“There will be completely new opportunities for production.”
Change has become an integral part of any successful business – as can be seen in the Production Department in Zeulenroda, Germany, in particular. Based on constant growth and the launch of the new Bauerfeind line b:joynz, a lot is changing here at the moment. Marcel Sicheneder, Operations Manager, tells us what opportunities this brings.
Why are the changes in Zeulenroda’s production necessary?
Mainly because we’re growing! Bauerfeind’s development over the last few years is a real success story. And this success story automatically brings about a lot of change. New products are being added regularly, such as the GenuTrain OA. We always have to be flexible and versatile because the market is subject to dynamic changes. And the competition doesn’t sleep either! Those who don’t deliver immediately and satisfy customer requirements may quickly be replaced. We want to prevent that, which means constant transformation for each of us.
What is changing specifically?
Many products, orthoses in particular, have already been moved to Gera, Germany, to the new production site. In November, the Lumbo Plus, SacroLoc and Spinova Osteo orthoses will be added as well as the welding of SecuTec/SofTec Dorso/Lumbo. Additionally, the new Bauerfeind line b:joynz is now being produced in Zeulenroda. It’s noticeable how this affects the organization in Zeulenroda. As a result, some of the teams are reconfigured, their tasks change, and they have to learn new work processes.
So, there are a lot of changes in a short time...
Yes, that’s right, and I can understand that some colleagues are worried about these developments. I’m often being asked: what will happen to my workplace here in Zeulenroda? But I can reassure my colleagues that a lot of these worries are unsubstantiated. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, we have almost reached last year’s sales again. We need the new production site in Gera to be able to cope with this growth. And we will look for new employees in Gera who will support us. This will bring about completely new structures for production in Zeulenroda – as well as new opportunities.
What kind of opportunities?
Previously, we haven’t been able to offer part-time work because of bottlenecks in capacity. That will change from January 1, 2021. Employees can get in touch with their team leader if they’re interested in working part-time. Several colleagues have already come forward. This option is also offered in Gera and Remscheid. Only in the Knitting Departments, part-time work is not possible because an individual employee operates too many capital-intensive systems. If employees do want to work part-time, they can change teams as well. Another advantage is that the amount of overtime is currently minimal because we are much better equipped for dealing with high numbers of orders in Zeulenroda and Gera together. And the team sizes are smaller because some colleagues also went to Gera. This reduces complexity. By moving systems to Gera, we’ve got more space in Zeulenroda, meaning we can redesign production to streamline material flows.
How are the teams coping with all the changes?
They managed to adapt really well in the past months. I’m thinking of the BK3 Team, for example. It has been growing for years because the demand keeps increasing. Now production takes place in Zeulenroda and Gera. Or the OK2 Team, which is responsible for manufacturing b:joynz and Bauerfeind Sports products. This team, led by Kerstin Gerold, went through a huge transformation: it manufactures products that are new to the market and now works with new technologies and processes. It’s an amazing effort!
One team – many new products
OK2 is one of the many teams that coped well with the changes in the past months: Team Leader Kerstin Gerold was previously in charge of the assembly and welding of orthoses. Now b:joynz supports, which were launched in October, and Bauerfeind Sports products are manufactured in her area. This transformation was a real challenge for Kerstin Gerold to begin with: “I really struggled initially. My team only used to do the welding and assembly – sewing was new. I learned sewing about 30 years ago but haven’t lost this skill. Of course, I had to get back into it so I could teach my colleagues. In the beginning, some were skeptical but we managed to get motivated and introduced the new processes step by step. We’re glad that we can work here and know what the future holds. That’s important!”