Organs, bones, skin: nearly all cells of the human body renew themselves on a regular basis. The liver, for example, takes two years to ‘reset’, whereas the skeleton requires ten. Our heart is the only organ which mostly uses the same cells throughout a lifetime. Only a maximum of 40% of its cells renew themselves. As a result, we virtually have a new body every seven to ten years. Our body shows us the way: everything is in constant motion – or, as the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus noted: ‘panta rhei’ – everything flows. He coined the phrase “There is nothing permanent except change”. And we can only agree with him. Whether it is social, economic, ecological, demographic or technological, …: change is an integral part of our lives.
The contradiction in Heraclitus’ words can also be found in the process itself, or rather, in how we (can) interpret it: as change, transformation – incremental or radical – as evolution or even revolution. It implies the renewal of what is old and thus a possible improvement – or deterioration. Innovation and progress as well as a step backwards. It can also stand for movement itself, agility or mobility – the process of adaptation, transformation.
The ways in which humans encounter change are just as diverse as the notions we associate with it: are we taking a cautious, traditional or protective approach – or are we curious and open? Fearful or courageous? Are we drivers of change or do we prefer to jump on a train that is already moving?
Whether you are the one to drive change, let yourself be driven or like to counter the inevitable change with a certain level of consistency: there is no way around this focus topic. Neither for us as individuals nor for our society as a whole, the economy, governments, … – or, of course, companies. After a company history of nearly 128 years and a corresponding amount of change and (further) development, HELLER can tell you a thing or two about it.
Word meaning/definition
- A situation in which something becomes different or you make something different
Examples:
A number of significant changes have taken place since the 1960s.
‘change in’: a change in the law‘change to’: The report proposes some fundamental changes to the social security system.
‘undergo a change’: The computer industry has undergone enormous changes in the last 20 years.
‘make a change’: We made a few changes to the team for tonight’s match.
- The process by which things become different
Examples:
Older people sometimes find it hard to accept change.
A conference on climate change
Synonyms and related words
Effect, trend, transformation, adjustment, evolution
Origin
c. 1200, ‘act or fact of changing’ from Anglo-French chaunge, Old French change ‘exchange, recompense, reciprocation’, from changier, ‘to alter; exchange; to switch’
Source: macmillandictionary.com; etymonline.com
Only at the beginning of this year, HELLER experienced a change at the management level with Reinhold Groß taking on the role as the company’s new CEO. In the interview, Groß explains what could and should change in the short and long term as a result. However, not only managers on the ground have to respond to changes: pilot Philip Keil draws an exciting parallel to situations from his everyday working life in his report. Go on a voyage of discovery: with the new myHELLER customer portal, HELLER now offers its customers an additional digital communication platform. In an interview, Kenneth Goodin, CEO of Heller Machine Tools L.P., focuses on the US market. He highlights the changes there and explains how HELLER is dealing with them. With August Wenzler Maschinenbau GmbH, an adaptable and yet enduring company of the HELLER Group, is presented in this magazine edition. Speaking of adaptable: did you know that bananas have not always been yellow and bent? We have collected more fun facts for you on our main topic of ‘change’. Moreover, there are tips on how everyone can be successful at making a change – even if it is difficult.
‘From the vice to the highly flexible manufacturing system’ – this could be the title of the transformation HELLER has gone through since its foundation in 1894. What began as a small trading and manufacturing business has now become a globally operating manufacturer of state-of-the-art CNC machine tools and manufacturing systems for metal-cutting applications. In fact, consistently thinking and acting in a future-oriented way is something that HELLER has been committed to since early on.
From the very beginning and within just 40 years, the company developed from a trading business into a machine factory, expanded into all important global markets between 1923 and 2005, set up an entire training workshop for its apprentices, invested in and took over companies, continuously expanding its portfolio and, above all, its know-how, opened itself up to the unstoppable digital transformation – and therefore today is no longer ‘just’ a machine tool manufacturer, but rather a provider of holistic manufacturing solutions.
