It was a newspaper ad, the classic way.

I joined Kroschu in September 2001. The company was a comparatively large employer at the time. I was determined to work in the industrial sector. And Kroschu gave me precisely the right platform. IT in the B2C segment has never appealed to me.

The familial atmosphere at work, which still persists, despite the size of the group now. This is confirmed by the number of long-standing employees. The flat hierarchies offer everyone a lot of potential to get involved and make improvements. You have a voice here.

It is never boring. Automotive engineering is among the most demanding and hectic branches of industry. The company is constantly facing new challenges, and so it is our task to rise to them every day.

People have the option of working from home. They are therefore more flexible in planning their everyday routines, which is a crucial aspect for families or those struggling with difficult personal circumstances. We also have a company doctor who visits us regularly. It’s often a good way to kill two birds with one stone.

The mood is buoyant. My colleagues are motivated, helpful and cooperative.

Collaboration in our team is excellent, as is the mood. Viewed from the outside, we might even seem like a clique. There are also regular events such as after-work gatherings and the Christmas and summer parties, which help to promote bonding across different teams.

I completed my training and then earned my spurs in all internal IT departments. Now I am in charge of IT operations here at the central location in Abensberg.

As a rule, Kroschu is always responsive if an employee wants to develop in a particular way. Everyone is invited to express their wishes during the regular performance reviews. Kroschu also has an internal recruitment programme for junior executives. I completed what we call a development centre to assess my aptitude for a managerial position and then received the promotion I needed.

I am in charge of IT operations here at the Abensberg site. My remit is really quite complex. Together with my team, I ensure that the IT infrastructure for all employees runs smoothly over the course of the day. Here, our primary focus is to manage and maintain the very different devices and to keep our data centre up and running.

I am also involved in capacity and budget planning, as well as the coordination of new and ongoing projects. When there are larger roll-outs, I provide active support and help my team whenever I can. After all, we are in charge of remote support for over 600 employees at the location and around 400 employees from various other sites.

Aside from planning our new data centre and our day-to-day routines, I am currently working on a concept for the ‘Next Generation Workplace’, an agile workplace with state-of-the-art technology so that our employees are perfectly equipped for future requirements.

My most exciting project so far – the new data centre at our site in Abensberg – is still ongoing. It is particularly exciting as it is designed as a mainstay of the entire group and is therefore highly ambitious and complex.

We are a team of five full-time employees and one apprentice. We also have lots of fun together at work – the atmosphere in the team is excellent.

Where do I start? One example would be the regular manager’s café. It is a platform specifically for managers, where they can meet and share their thoughts on interdisciplinary issues in an informal setting. Among other things, the café is also used to keep us up to date with important organisational news, which we can then pass on to our teams. Naturally, it is also the ideal place to express wishes or engage in frank discussions of problematic issues. There are also regular training events and management seminars that we are invited to attend without red tape.

Well, I started out as an apprentice and am now team leader in an IT department at a location with over 600 employees. That pretty much says it all. ;-)

There are several areas within IT operations. Staff members can then embark on a particular technical career trajectory, depending on their personal skill set. This has enabled us to recruit excellent candidates to numerous positions, including system architecture, system engineering and system integration.

Kroschu offers everything that market players of a similar size also provide. But what really sets us apart is the consistently positive, familial atmosphere and the large number of motivated colleagues. You are not just a ‘number’ here. People can grow and develop here without restrictions, provided they bring the necessary initiative and creativeness to the table.