other things, on coping with tension and excitement.

“The effort was visibly worthwhile, as we saw just after the end of competition days two and three,” states Boos.

Making apprenticeship attractive

The HAHN Automation Group has been a member of the WorldSkills Germany organization for several years, has participated in the competitions more often and has been a regional organizer itself. From the group’s point of view, learning in competition is a perfect complement to the training itself. Only those who face the competition situation out of their own conviction and tackle the required tasks with personal interest prove they have the staying power and often achieve better results.

“In my opinion, the WorldSkills competitions are a highly underestimated tool for also raising the profile of vocational education among the general public and making dual training more attractive to young people,” thinks Stephan Boos. “For this reason, we have also been hosting the Regio Cup for mechatronics and industrial mechanics in Rheinböllen every year since 2021, so that the topic becomes more widespread and many can benefit from this great concept.” And further, “The gathering of different companies also creates a lively exchange among each other, which not only concerns the competitions, but also the training concepts themselves.”

Targeted training of junior staff has a very high priority for the HAHN Automation Group. The trainers understand qualified apprenticeship not only as imparting technical knowledge, but also as supporting young people in their personal and professional development. You can find more information here: Vacancies for apprentices.

 


The tasks demanded the highest concentration and tact from Valentin Butz (left) and Jonathan Seis (right) of the HAHN Automation Group.


Happy participants and experts after the competition in St. Ingbert.

HAHN Group company highlights from 2022

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The HAHN Group looks back on a successful year 2022. We have compiled some of our company highlights of the year that we particularly like to think back on.

JANUARY

HAHN Automation Austria wins the largest order in the company’s history

For the second time, HAHN Automation Austria in Kremsmünster was able to beat the worldwide competition with the best concept, innovation and team spirit to win the largest order in the company’s history.

FEBRUARY

HAHN Automation was awarded by kununu as Top Company 2022

and therefore belongs to the 5% of the most popular companies in the DACH region. We are pleased that numerous positive reviews honor our various benefits and the great working atmosphere. In addition, this year we were able to celebrate the 500th hire by our HR Recruiter & Business Partner Andrew Velasquez.

MARCH

Kick-Off for the HAHN Academy

Our People & Culture team spent many months identifying key needs and developed a large catalogue of group-wide professional development programs for all employees. “Investing in the further training of our employees makes an important contribution to the success and innovative strength of our company. The exchange and learning with or from international colleagues within the HAHN Academy is a significant part of our employee retention strategy.” Daniela Mertens, Director People & Culture

HAHN Automation apprentice Janne wins the silver medal at the WorldSkills German Championships and therefore becomes the new German Vice-Champion of industrial mechanics.

 © WorldSkills Germany

HAHN joins forces to support Ukraine

The HAHN Group stands with its values for peaceful and friendly cooperation – worldwide. It was important to us to provide unbureaucratic and direct help.

Numerous relief supplies have been collected at the central European locations. Our employees left several times for the Ukrainian-Polish border, transporting relief supplies on the way there and bringing Ukrainian refugees with them to Rheinböllen on the way back. In cooperation with Atlas Holding GmbH, more than 45 refugees have found a safe place to stay in the HAHN Apartments.

Through the generous willingness of our global network of HAHN Group companies to donate, several tens of thousands of euros have been made available through various campaigns.

Colleagues around the world also got involved privately, taking in Ukrainian refugees, making donations in kind or money, or launching campaigns to provide financial support.

APRIL

Group-wide Digital GirlsDay

Girls Day offers schoolgirls the chance to get to know professions that have been dominated by men so far. We are pleased that we were able to get some young women interested in the technical field. In the coming years, we want to continue to support the #klischeefrei initiative and attract young girls to our companies.

MAY

Wings For Life World Run

In 2022 we participated in the Wings for Life World Run for the 2nd time. The run’s motto was “Run for those who can’t” and 100% of the entry fees went to spinal cord research.

Employees from 15 international company locations, including Germany, the USA, Mexico, China, the Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia and the UK, participated in the run.

Walther Systemtechnik receives innovation award from the state of Rhineland-Palatinate for new WSV spray valve

In the “Cooperation” category, Walther Systemtechnik was honored for its innovative capabilities. Together with Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, they developed a smart spray valve with integrated process monitoring and control via web interface. The smart, electric universal spray valve combines sophisticated technology in the smallest possible space, saves costs for additional devices and significantly reduces the commissioning and integration effort.

