Young talent from seven countries demonstrated their creativity and professionalism in the international competition Techlympics@FST.
The entire jury was totally impressed and proud of the tremendous talent that we have in the company,” said Jessica Schmid, Human Resources Talent Acquisition specialist. She was still thrilled with the project presentations and the award ceremony days afterward.
Schmid’s glowing praise was a response to an event that Freudenberg Sealing Technologies (FST) launched in 2023. The idea was for young staff – including trainees, co-op students and young professionals who recently began work at the company – to experience how business works at FST by tackling projects and collaborating in diverse, multifunctional teams.
The main thrust of Techlympics@FST: What processes are needed to develop a new product. There were just two specifications for its selection: It should be designed for use by a number of people and strengthen the community. That made it a creative challenge to identify an idea in the first place.
Nine teams from 11 FST facilities in seven countries steeled themselves for the contest. They had 12 weeks and a 1,500-euro budget to develop a finished project. They presented the results to a jury in early December (see box).
“Wow, we were astounded at how much time and energy the participants put into their projects, what great solutions they came up with, and how professionally they presented them,” Schmid said. “They did it all in addition to their regular work.”
Pinerolo In The Limelight
The teams from Pinerolo, Remagen and Santa Ana ended up the front-runners. The winning project came from Italy: a small communal garden consisting of flowers and plants for indoor use, for example, for break rooms. It is a flexible, modular structure made almost completely of recycled material. It’s also adaptable to spaces with varying dimensions. People care for it communally and water it sustainably, for example, with leftover drinking water that would otherwise go down the drain.
The employees in Remagen designed and built an outdoor seating area with an integrated solar charging station for up to four smartphones. At Santa Ana, sustainability was a key driver in the development of a recycling station for bottles and cans. The other projects deserved recognition as well. One example was the board game “Do you know Freudenberg?” Developed in Luserna, it is an entertaining challenge and a learning experience – and not just for new employees.
In the end, every participant won. Each was presented with a Freudenberg hoodie, among other prizes, for their dedication. The main thing was that the young staff were able to turn their creativity loose to structure a development project as a team and present the results to a blue-chip jury. They ultimately learned to value the advantages that emerge when people from offices, manufacturing, and labs combine their diverse knowledge and strengths on a multidisciplinary team.
In short, Techlympics@FST marked a successful debut, and a rematch could be in the offing.
FST’s Management Board assigned Jessica Schmid as project manager for the first Techlympics@FST, a competition for young staff. The Board also selected Global Human Resources Director Jürgen Noll and Conny Sandros, Director of Human Resources Americas + Global Learning and Engagement, to serve on the jury with Dr. Matthias Sckuhr, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Technology Officer.
