Open house at Weber Maschinenbau
Breidenbach, Germany, September 12, 2018. Despite the excellent weather on this late summer Saturday, it seemed as if the entire hinterland had made its way to the Breidenbach industrial area: around 5.000 visitors accepted the invitation from Weber Maschinenbau and took the opportunity to get behind the To look behind the scenes of the machine builder, to be able to experience the machines and systems live up close and to find out how Weber has developed from a small company into a fast-growing and globally successful market leader.
Versatile, interactive, digital - visitors immerse themselves in the Weber high-tech world
Even before the official start at 10:00 a.m., the first curious visitors came to go on a journey of discovery. Many of the more than 600 employees at the company headquarters in Breidenbach also took the opportunity and proudly led their families and friends through the spacious halls. The visitors had the choice: either explore the company on their own or take part in one of the tours led by Weber employees. In both cases, the path led across the entire company premises - through production and assembly halls, through demonstration and training rooms, through offices and long corridors, past a total of 14 stations where Weber colleagues were available and insights into the Weber high-tech world granted. With a noticeable passion for the family business and the innovative products, the employees informed interested visitors about areas and facets of work at Weber Maschinenbau and revealed details of work processes.
Some of the insights were interactive, hands-on and could be taken home as a souvenir: for example, a laser automatically cuts bottle openers and logos out of thin stainless steel sheets, a packaging machine exceptionally did not produce cold cut packaging, but picture frames specially designed by the packaging technology employees, which were equipped and packed with visitor photos from the photo boxes that had been set up. Visitors were also able to test modern, digital aids such as augmented reality and virtual reality in the form of data glasses, which Weber uses in everyday work. These enable, for example, remote diagnostics by customer service or three-dimensional insights into the interior of individual machines and even entire lines. This provides a realistic representation and simulation of machines - even before they are built.
A highlight of the colorful program were the half-hourly machine demonstrations. Large crowds of people gathered around the slicers, who demonstrated live how salami is cut cleanly and exactly into the same slices with up to 2.000 cuts per minute. The result could even be tasted, because the machines covered the slices of toast with the cut portions of salami. So much precision impressed young and old alike and will certainly provide one or the other memory when eating lunch.
Organization solely by Weber employees
"More than 500 employees have invested a lot of time and effort to make this day so successful and to be able to present their company. We are therefore pleased about the great response and the interest of the people from the region and are enthusiastic about so much positive feedback. We were also able to welcome some of our customers and partner companies here today,” says Tobias Weber, CEO of the Weber Group. Colleagues from all areas of the company worked hand in hand over many weeks to organize the day and thus contributed to an absolutely successful event. The Weber team even took care of the children's entertainment with painting, face painting and the rally as well as the physical well-being of the guests. Weber employees provided visitors with food and drinks at the grill or waffle stand as well as in the beverage trolleys. Weber donates 100% of the proceeds to a local school. At the trainee station, visitors could try their luck on the wheel of fortune or shoot at the goal wall by betting one euro and thereby also contribute to a good cause. With the amount collected, the trainees support a children's and youth hospice.
On the Weber Group
From weight-accurate cutting to the precise placement and packaging of sausage, meat and cheese: Weber Maschinenbau is one of the leading system suppliers for cold cuts and one of the most important addresses for the food processing industry. The portfolio is diverse and offers the perfect solution for all requirements and application areas.
Around 1.400 employees at 25 locations in 21 nations are employed by Weber Maschinenbau today and contribute with their commitment and passion to the daily success of the Weber Group. To this day, the company is family owned and managed by Tobias Weber, the eldest son of company founder Günther Weber, as CEO.