JULY

30-year anniversary of Christian Boos at Waldorf Technik

Christian started his career at Waldorf Technik back in 1992 as a sales representative. In the course of his career, he took on additional tasks as operations manager and became responsible for both engineering development and project management. Through his responsibilities in these positions and as a former shareholder of Waldorf Technik, hardly anyone else has shaped or impacted the company as much as Christian Boos.

Cooperation between REI Automation and the College of Charleston

Dr. Andrew Hsu, President of the College of Charleston, visited REI Automation in July. REI has partnered with CofC’s Systems Engineering Degree Program and will host their first intern in 2023.

SEPTEMBER

We welcome our 26 new trainees

They started in the professions: Electronics Technician, Mechatronics Technician, Industrial Mechanic, Machinist, Industrial Clerk, Marketing Communication Clerk and IT Specialist for System Integration. At HAHN Group, you can complete an apprenticeship in both industrial and commercial areas. As an innovative employer with future technologies, we offer our young talents an exciting training program.

30th anniversary of HAHN Automation GmbH

Under the motto we.automate.future., HAHN Automation welcomed many long-standing partners and customers such as Beckhoff Automation, Festo, Epson, Omron, KUKA, ABB, FANUC, Bosch Rexroth, Mitsubishi Electric, Walther Systemtechnik, United Robotics Group, RobShare, SCHUNK und Montratec. At the “Open Day”, more than 5,000 interested visitors from the region and employees from the sister companies and other sites took the opportunity to visit the site in Rheinböllen.

WorldSkills Regio Cup at the Rheinböllen site

On 16 and 17 September 2022, this year’s WorldSkills Germany Regio Cup for industrial mechanics and mechatronics took place at HAHN Automation in Rheinböllen. The total of seven competitors from all over Germany had to prove their skills at six competence stations each and worked up a sweat with many tasks.

OCTOBER

First Group-wide project management conference

Under the motto “Team up for global projects!” the HAHN Group International Project Management Conference took place for the first time this year. On October 10 and 11, project managers from all HAHN Group units worldwide came together to exchange experiences, receive coaching and network. For Michael Fritzsche, Director Project Management at HAHN Automation, the event was a complete success: “After two intensive days with excellent presentations, valuable customer feedback, workshops and a lot of networking, our first global project management conference comes to an end. Let’s work together for global projects and turn visions into real value.” In 2023, more Global Conferences are planned for other departments as well.

NOVEMBER

HAHN Automation was awarded for the best apprentice (mechatronics technician) by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK)

Torben Müller started his apprenticeship as a mechatronics technician with us in 2019 and completed it very successfully in 2022. For this, he was personally honored by the IHK president as one of the year’s best trainees in the occupational field of mechatronics.

© Marco Rothbrust photographer

DECEMBER

myHAHN collects christmas parcels for children in need 

For the “Christmas parcels for children in need” campaign of the Kinderzukunft Foundation, we collected gift parcels that are now on their way in trucks to needy children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania and, if possible, Ukraine. The Christmas parcels will be distributed to girls and boys in orphanages, clinics, schools, kindergartens and slums.

We would like to thank all our colleagues who have packed a parcel and hope to be able to bring a little joy to the children.

How do you last twenty years in a company? – An interview with Marco Klee

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Marco, Head of Procurement at the HAHN Group, is already celebrating his 20th company anniversary. As a long-time employee, he talks about the development from a start-up to a medium-sized company in an interview with Karina from the People & Culture Team. Some milestones have remained in his memory until today.

Karina: You have been a loyal employee for many years. What exactly do you associate with the company?

Marco: Well, what comes to mind spontaneously is growth, cohesion, togetherness and acceptance. Friendships that have developed with colleagues. Some events besides the daily activities like summer parties, Christmas parties and trips, which we did together with the management in the beginning. Over the years, I have really had many great experiences.

Karina: What do you remember most about the whole period?

Marco: I actually do not have to think about that for long. A real milestone that stuck with me was the first million-dollar order at the time of HÄHN Engineering. I still know the number of the order and the customer name. When we received the order confirmation, I remember Thomas, one of the founders and at that time our CEO, running through the building cheering that we had our first million dollar contract. That really stuck with me. You always associate HAHN with growth, and for me this was the first big growth step that I recall. As far as I remember, it was also one of the first international customer. Another major Milestone was, of course, the big step from HAHN Automation into the RSBG.

Karina: What has changed in these twenty years and what has perhaps even remained the same?

Marco: There have been some changes since we joined RSBG, of course. Quite simply, what has changed, is the number of colleagues. When I started, I think I was employee number 35. Today we are 1600 – so that is crazy. I used to know every employee by name. Today, unfortunately, that is no longer possible. The distances have become longer, but that is understandable. What I think is cool, what has remained the same, is the personal and friendly atmosphere (“you” culture).  That already existed in the past and was very important already back then. In my opinion, that is and was a big building block for the success of the company. It simply makes you feel closer. What has always been remarkable for me is that the structures have always been pulled up in time and the basis has been created for the next big step.

