Experimental Worlds in Rottweil – Actively shaping the future of the region together
Introducing children and young people to working life and its associated issues while helping them become sufficiently mature to embark on an apprenticeship and in doing so cultivating the next generation of skilled workers for companies in the region – these are the goals of the Experimental Worlds in Rottweil.
Our company shares this objective of nurturing the next generation and ensuring that companies in the region will be able to source adequate skilled labour. So it was only natural that we felt the urge to team up in this project as a partner to Campus Schule-Wirtschaft geG. It is yet another building block in safeguarding the future of our company and a fantastic addition to our ModernWork jobs for people with flexible schedules.
But what are the Experimental Worlds exactly?
This science exhibition opened its doors in 2020. The 41 exhibits invite students, teachers and families to enjoy exploring and experimenting with scientific phenomena. It is a playful way to introduce visitors to natural sciences and engineering. From Pythagoras, Newton’s pendulum and Coriolis force to the reaction test, marble run and marble ballet or various logical and dexterity experiments, it is a wonderful opportunity to discover new things or to experience theory at first hand – and not just for children and youngsters. It is also a welcome change for adults and seasoned professionals to rediscover new and familiar phenomena in a refreshingly innovative guise.
But the Experimental Worlds are not the final stage in this development. Another space for new Working Worlds is currently in preparation. Slated to open in summer 2023, visitors will be able to immerse themselves in real and virtual worlds of work.
Already introduced back in 2013, the Impulse Worlds and a climbing day at the K5 climbing centre in Rottweil round off the ‘Range of Worlds’.
We are proud to be a partner to these Worlds. Regional innovation with Ätztechnik Herz.
Link: https://campus-schule-wirtschaft.de/experimentierwelten/
(Note: The aforementioned link leads to an external website for whose content the respective publisher is solely responsible.)
Living music with every fibre of his being – Damiano Maiolini
We are excited to present the singer-songwriter Damiano Maiolini. As a financial sponsor, we have been able to accompany Damiano on his way to conquer the music scene since 2021.
With his success on “The Voice Of Germany“ the young half-Italian Damiano Maiolini thrilled a large audience and has since been considered one of the most promising newcomers in the pop/schlager genre throughout Germany. His uniquely high and crystal clear voice colour is captivating and stands out from the crowd. His fans see him as a charismatic popular figure and a real all-rounder.
Not least because of this, he is the face of several productions and advertising campaigns and performs his stage show at festivals, on TV shows or other big arenas. His musical successes are impressive. His single “Solo Tu”, for example, won the MDR “Schlager des Monats”, his hit “Ich will nur Dich” shot straight into the German airplay charts and his record “GEMEINSAM” became one of THE songs for the Christopher Street Day in Cologne as a “Hymne für die Menschlichkeit” (anthem for humanity).
Damiano himself is looking forward to some highlights in 2023, such as appearances alongside Michelle or Loona as well as his own concert together with Annemarie Eilfeld.
He is also looking forward to many more schlager open air performances and festivals where he can share the stage with artists such as Anna-Carina Woitschack, Stefan Mross or Anna-Maria Zimmermann.
Damiano loves and lives music with every fibre of his being, we have been convinced of that. Reason enough for us to support him on his way. We are proud of our artist and are excited to see where the journey will lead!
Herz goes green – a new goal for 2023 and the years ahead.
The annual kick-off meeting of the Herz management team was held back in February. Aside from reports on the past year, the meeting focused on the outlook and goals for the coming fiscal year. While sales and process-related goals have been prioritised in the past, 2023 will also see the launch of a major sustainability project.
Herz goes green – the name of the project – will involve multi-year activities with the aim of continuing to promote sustainability at the company and improving its environmental footprint. Although the new project management is still defining the precise objectives, all employees of our organisation are called upon to submit proposals for suitable measures. Everyone is already aware that some measures will need to be implemented at a faster pace and others over a longer period. Starting in May, the project team will be tasked with defining all this in more detail and preparing a list of priorities. We look forward to receiving many ideas and will of course post reports about the measures we take on our social media channels as well as here on the website (see the “Herz goes Green” tab in the “Company” section).
Modern Work – The workplace for managers with families
We are all familiar with the situation – reconciling work with family life is among the biggest challenges of our times. Flexibility is the buzzword we encounter so often when attempting to address this challenge. Both companies and their employees are frequently faced with the question of how daily challenges can be reconciled with the other side’s expectations. It is precisely this challenge that we have addressed. After all, when skilled workers are thin on the ground, it becomes even more important to give employees the flexibility they need. Doing so imparts a sense of job and income security and at the same time enables the company to deploy its human resources efficiently in order to achieve its business objectives.
The result: a ‘win/win’ situation. After completing a review of our options at the individual locations, we have now developed a concept to offer people a place of work that accommodates their personal requirements. Whether it is young parents who need the flexibility to look after their children or perhaps have older family members to care for – our Modern Work arrangement enables them to schedule the hours they spend at the workplace to suit their needs. Six of these positions have since been established. Colleagues have now been appointed to half of these positions, who are thankful for the opportunity.
We are pleased that with these Modern Work positions, we have been able to take another step towards a healthy work-life balance and can therefore reactivate potential skilled labour resources that are currently untapped.
Expansion of the current PV system
The long-awaited expansion of the Photovolthigh system on the roof of our Bendelbach site in Epfendorf began a few days ago. A decision was reached some time ago to continue investments in this system. The work itself was delayed for a few month due to availability issues concerning the required modules. But the time has finally arrived, and a specialist firm has now installed the new system with a peak output of 140 kW. This has increased the capacity of the PV systems mounted at our sites to a total output of approx. 240 kW.
But it will not end there. The “Herz goes green” project gathered pace at the beginning of the year and additional investments in a more sustainable future will definitely follow.
Modernisation of the developer technology
The company decided over a year ago to invest in a new and modern developer line. After more than 20 years in service, the current system will be put out to pasture and has since been replaced with a modern system from Schmid. Herz has been using systems from the Freudenstadt manufacturer for a long time, which are known for their reliability. So it is hardly surprising that the legacy system was also from Schmid and we are merely initiating a generational switch with the same brand. The new system consists of two developer chambers and is equipped of course with a modern control system. Employees in the relevant department were instructed in using the new control technology in the run-up to the project. As a result, we were able to operate the system at full capacity in two shifts right from the start.