Anniversary celebrations at Wiegand-Glas
Some 148 anniversary celebrants, who together have been earning their living at the Wiegand-Glas business group for a total of 2050 years, were honoured for 10, 25 and 40 years of loyal service to the company on Thursday, 24 January 2019 in the Rennsteighalle. In addition, 20 employees were bid farewell as they enter retirement.
"It's a record number," said a delighted Nikolaus Wiegand, the managing director, who – also on behalf of his cousin Oliver Wiegand – thanked the employees for their many years of commitment. The entrepreneur attributed the large number of staff celebrating anniversaries to the commissioning of the the vat in the Ernstthal glass works in 2008. This glass factory was taken over by the Wiegand-Glas corporate group three years ago.
Loyal and committed employees are our greatest asset
Nikolaus Wiegand expressed his appreciation to the honoured staff. A company needs committed, loyal and highly qualified employees who, together with management, face the challenges on a daily basis and lead these to a positive conclusion.
Projects cannot be realised without employees.
He spoke of rapid and constant changes, most of which are usually initiated by people. Nikolaus Wiegand called upon the employees celebrating anniversaries to continue to contribute their experience and knowledge to the Wiegand-Glas corporate group. In this context, he spoke of several projects that are to be realised or completed in the near future. This includes the new glass factory at the Schleusingen site, of which the first expansion stage is to go into operation as early as next year. At Glaswerk Ernstthal, the packaging of the glass containers produced there will be fully automated with the commissioning of vat 3. The glass factory in Steinbach wants to use a new type of plant to press waste materials that cannot be melted down in the glass trough into briquettes. These can be melted down together with waste glass and the necessary primary materials.
According to Nikolaus Wiegand, this short list shows how the workplaces and the associated requirements have changed and will continue to change in the future. All these and many more measures could and can not be carried out without employees. The managing director praised those celebrating anniversaries: "You have accompanied us over the past decades. It is only due to your professional knowledge and loyalty to the Wiegand-Glas business group that the company stands where it is today!"
The Thuringian District Manager of the Mining, Chemical and Energy Industrial Union, Andreas Schmidt, described official honours for employees as appreciation on the part of the management. "It's not a given!" He spoke of cooperation between employers and trade unions in the interest of the employees.
Support from the mayor
"We can be proud to be the home of such an innovative family business," says Steinbach's mayor Thomas Löffler. With regard to the latest events (traffic jams in Steinbach), he said that when a company grows, the political community is called upon to create appropriate framework conditions. This also includes educational opportunities and a suitable infrastructure. The mayor was confident that a big step forward in terms of infrastructure will be made in the coming months.
"We have to fight to get the problems under control," said Deputy District Administrator Gerhard Wunder. In connection with this, he spoke of transport connections, energy and the creation of affordable housing. Furthermore, he expressed his thanks and appreciation to the anniversary celebrants, as did the present mayors from the Wiegand-Glas company locations, Volker Hertwig (Großbreitenbach), Andre Henneberg (Schleusingen) and Norbert Zitzmann (Ernstthal).
Acknowledgements
The Chairman of the Steinbach Works Council, Werner Fehn, also expressed his thanks on behalf of all works council members. The fact that so many employees have remained loyal to the company is a confirmation of employee satisfaction, Fehn concluded.
Ingbert Löffler, Head of Human Resources, also congratulated the celebrating employees. Machines want to be operated, he said. Robots will not be able to handle all tasks in the future either. He wished those being honoured good health and that they will continue to contribute their skills to the Wiegand-Glas corporate group. "Stay on board!" He also called on those celebrating their anniversaries to pass on their knowledge to the younger generation. He wished those employees who had retired health and happiness for their new phase of life, as did Nikolaus and Oliver Wiegand.
Over the meal that followed, the employees celebrating their anniversaries and those who had retired took the opportunity to chat with each other and exchange experiences. It brought back many a memory from days past.