TEXT Lukas Schulte IMAGES HELLER, VDW
Double honour for HELLER
On the occasion of the major Anniversary Day held in Nürtingen at the beginning of July, Christoph Nold, Managing Director of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Esslingen-Nürtingen, not only awarded the company with an honorary certificate from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) to mark the 125th anniversary of HELLER, but also presented Klaus Winkler, CEO of the HELLER Group and Chairman of the Supervisory Board Berndt Heller with the honorary sculpture of the IHK steering committee for the Stuttgart region for outstanding services to the local economy. It depicts the Roman god Mercury, patron god of commerce.
In his welcome address, Nold highlighted HELLER’s system of education and training: “Providing in-house education and training has been the key to the success story of the family business,” the Managing Director of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce said, adding that Hermann Heller had recognised early on the importance of providing professional training for the company’s own staff. After all, the first apprentice workshop in Nürtingen was established as early as 1913.
Humorous pitch attracts attention
70 days before EMO 2019 opens its doors in Hanover, more than 80 journalists from all over the world seized the opportunity to talk to exhibitors in Hanover in a relaxing atmosphere to learn more about the latest novelties presented at the trade show. Additionally, the exhibitors’ representatives used the event to hold brief pitches, creatively introducing the numerous members of the press to their company and the products exhibited at EMO. In their humorous and memorable presentation, Marcus Kurringer (Head of Marketing) and Lukas Schult (PR & Content Manager) illustrated the fascination for HELLER.
Hat-trick at the Supplier of the Year awards
For the third time in a row, General Motors (GM) has honoured HELLER as one of the best suppliers 2018 in the Indirect Material and Machinery category. In total, GM works with approx. 20,000 suppliers. The best 133 of them were presented with an award at the GM headquarters in Detroit in May this year during a gala event. Wolfgang Märker, Vice President Crankshaft/Camshaft, and Marc St-Pierre, Head of Sales at HELLER USA, accepted the trophy on behalf of HELLER.
“For many years, we have had a very cooperative relationship with GM based on mutual trust and a solution-oriented collaboration,” said Wolfgang Märker. HELLER received the award for the RFK and DRZ range of crankshaft machines used throughout GM production lines for the various engine types around the globe. “Our machines are employed in the manufacture of a wide range of GM’s engines from 3-cylinder through to V8 engines,” explained Märker.
Healthy staff are the most valuable asset
At the end of July, it was time again for a very special event: about 400 colleagues seized the opportunity to visit the approx. 15 stands erected at the Nürtingen premises to learn more about the various health offers provided directly by HELLER or in cooperation with numerous partners. There was something for everyone: from foot gymnastics and fascia training, massages or an eyesight test through to a crash course in self-defence techniques.
“We want to inspire staff to look after their health and sensitise them to health-related topics regarding their working lives and leisure time,” Gerhard Reiner, Commercial Director at HELLER, explains the objective of the annual Health Day.
Sports and fun activities on the river Neckar
The participants of this year’s dragon boat cup on the river Neckar in Nürtingen worked up quite a sweat, among them many teams consisting of apprentices from various companies from within the region. In perfect weather conditions, the teams showed that racing the dragon boat down the river Neckar over a distance of 300 meters is hard work. At the same time, the event was also a lot of fun, offering a great opportunity to demonstrate team spirit and perseverance. In an incredibly exciting finish, the HELLER boat named ‘Die Blauwasserfräser’ finished closely behind the ‘Neckarschnaken’ team of company Nagel. The Putzmeister team ‘Flying Elephants’ took third place on the podium.
