Bonding - More than materials | Herrmann Ultraschall

1 2 1 The large lab calender simu- lates production processes for nonwoven applications. 2 Herrmann Academy training. overcome obstacles. For example, I was the referee in soccer. I think that was most likely where I learned to assert myself,” she remembers. Overcoming her weaker self and other obstacles is also essential when she participates in the notorious obstacle race “Tough Mudder” – with her col- leagues. “The obstacles are designed so that you really cannot overcome them alone. You need to work as a team and support each other. That is the nice thing about these races. That is something I can also apply to my everyday work: Only in a team do you achieve anything!” Together with a few colleagues, she participates in the Herrmann running group, as training for her participation in “Tough Mud- der” or other running events. “I would never do such runs alone. It is about the sense of community; there is no ‘I,’ just a ‘We’ and a common goal: to finish the race.” And the colleagues, according to Kniehl, are mad enough to take part as well. FUTURE FIRMLY IN VIEW Sarah Kniehl has been at the company for only around four years, but she already has concrete aspirations and ideas for the future to help Herrmann continue to be the technological lead- er: “I see a lot of potential, especially in the area of ‘virtual reality.’ How advanced would it be to present the individually developed machine design to the customer using ‘virtual reality?’ Additionally, we could give the cus- tomer’s technicians guidance remotely as to how the ultrasonic units can be maintained and repaired. Continuing to drive digitalization forward is one of the major challenges that we will face in the next few years,” Kniehl is sure. Moving toward Industry 4.0 in the team at Herrmann and together with the customer – that is something Sarah Kniehl would like to achieve in the future. I was out there on site at the custom- ers’ as a sales engineer,” she recounts her development at the company. BUILDING UP KNOWLEDGE AND PASSING IT ON TO OTHERS A tradition-steeped company that brought digital products onto the mar- ket at an early stage must also face the challenges of digitalization in the working environment; and it is thanks to a canceled flight that Sarah Kniehl was one of the forerunners for regular customer webinars. “I was in Gothen- burg, and my flight was moved forward a day due to a strike and so my work- shop was canceled. So what should I do? Then, while I was jogging, I had the idea: We can do it online. That would allow more of the customer’s employees to participate in the course anyway. No sooner said than done,” she says. The first digital workshop was a complete success: The Sales Engineer had 40 participants instead of the usual handful of people. A gifted teacher is a strong quality of Sarah Kniehl, as she is also a trainer at Herrmann’s own academy. There she trains the new colleagues in two modules, in the basic principles of NONWOVENS and VBA in Excel. “I really enjoy it when I get to teach peo- ple who are hungry for knowledge and are interested in learning something. Knowledge management is incredibly important: Knowledge must be kept in the company and passed on, especial- ly for companies that grow constantly, like we do,” says Sarah Kniehl. She would like to be a point of contact and provide guidance as well as recognize and promote the strengths of the train- ees and students. THERE’S NO “I” IN “TEAM” Sarah Kniehl gets her power and tenacity from sports. “In the past, I had to prove myself again and again and “I WOULD NEVER DO THE RUNS ALONE. IT IS ABOUT THE SENSE OF COMMUNITY; THERE IS NO ‘I,’ JUST A ‘WE’ AND A COMMON GOAL: TO GET TO THE FINISH LINE!” SARAH KNIEHL HAS BEEN AT HERRMANN ULTRASCHALL SINCE 2017, INITIALLY AS PART OF THE IN-HOUSE STAFF, NOW IN SALES AND AS A TRAINER IN ONLINE TRAINING AND WORKSHOPS. SHE WORKS HARD ON HER CAREER; IN ADDITION TO HER REGULAR WORK, SHE IS ALSO DOING A MASTER’S DE- GREE IN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING. TO HER, ULTRASON- IC EXCITEMENT MEANS: WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE CUSTOMER TO DEVELOP A SUS- TAINABLE PRODUCT. 117 116