Karina: Today it is common practice to change jobs every three to five years. Why has this not been an option for you?

Marco: I have grown with the company and you develop friendships. I have my employer right on my doorstep here in the region. To be honest, I have never thought of leaving because it has always been exciting and fun for me. I made my career steps more or less internally. Back then, I was looking for a position in purchasing. I saw the ad in the newspaper and applied. Unfortunately, the position had already been filled but they were still looking for a sales assistant. Frank, one of the founders, and a colleague from the finance department convinced me to join HÄHN. Therefore, I started as a sales assistant on September 15, 2001 – four days after 9/11. At this point, I realized relatively quickly that this was not for me in the long run. After a few weeks, the position became available in purchasing, which I then started with conviction. From that point on, I built up the purchasing department and have now been responsible for strategic purchasing at HAHN Group since 2017. That is why the question of a change has never really arisen for me in the many years I have been here. I put my heart and soul into it and I truely enjoy working at HAHN.

Karina: There is a lot to celebrate in the anniversary year. What is your personal wish for the future?

Marco: I want us to continue together on the way we have gone in the past. I would like to remain a part of ensuring that the company can still drive this growth and that the goals that have been set are achieved.

Karina: What would you like to say in the end?

Marco: It is important that we continue to live the corporate culture in the same way as before and that we try to maintain the HAHN spirit despite the growth.

Success stories of the HAHN Group network

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With locations all over the world, the HAHN Group offers a large network. In the following article, four employees report on their exchange experiences between international sites.

Carlos, Project Leader Assembly HA DE AS, came from Mexico to Rheinböllen

Efrain, Junior Software Engineer Controls HAHN Automation GmbH, came from Mexico to Rheinböllen

Kresimir, General Operations Manager HAHN Automation S. de R.L., came from Rheinböllen Germany to Zagreb Croatia, and afterwards to Queretaro Mexico

Johannes Philipp, Project Leader Assembly HAHN Automation GmbH, came from Germany to the Czech Republic, and afterwards to Mexico

What was your reason for this experience?

Carlos: I wanted to learn more about both – the work at HAHN Automation in Rheinböllen and the German culture. I believed that it was a good opportunity for my professional and personal development.

Efrain: I wanted to continue growing as a professional and as a person. My boss gave me this opportunity and I said yes to it.

Kresimir: I am an open person who is always searching for new challenges. The dynamic of our work means we could never have the same day twice.

Johannes Philipp: A colleague told me that they didn´t find someone for the job yet and I felt like doing something new. I spent 2 weeks visiting the location and then joined the team for 4 years.

How was the experience with your new colleagues? Did you feel well integrated?

Carlos: I always felt welcomed, even though it took me some time to adapt. By the time that I arrived, I did not speak neither understood the German language that much. Now I can do it a little bit more than before. Everyone is nice, helpful and willing to collaborate. I feel integrated with the team and I enjoy my days at work.

Kresimir: Since I have started at HAHN Automation in Germany, I have always had a feeling that we are one family. As a foreigner coming to Germany, without knowing language, all the team members accepted me very well.

Johannes Philipp: In the Czech Republic, it was very difficult at the beginning because of the language. The people were very skeptical. After a year, I did an intensive language course and then I could communicate even with the 50% who did not speak English at all. That made a huge difference. People really appreciate it when you learn their language. It opens up a completely new range of opportunities.

Did this experience improve your technical skills? Did you get to know new technologies or processes?

Efrain: HAHN Automation in Germany is bigger than HAHN Automation Mexico. Here you can find more projects, more technologies, more specialists, more processes. If you have any technical issue, there are more people available that you can ask for help. I have had the chance to collaborate in projects made for different customers worldwide.

Johannes Philipp: Technically, we learn new things with every project. The Czech Republic has a different way of thinking than the Germans. You have to find a common basis for that. That is not always easy, but you also have to realize your goals and never stop learning.

What was the one thing you benefit the most of?

Johannes Philipp: Definitely the interaction with people and I lost the fear of trying new things. I have seen that everything is possible.

Would you recommend an exchange to other employees and why?

Efrain: If they have the opportunity, they just need to take it. They must not be afraid of the people, the country or the language. They need to know that they will learn a lot and they will find out how people live. This can help them growing professionally and improve themselves personally.

Kresimir: Do not be afraid to try new things and to take opportunities that scare you. It is a big learning experience.                                                                                                                       

Thank you for the interviews!

