How did you end up working at SCHLEIFRING?
In 2014 I began my dual studies in the development laboratories to become a state-certified mechatronics engineer with a bachelor’s degree in engineering with a focus on mechatronics and precision engineering. That was my starting point in the SCHLEIFRING family. Having completed my studies, in 2019 I was employed full-time in the fields of product qualification and test planning for a wide range of applications. I have been running the department since 2024.
At SCHLEIFRING you are responsible for: The qualification of prototypes for new orders and the test planning for series products. We check prototypes together with the specialist departments with regard to customer requirements and subsequently release them. The next step is the creation of a test plan as well as the transfer of the testing approach from the engineering department to the production departments, both in-house and at suppliers. Without us there would be no series production! [laughs]
What characterizes your profession?
No two products are identical, although they are all rotary transmission systems: The technical background is very complex, but also exceedingly varied. Today we have to deal with mechanical challenges, tomorrow electrical ones, and the day after completely new ones.
How is the department in which you work structured?
We are a young, dynamic team. Five members, myself included, and very diverse: male, female, electrical expertise, mechanical know-how, and detailed knowledge in the field of test automation.
In your opinion, what makes the cooperation successful?
We are a team: we work together towards a common goal and support each other at all times. We are all willing to share our knowledge and contribute to the success of the department and the project. And we get along well privately as well – there’s always time for a chat after work!
What was your personal highlight to date?
One slip ring has accompanied me from the start of my training right through to my present position as head of department. It has been my constant companion since the drafting of the assembly instructions and then throughout ten years of series production, and I am able to say: We never stand still!
How would you rate SCHLEIFRING as an employer?
SCHLEIFRING is going through a period of change. And always has been. We constantly face new challenges and never stop producing new solutions. For me personally, that means: An exciting product and a top team at my side.
And now a personal question to round things off: What time period would you like to travel to if time travel were possible?
100 years into the future: What has changed? What is new? What does it look like here? Have we been able to implement forward-looking projects? If yes, as planned or something totally different?
How did you end up working at SCHLEIFRING?
I started my first job after university at SCHLEIFRING. A friend told me that the company was looking for sales engineers – and here I am. [laughs]
At SCHLEIFRING you are responsible for: The sales group in the military sector. We are the first point of contact for all customers. We take care of the entire preparation of quotations.
What characterizes your profession?
The fantastic cooperation with the colleagues. And, above all, the enjoyment of facing new challenges on a daily basis. Every customer project is unique and has its own special technical requirements, which we want to fulfil.
How is the department in which you work structured?
They are a total of four teams that work together very closely: sales, project management, engineering and product qualification. Strictly speaking, it was our customers who gave rise to the departments: This type of close cooperation was created due to the numerous challenges that needed to be mastered collectively.
In your opinion, what makes the cooperation successful?
Everyone works together towards a common goal. We work together in an open but respectful manner and are allowed to speak our minds, even with regard to critical issues. The regular exchange of ideas and views is cultivated to ensure that everyone possesses the same information. That is extremely important and the basic prerequisite for good teamwork.
What has been your personal highlight to date?
Definitely the time spent at Schleifring North America near Boston from 2019 to 2021. SCHLEIFRING made that possible without any complications at all. We were asked who is interested in an exchange program – a day later we were sitting in the plane [laughs]. During my stay there I experienced a fantastic level of support, and the intercompany exchange program is still considered important and actively encouraged.
Since when have you been working for SCHLEIFRING? What insights have you gained so far?
I have been working for SCHLEIFRING since 2015. The varied interactions with a wide variety of cultures and also hierarchic levels make my everyday working life exciting. Besides comprehensive technical know-how, over the course of time I came to realize that communication tailored to the needs of the other party is also one of the most important factors in achieving a common goal. Especially for our complex products, it is important to familiarize oneself with the customer project and to ask the right questions in order to offer the ideal result – after all, no one knows our products as well as we do. We are a medium-sized company, and countless products variants for the military sector have taught us that it is necessary to remain flexible at all times and to acquire new knowledge.
How would you rate SCHLEIFRING as an employer?
Not only the working environment and the fantastic colleagues make SCHLEIFRING a special company. As a regional employer in an international environment, SCHLEIFRING continuously offers new opportunities for personal development. For me personally, that meant key account management, then project management, followed by my time in the USA, and now the role as head of sales. Due to the large range of possible applications, our niche product guarantees a secure workplace and on this basis creates space for new projects, challenges, and experiences.
And now a personal question to round things off: It is ten thirty on Saturday morning. What would you normally be doing?
Actually, there are only three possibilities: I would either be working out, preferably CrossFit, going for a long walk with my Goldendoodle, or fixing something in the house or on the car [laughs].
How did you end up working at SCHLEIFRING?
I started work at SCHLEIFRING straight after university. To be more precise: After my training in advertising, I studied business administration and was able to launch my career as a student trainee in the marketing department. In 2006 I was offered permanent job as a marketing assistant. Finally, in September 2012 I was promoted to the position of marketing coordinator with responsibility for the marketing budget and my own projects.
At SCHLEIFRING you are responsible for: The coordination and implementation of marketing projects in the field of corporate design. With regard to public relations, this means that I am the first point of contact for the press and the general public. My texts and formulations (with support from the specialist departments and after consultation with the executive management) are made available to the general public. Online I also maintain our website and the social media channels and support the maintenance of the online shop and the SEO/SEA campaign. In addition, I keep an eye on the Internet presence of our subsidiaries. Together with the sales department, I take care of both our national and our international trade fair appearances, including the trade fair videos and all planned highlights.
