A successful start at WEICON
We – Patricia and Laura – are new to the WEICON team. We have been working in the PR department since May 2023 and, aged 30, we have already gained quite a lot of experience when it comes to starting a new job, e.g. our first job as teenagers, a commercial apprenticeship, various internships, different student trainee jobs, our first job after graduation and now at WEICON. And what can we say about our initial training at WEICON ? We definitely did not expect this kind of welcome!
The first working day
Our first day at WEICON started at 8 am. We spent the morning in our new office getting to know our team and the tasks. The other team members shared their experience of working at WEICON and told us about their careers. At lunch we had the opportunity to meet several colleagues from the other departments. We were immediately warmly welcomed into the group.
In the afternoon, we were given a tour of the company. This involved many handshakes and many new names and faces, but everyone was very friendly. And then, after having received our laptops from the IT department, we got started on our first tasks. We worked on the first postings for the WEICON social media channels and on texts for the WEICON NEWS. For us, this was an expression of trust and the perfect conclusion to a successful first day of work – and it made us look forward to the next day!
A good start in the team – our initial training begins
After enjoying several successful days in our department, we spent three weeks in the other departments to get familiar with their work. Since we started at WEICON at the same time, we were able to find out more about the other departments together. We were given the opportunity to explore each department, to understand all the workflows and processes, and to get to know our colleagues better. This is especially important for us, as in the PR department we depend on good relationships with the other departments in order to be able to report on news. So it’s great to know all the employees!
From purchasing to marketing, we gained insights into the various areas of activity. And we were able to gather memorable impressions:
We started in Technical Project Management. Our technical project manager Holger gave us valuable input and had some exciting stories to tell. Holger has been working at WEICON for 28 years and therefore is an institution here. It was very interesting to hear about the work processes in the past – and how the company has developed over the years. We also completed our one-week product training course with Holger. It is part of the initial training programme and mandatory for all new employees. Regardless which area you work in at WEICON, knowledge about our products is essential. In our case, we write about the company’s product range and sometimes answer questions from our social media followers. So a basic knowledge of our products is essential. Both theoretically and practically, the product training was a complete success for us!
During our visit to Product Management, our absolute highlight was our glimpse into the laboratory. We got to apply WEICONLOCK to screws and measure the strength of the adhesive. So we learned a lot about the daily lab work. Therefore, we were also taught about safety precautions right from the start. No entry into the lab without safety goggles and rubber gloves! In addition, there was a brief training session for us on how to handle adhesives and which actions or experiments we should better avoid.
Between Export, WEICON Tools and warehouse…
We started our second week of training in the export department. We were really fascinated by the “travellers”. One week at a trade fair in Brazil, the next week in Argentina visiting customers. Each of the travellers is responsible for specific countries and the local customers who receive extensive support. One thing is clear – you have to love travelling! For us, such a “jet-set life” would be a bit too busy.
No initial training without a visit to the WEICON TOOLS team. Together with sales manager Lorenzo, we visited our tool production in Ascheberg. So we were able to experience first-hand how our TOOLS are produced. We had no idea beforehand about how many small individual steps are required to produce our tools and how many machines are involved in the production process. At the end of the day, we were allowed to do some hands-on work and strip and skin cables with our TOOLS in the in-house training room.
A full initial training for new employees at WEICON also includes working in production and in the warehouse. During our time there we got to know the different areas and actively supporting our colleagues. In addition to filling our products, labelling, packing WEICON TOOLS and sending off orders, we also had a little time for exciting conversations with our colleagues. It was impressive to see how meticulously and happily our team carries out their tasks and how long they have been working for WEICON. And we quickly realised that without our colleagues in production and in the warehouse, nothing would work here!
Now we are ready to dive into work
We were really impressed with the initial training! From the very first moment we were welcomed warmly in every department. Everyone took the time to familiarise us with their area of work, and we immediately felt part of the team. This extensive initial training showed us once again how important it is for the whole team to give new colleagues a good start. We had three weeks to explore the company, ask questions, gain experience and learn. Piece by piece, the individual pieces of the puzzle came together to form one big whole. As a result, we now know who to turn to when we have questions or concerns or when we need to find out more about a specific issue. Appreciation and the well-being of all employees are of great importance here – and this is also reflected in the special way in which they are trained.
Are you also interested in an initial training at WEICON? Then take a look at our careers page to see if there is a suitable position for you.
