Experimental Worlds in Rottweil – Actively shaping the future of the region together

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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.

People who spend a lot of time on their feet, need time to put their feet up and rest…

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With this in mind, management has moved to deal with a problem raised by several members of staff. Many employees who have to carry out their work standing have expressed a desire for somewhere comfortable to sit down during breaks. Management has listened to these concerns and taken them on board. All locations have now received a comfortable lounge area for employees to use. This unexpected surprise has been very well received by employees, as can be easily seen in the photos.

Sorry you are leaving…

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The end of last year also heralded the end of a 15-year era at Ätztechnik Herz. CEO Steffen Herz had to say goodbye to Harald Müller-Josten, a long-standing production manager and driver of innovation within the company, as he begins his well-deserved retirement. Mr Müller-Josten was an internal and external contact for many years for discussing all things technically possible – and sometimes things that seemed impossible – regarding production using etching technology. His focus was always aimed at taking on board the challenges of customer requirements and, whenever possible, also implementing them. His innovative ability considerably influenced developments at Ätztechnik Herz over the past years. Mr Herz extended his thanks on behalf of all colleagues to Mr Müller-Josten for this special dedication in particular. On Mr Müller-Josten’s request, the executive board had already agreed, in these coronavirus times, to say their goodbyes outside and in a socially distanced manner, so that all staff could also be present. The staff, many of whom have worked together for a long time, used the opportunity, despite the wintery temperatures, to say their goodbyes and of course, give some leaving gifts to Mr Müller-Josten.

We would like to wish Mr Müller-Josten all the best for the new chapter in his life. We hope he enjoys many relaxing cycling and walking tours and that now and again when he is sitting with a good glass of sun-kissed wine in his hand in his native Baden, he will look back fondly on good times as part of the Herz team.

Update from our environmental projects

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We use drying equipment with heat pump technology for drying our production waste. This has recently been supported by an approx. 30 KW photovoltaic system. This measure allows us to reduce our external procurement of electricity by 50%. Furthermore, the waste heat that is generated by the drying equipment will be used to heat our warehouse from 2022 onwards, thereby replacing an old oil-fired heating system. This will help us to improve our CO2 balance even further.

We have always striven to achieve ambitious goals in environmental protection. We have been working on further reducing our ecological footprint for many years. In doing so, we have placed a special focus on climate protection, recycling management and the careful use of water as a resource. We are not only a role model in the field of etching technology, we have also been setting an example in environmental protection for quite some time.

We would like to say thank you!

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At the end of May, we had the honour of saying goodbye to our long-time employee and valued colleague Mrs. Schwenk on the occasion of her retirement. Due to the current pandemic, the official farewell could only take place on a very small scale and in compliance with the applicable hygiene regulations. Nevertheless, it was important to everyone involved not to let Mrs. Schwenk leave without saying a few personal words to her.  In addition to expressing our appreciation, management presented her with a book to browse through at her leisure and a bouquet of flowers. Everyone agreed that Mrs. Schwenk was also the heart and soul of the company! She was always friendly and in a good mood and demonstrated this regularly while she was organizing and running our reception desk. She was also therefore the first point of contact for all our visitors who really appreciated her cheerfulness and good humour.

Our employees also wanted to make sure that they could say goodbye to Mrs. Schwenk and of course they did not want to send her off empty-handed.  They combined their contributions to buy her a garden lounger which they had appropriately personalised. In addition, they presented her with a custom-made engraved table with a wine glass holder. They rounded off their gift with a greeting card containing a personally- dedicated poem and numerous signatures from all her colleagues.

We wish Mrs. Schwenk all the very best for the upcoming chapter of her life, many relaxing hours in the company of her family and hope that while enjoying a nice glass of wine, she will occasionally look back on the good times she spent with her Herz team.