What characterizes your profession?
The wide variety. People often ask me if I don’t fancy doing something different, especially as I have been working at the company for such a long time. The answer is no, not yet. My job is extremely varied. Today it is an image video that requires my undivided attention, tomorrow a social media campaign, the day after a VR project, and then all of a sudden the entire online shop has to be completely revamped. A lot of projects are new for me, and if they are not new, then they are nevertheless completely different. It’s all a question of organisation and communication, both of which I really enjoy and which are close to my heart.
How is the department in which you work structured?
We are “two women in a boat” [laughs]. My colleague and I take care of the entire corporate marketing (with support from specialists and agencies) – and at present we are both working part-time. Having the opportunity to continue enjoying one’s calling, despite having a family, really is a wonderful experience at SCHLEIFRING. Personal development in one’s private life and in the job!
In your opinion, what makes the cooperation successful?
Mutual trust and the knowing that you are not alone, no matter what comes your way. We can rely on each other and draw on each other’s know-how and experience. We produce the best-possible result, no matter what project we are working on.
What was your personal highlight to date?
The opening of our plant in Fürstenfeldbruck in 2010. A corporate event with 600 guests, high-ranking visitors and an ecclesiastical blessing. The complete organisation and coordination of everyone who supported the event until the lights were switched off. To be honest with you, I was completely exhausted afterwards [laughs], but happy that everything went according to plan and that we had a wonderful celebration.
How would you rate SCHLEIFRING as an employer?
For me personally, SCHLEIFRING is not just the company that pays my salary on time and offers numerous benefits. We are one big family. A large group of experts in their respective specialist fields who share their knowledge and, above all, are prepared to explain things. As someone without technical expertise, I am constantly reliant on the patience of the specialists, and over the years this has never been lacking – without exception.
And now a personal question to round things off: What time period would you like to travel to if time travel were possible?
With the flux capacitor, I would like to travel “back to the future”, and then return to the present day with the necessary knowledge. I would ask myself the following fascinating question: Can I make a decisive change in order to be better prepared for the future? A job well planned is a job half done: sometimes it would be really helpful to gaze into a crystal ball.
How did you end up working at SCHLEIFRING?
I was the first trainee to receive their training in SCHLEIFRING’s Kaufbeuren plant. [Laughs proudly] In 2008 I started work as an unskilled laborer and then in September of that year my training began. Three years later I successfully qualified as a cutting-machine operator. This was followed by periods working in the milling shop before I transferred permanently to the work preparation department. After four years working in this department, I was able to successfully complete an extra-occupational course in mechanical engineering, and then I had a change of scenery and spent 1.5 years at SCHLEIFRING’s headquarters in Fürstenfeldbruck. Due to my interest in combining my technical know-how with an economic background, I went on to do an extra-occupational course of studies in business administration and then returned directly to Kaufbeuren as a team leader.
At SCHLEIFRING you are responsible for: In our plant there are two large fields of activity: assembly and machining. I take care of everything else – soldering, gluing, casting, ring rolling, installation of QUICKSERT thread inserts, and electro-casting. If I have left something out, I am also responsible for that [laughs].
What characterizes your profession?
Being a manager is a life's work, a 100% commitment every day. You are no longer only responsible for yourself, but rather for the welfare of the company and the employees for whom you are responsible. Even in your private life, in one way or another you are still “the boss” and are willing to lend a sympathetic ear.
How is the department in which you work structured?
Due to the diversity of the departments for which I am responsible, they are correspondingly spread out extensively throughout the plant. My team’s qualifications are also extremely varied: machine operator and plant operator are the job titles that traditionally accompany me during my everyday working life. However, also lateral entrants such as brewers, landscape gardeners and even a hotel specialist work in my departments – all professions have their own raison d'être due to the special background knowledge involved and can be of great help when overcoming everyday challenges.
In your opinion, what makes the cooperation successful?
SCHLEIFRING Kaufbeuren lives from good cooperation: We always support each other, even if we are not responsible for the other person’s tasks. If someone needs help, they are not alone. This enables us to make constant progress, no matter which project we are working on, no matter what challenges we face – we are a team.
What has been your personal highlight to date?
My personal highlight was the construction of the factory extension in 2024. For the first time, we were able to organize our departments in line with the latest requirements. The entire machine shop and the employees have grown hand in hand with the customer requirements and the individual projects and thus correspond to the latest technical standards.
Since when have you been working for SCHLEIFRING? What insights have you gained so far?
I have been working for SCHLEIFRING since 2008. The company is constantly growing and adapting to the production methods and technology required, and even develops its own new manufacturing processes. Up to now, our know-how and our specialized knowledge have proven to be solid in every economic situation.
How would you rate SCHLEIFRING as an employer?
I really like being part of the SCHLEIFRING family. Besides having good colleagues, I have also made real friends here. All in all, it is the community that makes us what we are. Anyone who wishes to is able to grow together with the company, further develop their skills and continue their training for as long as their stamina lasts.
And now a personal question to round things off: It is ten thirty on Saturday morning. What would you normally be doing?
In an ideal world I would be somewhere in the mountains, either rock climbing in summer or snowboarding in winter.
