People story
The customer is king. Does that sound like a worn-out cliché? At Rohde & Schwarz, it is a principle we live by. Even more, it is the engine that powers our daily work. Every day we meet customers' expectations with passion, dedication and intelligence – and we deliver on our promises. To become even more proficient at this, the company supports its employees – from career starters to experienced professionals. In vocational training en route to qualifying as skilled specialists and when preparing for leadership roles, R&S supports its people in their technical, professional and personal development. This enables them to grow along with Rohde & Schwarz.
Rohde & Schwarz is growing. The number of employees is increasing along with the company's revenues. Of the more than 11,500 people working for Rohde & Schwarz worldwide, more than 4,000 work at our four plants. Each plant has its own focus. The Teisnach plant is the system and transmitter supplier. It produces our printed boards and is the home of our mechanical production. Memmingen is responsible for microelectronics, testing technology and final production of T&M instruments. Our Czech plant in Vimperk produces signal generators, oscilloscopes and cables. And Malaysia is responsible for making the majority of our value instruments.
Growth requires space and new employees. We have the space – for plenty of exciting ideas. But to be ready for the challenges of the future, we need employees who turn their ideas into reality. We're interested in more than grades, references and diplomas. We need people with ambition. Experts who are driven to succeed in their chosen field. Dedication and intelligence are equally important. Rohde & Schwarz employees are honest, authentic, loyal and dependable. They roll up their sleeves and fully identify with customers' wishes. Our people are our assets. We invest in them. We train them, challenge them and foster their development – right from the start of their careers.
Our apprenticeship programs are exemplary. We have our own training facilities where our dedicated and passionate trainers teach the apprentices something new every day. In addition to providing a solid foundation in the apprentices' chosen fields, we focus on teamwork and personal development. For the newcomers, we organize events such as an after-work "Grill & Chill" where they can get to know their colleagues. Our apprentices also get involved in projects at an early stage. We frequently receive awards for our training and are always pleased when many of our apprentices score top results in their final exams. Elias Bernitz, a second-year apprentice electronics technician for instruments and systems in Memmingen, caught the Rohde & Schwarz bug early. His father also works in the Memmingen plant. Elias and his family even spent time abroad for Rohde & Schwarz. "Rohde & Schwarz is a focused and innovative company that gives me lots of opportunities to get an education, develop my talents and be creative," he comments. That's why Elias is determined to keep learning after he finishes his apprenticeship, either pursuing a degree or training as a technician. Rohde & Schwarz offers training options for both of those choices.
We invest in our employees. It's important to us to discover and promote people with potential. It is the only way we can maintain our innovation leadership and keep pace with new technologies. When Gudrun Engel joined the Rohde & Schwarz plant in Teisnach in 1997 at the age of 25, she had neither a school diploma nor vocational training. Today she works in technology development in printed circuit production, providing technical support on complex customer projects. She is also working towards a degree in technology management. Her work brings new challenges every day, and provides deep insights into printed circuit boards and their applications. For example, there are 60 boards in each of the Rohde & Schwarz body scanners used for security screening at many airports. Gudrun Engel feels at home in Teisnach: "Rohde & Schwarz is like home for me. My mother worked here for almost 30 years and my son is just completing his apprenticeship." She definitely wants to top her mother's years of service. As she puts it, she wants to keep contributing to the company's success as a "good engineer" for many years to come.
Our employees are experts in their fields. They find a solution for every problem. You'll never hear them say "It can't be done". They value quality and pride themselves on their delivery reliability. If necessary, they are ready to roll up their sleeves and fine-tune already optimized processes to make them even better – so that the customer gets the perfect product. Our test technicians play a special role in this process. Their job is to ensure that instruments are in perfect condition and working order – both electrically and mechanically. Daniel Votruba is responsible for service and calibration at the Vimperk plant. When faulty instruments arrive, he makes sure that defective modules are repaired or replaced. He then checks the functionality. If requested by the customer, he will also benchmark or calibrate the instrument after completing the repairs. His instruments – the Value Instruments family – are often used in laboratories, schools and universities. To make sure he can always find a solution to every problem, Daniel Votruba regularly attends training courses. He sees Rohde & Schwarz as a strong brand with an impressive history and he looks forward to the future with confidence. "I feel secure here."
There's no doubt: our colleagues in production make sure that our devices, instruments and systems are manufactured at the highest quality standards and delivered on time. But where would they be without Corporate Procurement? Or without Supply Chain Management (SCM)? Nicole Lim is responsible for SCM at our plant in Malaysia. She takes care of material requirements planning (MRP) and procurement, manages all warehousing activities and works closely with customs authorities. This involves regular communications with colleagues at the other plants. Her goal: to improve processes and boost efficiency in order to serve customers a bit better every single day. At Rohde & Schwarz she appreciates being able to balance her career and family life. "We are supported in every respect – no matter what your job is." She likes the way the company respects its employees. And although her location in Malaysia is far away from the company's German headquarters, Nicole Lim feels that she is part of the Rohde & Schwarz family. "We're One Rohde & Schwarz," she says. "There's no difference between mindset and actions. Regardless of where we work."
