Our interview with Lena
You spent a month working at the site of our subsidiary Dieffenbacher Panelboard in Finland. How did this exchange come about?
I intended to improve my English language skills and develop personally by being on my own in a different environment, preferably the UK. My line manager was very supportive from the start, but it soon became clear that the UK would not be an option for this project due to labor laws.
I was then offered the opportunity to work in one of our subsidiaries outside Germany. It helped me realize my goals, network with the service teams at both locations and support them with service issues.
How was your start in Finland?
In the early evening, I arrived at my apartment in Lahti, a city about 25 minutes away from the DPF office in Nastola. Lahti is the eighth largest city in Finland, with about 120,000 inhabitants, and is surrounded by many lakes and impressive nature. It was the “European Green Capital” in 2021 and is famous for its ski jumping towers, which have hosted the Nordic Ski Championships several times.
On my first day at work, after getting to know my colleagues and visiting the office building, we had our first meeting.
Over the next four weeks, we had several meetings and various topics to discuss, such as the SAP connection to the Eppingen site, the resulting benefits in terms of the service process and a comparison with the possibilities that DPF has today. We invited colleagues from Eppingen via Microsoft Teams to some of the meetings, and we had interesting discussions and insights.
What were the highlights of your exchange?
Besides the successful business appointments and the work we accomplished, it was an enriching interpersonal experience. All my colleagues were nice and friendly and always made me feel welcome and appreciated. They supported me when problems arose, such as a parked car on the first day of work :-)
Several colleagues also took the time for activities outside of working hours. In addition to our lunch breaks together, we also went on excursions such as boat trips and spent fun evenings together. They made sure that my time in Finland was something special. I am grateful for this experience and the chance to get to know each other better. I will not forget this special time, and I look forward to seeing all these great people again soon.
