30 and 35 years at AHP Merkle
The interview with the jubilarians from 2019 you can watch as a film here:
The film interview with the jubilarians from 2019
Interview with Herbert Wiedemann
Why do you work for the same company for 35 years? And what motivated you to work at AHP for 35 years?
You don't actually start a new job and assume that you will work there for 30-35 years or even longer. It “just happens” and cannot be planned. In retrospect, it's crazy how quickly the time passed. But if it fits, then it just fits. And if it hadn't worked out, I wouldn't have stayed at AHP Merkle that long.
I started as a temporary jobber as a summer replacement at the lathe. Before that, after my 3½-year training, I was with the Bundeswehr for 15 months. I was glad that I had found a job because it was not common at the time to find a job quickly. I started turning, then it went on in the sawmill, then milling, flexing piston rods, then drilling and then I was in the burnishing bath. It took me almost a year to get into assembly. I felt comfortable there and have stayed in the assembly department to this day.
Development of AHP Merkle from the beginning to today
There used to be a hall, then the second hall was added, then hall number 3 ... Then the new building came and we moved to Gottenheim. And soon there was growing again. Plant 2 was added last. We have grown more and more.
There used to be a lot of individual parts that had to be made. There were no 10 identical piston rods, they were all individual parts. We also had a lot fewer machines compared to today, so it took a lot longer to build. It's all so much easier today.
In the past, you had more to do with the individual employees and therefore knew each other better. Everyone was known by name and it was more personal. With the size and the large number of colleagues we have today, something is lost because it is no longer feasible. That is the difference between a small and a large company. Nevertheless, I am very happy that I was able to participate in this development. There were difficult times, but we got through them together.
When I think back to the number of cylinders that were sold in the past and how many there are today - that is an enormous increase. At that time we only made the HZ and UZ (our standard cylinders). We now have a much larger range of products. We have many more customers today who only demand the best quality from us. The machines we have today make things much faster. Cylinders are custom-made and wherever possible the wishes of the customer are taken into account.
Gerhard Merkle and his wife Renate Merkle have always worked with us. They were present and you could always come to them. They always had an open ear. That was also continued when Christen Merkle took over the management. I can always come to him and we can always speak openly and honestly. I believe that interpersonal relationships are so important that everything has developed the way it is now. You just feel good at AHP Merkle.
What distinguishes AHP Merkle?
Mutual respect, interaction with one another and humanity are what distinguish AHP Merkle for me.
What do you wish AHP for the future?
I wish AHP Merkle that business will continue to be good. And that the company maintains the humanity that has always distinguished it. And I have hope that things will look up after seeing in 2020 how quickly things can go differently. When sales increase again, everyone is more relaxed again. In this sense: all the best!
Interview with Reinhard Schneider
How did you come to work at AHP and what motivated you to stay here for 30 years?
It was on a Saturday in the beginning of May 1990 when it all began. I introduced myself to the management of Gerhard Merkle and Renate Merkle in the parking lot of the company AHP Merkle in Hugstetten. We talked about what I had learned and what experiences I had made in professional life so far. At the end of the conversation, Mr Merkle promised me that I could start working at AHP Merkle on May 14, 1990. I was very happy that I had found a job and that I could make my own money.
What made me particularly happy was that there were some compatriots of mine (late repatriates from Romania, editor's note) who were also employed by AHP. So I didn't feel so strange or alone in the beginning.
Development of AHP - from the beginning to today:
The first few months were exhausting because I first had to get to know the processes. But it was a very nice time. I fondly remember the trips we went on and the Christmas parties, which were always very familiar. But there were also tough times that we all got through well thanks to the efforts of the management and colleagues.
Over the years, more and more colleagues were hired. A new hall was rented and so AHP Merkle grew from year to year. The selection of products kept growing, we got more machines and the warehouse was soon bursting at the seams. It became clear that Hugstetten was getting too tight for us. That's why we moved to Gottenheim between 2009 and 2010. The new building has a beautiful hall with a lot of space for production, storage and assembly. From then on we also had an extra training workshop, which has also become very nice. The building with the offices has also gotten a lot bigger and looks very nice. There are many individual offices and each department was separate from that point on.
What has changed most in your workplace in the last 30 years?
I've been in work preparation for 25 years and during that time there have been a lot of things that have evolved. Among other things, all drawings were digitized. This means that we are much faster in our workflow.
Our team now consists of 6 employees, all of whom are needed to be able to bring the amount of orders into production every day.
In 2015, Katrin Merkle was accepted into the management. This was very good because we are working on a lot of projects in the future. This also includes digitization and a new team structure.
Communication between the departments works as well as we all have telephones with integrated cameras. All workplaces were also equipped with 2 screens.
The advertising that we do for AHP Merkle is rarely done in print today. Instead, increasingly via social media.
Is there anything you particularly appreciate about AHP?
What impresses and pleases me are the Christmas donation campaigns by AHP Merkle for people who are not as fortunate as we are. There is the Renate Merkle Foundation. But at Christmas, various aid organizations such as the Freiburger Essenstreff et al. supported.
What kind of changes did you notice as a result of Corona?
'Our year 2020'. At the beginning of 2020, we looked forward to a good and successful year full of confidence and with great hope. But this should not be the case: Because the pandemic broke out at the beginning of the year and the corona virus came. That was anything but nice. We all had to adapt - in our private life as well as in our work life. It was a tough time. Anyone who could work from home worked from home. All people who have been met in the company can only be greeted with a mask and a distance to this day.
What do you wish AHP for the future?
I hope that we can all get through this difficult time safe and sound and that we can get our old life back. And that you can greet each other with a handshake at work and hugs with families and friends.
I wish AHP Merkle continued success for the future and that we continue to have a secure job!