“Where are you from?” a seemingly simple question. I always ask myself, “Do I say where I live right now? Or where I grew up? Or perhaps where I was born?” For some people, all or at least two questions have the same answer, or they would not even ask themselves all these questions. I was born in a different country than I live in now. When we left this country, I was almost 4 years old and too young to understand what it means, too young to remember how it was, and too young to live by the traditions. Yet a part of the culture, the language, the attitude to life, will be a part of me forever and regularly give me pause when I ask this simple question. For me, it is a question of connectedness. Which cultures and traditions do I feel comfortable with? If it were up to me, this simple question should be formulated more in the direction of, “Where do you feel at home?” Then it is quite simple to answer. I feel at home where the people closest to me live. It is the same for me at VEGA. I feel connected to the people, the traditions and the culture of the company and I feel at home.

During an excursion to gliding into my training period, I chatted with the human resources manager about my hobby (climbing and mountaineering) and his time in the paratroopers. We quickly came across the subject of fear of heights, with him explaining to me that he gets a queasy feeling on an exposed hiking trail. During his time as a paratrooper, however, he viewed heights differently. I could hardly imagine feeling a fear of heights on a mountain trail but not when parachuting. The experiences in lofty heights connect us in a special way.

When I was invited to join this great company, my family and I had to change cities. The first person I met gave me a typical doll that is considered part of the cultural heritage of our country (Mexico). The doll was part of the decoration on the day of the inauguration of the offices, which was attended by people from other countries and even continents. They learned about part of our country’s cultural heritage and some even took a little lele as a souvenir. The values of connectedness and humanity are reflected in the fact that we were able to connect across borders and languages.  We owe all this to being part of an inclusive and global company VEGA.

In today’s world, when we come across the term connectivity, we think of the Internet, social media, Wi-Fi, smartphones and so on. Perhaps we even engage with the concept of ‘transhumanism’, a theory that is focused on how to connect a human being to the Internet. In business, the human aspect of the relationships we share with customers and clients is crucial. In my opinion, it is more important than products and technology because the time and effort we invest in building trust and a relationship with them has a long-term impact. To do this, it is necessary to know their needs, fears and desires and to connect with them on a human level, i.e. to show interest in their background, history, culture, etc. In April 2014, I and my partners in Ghana worked tirelessly for four years on a tender for a major project until we were able to defend our bid in front of an audience of executives, union representatives and managers from the National Petroleum Authority on Friday 18 April 2014. Like any self-respecting businessperson, our shoes were shined, our suits pressed and our ties well coiffed. We were now ready to represent our product and VEGA to the best of our ability, and it showed. Our Ghanaian driver, Mr S., was waiting for us in the lobby of the hotel. He was wearing a colourful shirt, and I complimented him on his choice of shirt, and we made our way to the offices of the National Petroleum Authority. The stress and excitement were at its peak, and one question was on my mind: how do we manage to get in touch with all these people to convince them of our solution? Looking around on the street, I noticed that many Ghanaian men and women were wearing this colourful garment. I asked Mr S., “Is today a special day for everyone to wear colourful clothes?” He explained to me that business casual dress was the order of the day in Ghana every Friday and that traditionally men wore the same kind of shirt as him and women wore colourful dresses, regardless of their social or professional rank. I had the answer to my anxious question! I then asked Mr S. to take a trip to the town market to buy these shirts for the team and decided to replace our suits and ties with traditional Ghanaian shirts. After seeing the stern appearance of our competitors, all dressed in suits and ties, we entered the fighting hall where more than fifty people were waiting for us. The sheer joy that Team VEGA had internalised their culture was clear to see and immediately felt on their faces. They were truly convinced when they stood up and gave our team a standing ovation. We won the audience’s hearts that day, we were connected! A few months later, we won one of the biggest contracts in VEGA’s history, making our efforts to integrate and connect even more meaningful and valuable. Connectedness is more than technology, it's human.

I wrote myself a message on the day I worked at VEGA Thailand for exactly two years. I am a service technician and I love my team. There were three of us, now there are two - I am the youngest. The first day I came here, I had zero ideas about the job. I was nervous and scared. I was afraid I couldn't or didn't understand my job. I was afraid I would be too slow. But my colleagues gave me time and helped me. They made time for me! So far, I have done many trips for VEGA, where we have almost always had dinner together. Every now and then we also spend our days off together. If I had to describe my team as an object, I would choose a VEGA screwdriver - it may look small, but it is very flexible and powerful. Just like my team of three. We harmonize perfectly with each other. For two years I have been able to improve every day! Even though there are only three of us, there have been hurdles and we needed a lot of energy, it has been a lot of fun so far.
I hope my brother can see me now and be proud of me! 

For me, the VEGA tennis tournament is a symbol of solidarity. It’s nice to have fun and play tennis together with colleagues from all departments and, above all, to have a barbecue in the evening with your own family and colleagues and their families. Every now and then, even a VEGA pensioner drops by. I am always happy to see new videos that VEGA creates and publishes about the company. We always watch new videos with the whole family after dinner. While I get goose bumps and a lump in my throat, my children’s reaction is different: Dad, that makes me want to work too. That makes me so proud! Saturday morning, beautiful weather, off to Blumen Göppert to decorate the garden with fresh plants. Shopping trolley full, paid and back at the car the realisation that we hadn’t thought about the fact that all the plants have to go home in the car and us! Luckily, a colleague from work comes along shortly afterwards who immediately recognises our need and does not hesitate to offer to drive the plants home in her spacious car. The willingness to help and the cohesion can be felt not only in Schiltach at work but also in private life.

I already felt a bond with the large VEGA team when I started my training here. From the very first day, I was warmly welcomed in the departments and also by the other trainees. The fact that we were not only assigned to the departments but also worked independently on projects with the other trainees, spanning different training years and occupational groups, made all the trainees a great and friendly team. However, my godmother remains particularly in my memory. She was in my third year of training at the time and made my first months at VEGA a lot easier. She showed me around the company, told me everything I needed to know about the processes at VEGA, and supported me in my first projects. Her warm, cheerful and supportive manner gave me the feeling that I could turn to her at any time with questions. I was able to learn an incredible amount from her. The fact that I can still call her a very good friend today makes me especially happy. Thank you again, dear godmother. It’s great knowing you 😊.

After more than 30 years at VEGA, the attachment to VEGA runs through the whole family. A few years ago, my son gave me this yellow V as a birthday present: designed by him and made by Lego.