"I want to work there one day too, Daddy!"
Things are never quiet at Murtfeldt. But then who would expect production facilities where sawing, turning, milling, and vibratory grinding take place to be quiet? Even so, the amount of noise made at Murtfeldt on the 15th of May made even the hardiest Murtfeldt employee wince.
For kids day, which took place on the German Family Day, CEO Detlev Höhner invited the children of Murtfeldt employees to come and see what their parents do at work. 50 children between the ages of three and 14 took part, initially appearing rather hesitant and restrained but becoming ever more curious and increasingly loud. They followed the invitation of the CEO to take things away with them - after repeatedly asking "so are you the boss of everything?"
The children were divided into three groups by age and - in some cases accompanied by their parents - shown around Murtfeldt's administrative and production facilities, going through everything with a fine-tooth comb as children do. They visited the EDP department where employees printed out pictures for them to colour in and Sales and Process Planning where they demonstrated a better click-through rate than their educators.
Things got really exciting in the production department. A ride on the elevating truck proved a real highlight: Only some of the very youngest children turned down the chance to look down on Murtfeldt from a height. These younger guests had great fun rummaging in a huge packaging case full of packaging material - a playpen which, after eager searching, yielded appealing treasures such as coloured highlighter pens.
In the individual production centres too, efforts had been made to ensure the children's good mood: The CNC department produced overdoor racks in the shape of little people for each child, the turning shop made spinning tops and pen holders with names on them, and soon the dubious musical notes heard in the production area demonstrated plastic panpipes were being subjected to intensive checks by 5-year-old testers. In addition, the children formed queues in the training workshop to see how jolly pigs can be created from boring sheets of plastic. Naturally, they got to keep the pigs for themselves. Statements such as "I want to work there one day too, Daddy" were inevitable.
It was a day that was enjoyed by all and that culminated in a barbecue at 5 p.m. The event has made a lasting impression, as can be seen in a letter from a 10-year-old guest: "Dear Mr. Höhner, it was great to have a look around all your company. I was a bit too shy to say goodbye. Thanks very much! I've found somewhere to put all the things you let me take away with me."
