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.

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.

A film crew has been shadowing us for the last few days. They dropped by to shoot some footage for a new image film that we plan to release in the coming weeks. The team of six under director Kevin Kummer spent one day filming great sequences of our daily production routines and another one out in the forest. Why in the forest, you might ask? Get ready for a few surprises …