How important is the topic of HR for Rehm Thermal Systems?
Joachim Erhard: It is our employees that help the company to stand out. They form the basis for success and they are the real assets of the company. HR is therefore very important for us: we are a medium-sized company and thus place a great deal of trust in each individual employee. This is because the company would not have any new ideas, new products, development, sales or production without qualified employees and, at the end of the day, without its employees Rehm simply would not exist as a company.

How do you identify good applicants?
J. Erhard: We are working in a very innovative market with our systems in the field of electronics manufacturing. Like lots of other industries, electronics manufacturing is currently undergoing change and moving towards Smart Factory and Industry 4.0. Therefore, curious employees who are open to taking on new tasks and using new technologies and who contribute their own ideas are very important to us. An applicant should also have the professional expertise for the role, of course, but it is also very important to us that the applicant is a good fit for the Rehm team.

How important are ‘education’ and ‘training’?
J. Erhard: Our trainees and students on work-study programmes are a key part of creating the foundation which enables the healthy growth of Rehm as a company and also represent the future of the company. We place great value on good training for these young people. A trusting partnership and the opportunity to gain permanent employment provide our trainees with excellent prospects for their professional future.

What makes Rehm Thermal Systems stand out as an employer?
J. Erhard: We are very lucky to be an owner-managed medium-sized company, as well as having a global focus and international approach. The size of the company is manageable, meaning that each employee is treated as an individual and is not lost in a huge company. Johannes Rehm established the company in 1990 and has since continued to develop it in a stable manner for over 30 years. Johannes Rehm never focused on short-term success, rather his focus was always on long-term customer loyalty based on trust. At the end of the day, this continuity gives us and our employees security.

How are you preparing for the HR topics of the future?
J. Erhard: We believe in working with qualified employees, which we achieve by providing both solid training and various opportunities for continuing vocational training.

Why should an applicant ultimately choose Rehm?
J. Erhard: They should choose Rehm because, as a technological leader in an interesting market, we are always working at the forefront of innovation. Because we are driven to continually reinvent ourselves by topics like globalisation and digitalisation. Because we are never satisfied with the status quo; we are always looking to the future and moving forwards. Because we give our employees interesting tasks in a modern working environment. And finally because we give our employees the freedom to maximise on their personal development potential.

What does Rehm offer its employees?
J. Erhard: It is important to us that our employees are happy. In addition to an interesting and innovative working environment, we also offer our employees a good mixture of great benefits, ranging from flexitime and free-of-charge water and apples to subsidised lunches in the company’s canteen. To help our employees keep active, we provide a fitness session once a week, in which strength, cardio and stretching elements play an important role. The Rehm calendar is also filled with team and social events, such as the Ulm-based Einstein-Marathon and the employee summer and Christmas parties.