Kiekert's "Zukunftsmacher" program - The global initiative of employees strengthens networking and promotes entrepreneurial ideas.
Heiligenhaus - Kiekert AG, the technology leader for locking systems for cars, has positioned itself as a driver of innovation with its revolutionary trends in the automotive sector and has development and production centres in virtually every continent. Kiekert is recognised and sought after around the world as a developer of innovative products. Now the technological leader is taking an innovative approach with its internal "Zukunftsmacher" program which involves employees to a new level. The "Zukunftsmacher" program interconnects Kiekert employees of all production and development centres. 260 employees worldwide in all areas of the company submitted an application to be "Zukunftsmacher". Currently about 30 "Zukunftsmacher" designated assets are worldwide. They work with managers to generate and implement new ideas under the headings "Kiekert Family", "Social Projects and Values" and "Global Teamwork".
The "Zukunfstmacher" and colleagues presented more than 120 entrepreneurial ideas for the development of the company. Project ideas were developed together with members of the management team and presented to all employees worldwide in a voting process at the beginning of the year. Currently the first three "winning projects" are being implemented in plants of Kiekert by "Zukunftsmacher" and its local project teams. These include employees with disabilities (Kiekert Golden Skills), the employee mentoring program (Kiekert Mentorship) and the design of a concept of proper lounge (Kiekert Break Rooms) support programs. Five employees have already taken new positions as part of Kiekert Golden Skills program and the first breakout rooms are scheduled to be inaugurated later this year. Weekly video conferences and global annual conferences provide forums to discuss and develop new project ideas. "More than a third of the 6,000 employees who make up the workforce of Kiekert are part of our 'Zukunftsmacher' initiative. This is an amazing result and a sample of the enormous dedication of our employees, "says Thorsten Blömer, Manager of Global Marketing & Communications Kiekert. "Kiekert has grown considerably in recent years and remains steadfast on the path to continued growth. Our daily business activities are characterized by global interconnectedness and a solid teamwork between and across cultures and hierarchies. We are now taking this to a new level with our 'Initiative Zukunftsmacher'. "
The "Initiative Zukunftsmacher" has been nominated for several awards, including the Econ Award 2016 award for "Corporate Communication". The nominees in the category of "Corporate Communications" include important and renowned companies like Audi, Deutsche Telekom and ZF. Winners will be announced in late October.
Kiekert AG, founded in 1857, is the leading technology for automotive locking systems in the global automotive industry. With 6,000 employees in ten countries and seven production six development centers and three sales centers, Kiekert develops, produces and sells permanent solutions tailored to its customers. The expected sales volume for the year 2016 is 680 million euros.
13 October 2016
