When (almost) everyone wants to see Hectronic

Will the weather be good? Have we thought of everything? Will a lot of people come? Questions like these went through the heads of the organizers at Hectronic, some worries made it hard to sleep. But in the end, the expectations of even the greatest optimists were more than met. Actually, the term Visitors Day is not quite correct. Hectronic opened its gates to guests for three days. We decided on a somewhat longer version, said operations manager Eckhard Fechtig, the organizer of the event. For a good reason, he explains, because they wanted to offer various target groups such as schools the chance to get individualized information. The concept was very successful; the expectations of even the most optimistic were fulfilled.

The party tent on the company grounds was always well visited.

It started on Thursday afternoon with a get acquainted day for students and teachers. The secondary schools in the area were contacted and the response to the offer was surprisingly large. Although it was not a required event for the schools, 65 boys and girls came for a closer look at training opportunities at Hectronic. Not only that, employees were on hand to answer their questions about work at the company in general.

Podium discussion with an edge: Moderator Ernst Forster, Volker Spietenborg (Director of the Commerzbank, Region Südbaden West Switzerland), Christa Bader (Director of the Volksbank in Waldshut-Tiengen), and Theo Binninger (Chairman of the Board of Sparkasse Bonndorf-Stühlingen).

On Thursday, there were also tours of the plant for invited guests before the podium discussion and then on to the party tent. Does the mortgage crisis have any effect on loans for tradespeople? was the topic that renowned lecturers showed interest in. Among them Theo Binninger, chairman of the board of Sparkasse Bonndorf-Stühlingen, Volker Spietenborg, Director of the Commerzbank, Region Südbaden West Switzerland, and Christa Bader, Director of the Volksbank Hochrhein in Waldshut-Tiengen.

Stefan Forster (center) talking with his brother Markus (l.) and Hectronic employee Georg Eichkorn

This event proved to be the basis for a healthy debate, thanks especially to host Ernst Forsters commentary. I do not intend to go easy on the banks today, the president of Hectronics board of directors declared his strategy right from the start. To the delight of the listeners, who enjoyed the uncomfortable questions. And of course the experts answers as well, as they proved they could hold their own.

On Friday, the tours continued beginning at 9 oclock. This day was dedicated to the Hectronic employees and they had a chance to show their families their company and where they actually worked. The kids could finally see what Daddy does all day, laughed Eckhard Fechtig. Afterwards, everyone gathered in the party tent for a long evening. That was good, a party like that is fun and promotes team spirit, said the director.
No matter how long the evening was for everyone, the next morning they all had to get up and go to work. It was Saturday, but now we wanted to show the visitors the fully-functioning plant, and that meant the wheels had to be turning, said Eckhard Fechtig. They were taken in shifts through the Hectronic halls, where the companys history was also explained in a separate area.

Interested visitors during the tour of the plant.

There was practical assistance for those just entering the job market. How do I apply for a job? asked the director of personnel at Hectronic, Eike Scherschmidt. Then came the right answers and examples of what not to do. Bernhard Kromer showed his acting talent. Having just recently finished his own training period, he portrayed a cocky young man in a fictitious job interview making one mistake after another.
Dörthe Fiwek took etiquette a step further. The self-employed image consultant held an etiquette seminar that gave young people and adults important tips on how to present oneself optimally in certain situations. This included rules of etiquette, modern manners, but also knowing which trousers to wear for a particular occasion.

There was also casual entertainment. Music around the clock including a performance by the Bonndorf youth ensemble set the mood. Fun was planned for the youngest guests as well. There was a climbing tower and giant bouncy castle. And they could have their faces painted.
Information, entertainment, socializing it was not hard at all to spend a whole day at Hectronic. On Saturday alone, there were more than 1200 people who came to see Hectronic up close. We want to present ourselves as an innovative employer and just maintain contact with the region. We were certainly successful, summarized a satisfied general manager Stefan Forster.