HAHN Group Onboarding – An experience report

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Sven Roth has become part of the HAHN Group corporate network in September 2021 in his role as a product manager at Walther Systemtechnik. To make it easier for him and other colleagues to get started during the pandemic, the HAHN Group People & Culture team hosts regular onboarding events. Elif Özdemir, HR Recruiter & Coordinator, spoke about Sven’s individual onboarding experiences.

 

Elif: Hello Sven, thank you very much for your time and willingness to be interviewed about onboarding at HAHN Group. I’ll start with a classic question first: How did you come to HAHN Group?

 

Sven: The first time I considered the HAHN Group or Walther Systemtechnik GmbH as a future employer was about a year ago. In a conversation with a former colleague, who has been working at Walther Systemtechnik for several years, I learned more about the integration of the company into the HAHN Group. The associated structural change and the new opportunities that arise from operating within the group made me curious and so one thing led to another.

 

Elif: On 01.09.2021 you had your first working day at Walther Systemtechnik GmbH. What do you remember most about your first working days at HAHN Group?

 

Sven: I would describe my first working days and also the first points of contact before that with the words familiar and appreciative. In particular, the helpfulness of my colleagues with the many questions I had at the beginning — and still have — will remain in my memory for a long time. My onboarding was already firmly scheduled for the first few weeks. I was introduced to the technology and internal processes and had many appointments here on site to get to know the company. Already on my third working day, the HAHN Group’s welcome event “Welcome@HAHN” took place. For me, this was a nice opportunity to get to know the group of companies and the culture of the “extended family” better.

 

Elif: Let’s go into more detail about the “Welcome@HAHN” event. How did you feel about the content of the event, what was your impression? What conclusions do you draw from it?

 

Sven: I approached the “Welcome@HAHN” event with a very open mind. The event is new, therefore we had little experience with it here in Germersheim. I was interested to learn more about the overall strategy across the individual divisions.

In particular, I remember that Axel took the time for us and gave us exciting insights into the strategy and vision of the HAHN Group.

I also found the presentations by Cordula, Ingo and Co. very informative and helpful. Accordingly, I found it positive that in addition to the presentations, there was also room for questions from the ranks of the newcomers.

The event itself took place online, in order to accommodate the circumstances with Covid-19. In retrospect, I did not perceive this as a disadvantage. On the contrary, I would endorse the virtual format even away from Covid-19. Despite the remote event, it was not sober and dry. The interactive round of introductions & the HAHN quiz made the virtual get-to-know-you experience surprisingly lively. Even though I didn’t take first place I now know that a halfpipe even fits in a car garage to pursue the hobby of skateboarding even in bad weather!

From the current perspective, I find the event particularly valuable for another reason. It serves the purpose of networking across locations and promotes the group idea right from the start – which I think is one of the greatest strengths of the HAHN Group.

 

Elif: Looking back, how satisfied were you with your onboarding in general?

 

Sven: Very. In my case, onboarding was already fully scheduled for the first few weeks before my first day of work. Accordingly, I was able to quickly familiarize myself with the processes that were new to me and knew the appropriate contact persons for all questions that were still to come.

 

Elif: Finally, the last question: Can you describe your onboarding in one sentence?

 

Sven: Appreciative, friendly and exciting without exception!

 

Elif: Thank you very much, Sven!

HAHN Plastics Automation: The HAHN Group has competent people all over the world

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In the interview with Stefan Kropp you can find out more about international cooperation and the exchange between our HAHN Group subsidiaries. Stefan Kropp has accompanied GeKu Automatisierungssysteme since its incorporation and has repeatedly taken on different roles. 1.5 years ago he accepted the offer to move to HAHN Plastics Automation in the USA. You can find out more about the connection between GeKu and HAHN Plastics Automation and how the working styles might differ between the countries on the HAHN Plastics Automation website.

GeKu: With us, customers get to know their systems down to the smallest detail.

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Get to know Patrick Tarnowski, who has been with GeKu Automatisierungssysteme GmbH since 2012. In his role, he takes on the service technology and training management for test systems. You can find out what other tasks he handles, what he particularly enjoys about his work and what makes the company so special on the GeKu website.

GeKu: Good performance creates great opportunities for young employees

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On the GeKu website you can find out what successful training and employee development looks like within the HAHN Group. Get to know Marcel, who stood out with his particularly good performance during his training at GeKu. He then had the opportunity for a very special exchange within the HAHN Group corporate network. Find out more about the exchange with HAHN Automation in the USA and what Marcel takes away from this experience on the GeKu website.