Always on the lookout for new challenges: After many stations and at an advanced stage in his career, he is once again taking completely new paths. From Site Manager to Lean Manager: Kulzer employee Uwe Böhm reports on how diverse a career can be – in just one company.
From machinist, materials science, physical chemistry and business administration – already during my education I pursued various interests. I have always been interested in many disciplines, which is why I have always looked for new challenges in my job. And I found them at Kulzer. In the almost 20 years I've been with Kulzer, I've always been able to go new ways, develop myself and take on challenges – without having to leave the company (even if I did get a taste of other places out of curiosity).
I started at Kulzer in the 1990s as Head of Precious Metal Development. After returning to the company in 2008, I took over as Head of CAD/CAM Development and then as Global Head of Research and Development for Prosthetics; in 2014, I finally became Site Manager at the Kulzer site in Wehrheim. I was always able to follow my desire for new challenges, to be an active designer and decision-maker with these development steps. It shows: no career path is set in stone at Kulzer. If you remain open and have the courage to change, there are ways and, above all, open ears in the company. I very much appreciate that expertise and experience are a valuable asset at our company, which is encouraged and employees can develop and (re)orient themselves according to their strengths. I learned something new at every station, which was very helpful in my next position and I was able to bring in experience from other areas.
Thanks to the open exchange in our company about changes and development opportunities, I was able to try something completely new at the age of 59, because routine is still not for me. Since 2019, I have been a Lean Manager and in 2021 I made my second black belt – only this time not in martial arts (one of my hobbies), but I had to prove my skills in Lean Management. I am happy that now as a certified Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma I can take on completely different tasks again. For me, the nicest recognition is that the focus is not on my age but on my expertise and skills, no matter what point I am at in my career.
As a Lean Manager and Black Belt, I work with almost all departments in some way. By working in cross-functional teams, which Kulzer has established for a few years, you learn a lot and gain deep insights into the different areas. This kind of collaboration is not only fun, but also makes the results better because many different minds with different perspectives achieve the best solution.
Corporate Communications Team
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