Managers From the Own Ranks

When Julia Klinkenberg received her high-school diploma (“Abitur”), she had several goals. To see the world, to get involved, to make a difference. The way to get there? A jungle of possibilities. The guardrails were set by an empty vacation fund and a job interview at the industrial supplier baier & michels, or b&m for short, in Rohrbach (Ober-Ramstadt).

“I just wanted a quick minijob,” Klinkenberg recalls. What the school graduate from Modautal-Allertshofen got was an offer for a full-time internship. The planned six months have so far turned into 13 years. With a dual study program as an industrial engineer. With work assignments at b&m locations in South Carolina (USA) and in Shanghai (China), some of which lasted several years. And with the development from a specialist to a manager. Julia Klinkenberg is currently head of the “Knowledge Transfer” department, which includes marketing, IT and e-learning specialists. The 32-year-old enjoys her day-to-day job because it is “diverse and international.” With 500 employees worldwide, b&m produces high-performance screws and sealing systems for the automotive, agricultural and medical industries. Klinkenberg says, “I not only learned Mandarin, independence and technical finesse at this employer, but also found a home.”

Christian Richter sees it similarly. He also joined b&m as an intern – in 2004. Since then, b&m and he himself have developed enormously. In addition to his degree in industrial engineering, the 38-year-old has a wealth of experience in the areas of warehouse logistics, quality and scheduling. Richter is currently in charge of Purchasing in Germany and is responsible for the locations in North America, where he had helped set up the organization for four years. Richter, who grew up in Rohrbach, says: “It was precisely my time abroad that made me more and more self-confident, enabled me to find out what I’m good at – and helped me realize that at b&m, individual suggestions for change and new ideas always find an open ear.” According to him, the company offers a strong mentoring concept, a family-like corporate culture and a stable financial environment thanks to its affiliation with the Würth Group.

Upcoming talents like Theresa Krell confirm this. After the 22-year-old completed her training as an industrial clerk, “I now want to explore the prospects,” she says. Krell has started a dual study program at b&m to become an industrial engineer.