From the classroom to the control cabinet

Andreas Krauß and Andreas Strömsdörfer have known each other since their school days and now manage sales at HERMOS in Wolfsbach

They are colleagues, they are friends, and they ensure that everything runs smoothly at HERMOS Schaltanlagen GmbH’s new branch in Bayreuth/Wolfsbach: Andreas Krauß and Andreas Strömsdörfer have built their careers within the company—from training as electronics technicians for industrial engineering through production to the sales team for small enclosures and series production, which is led by one and supported by the other.

“What are you doing here?” the two Andreases asked each other on the first day of their apprenticeship at HERMOS in 2000. They knew each other from school but were unaware that they had applied to the same company. “But it was good to know someone,” Andreas Strömsdörfer recalls of the first day of the three-and-a-half-year apprenticeship. The first path the two took together in their careers.

Later, as skilled workers, they tackled a major project for HERMOS and together built over 1,200 control cabinets in a year—a task that normally requires significantly more helping hands. Why did they do it? “The company trusted us to do it,” they both say in unison, with clear pride in this achievement.

Their career paths then diverged briefly. Andreas Krauß moved into sales and completed further training to become a certified industrial supervisor in electrical engineering (Industriemeister Elektrotechnik). He is now the team leader of the sales team for small enclosures and series production. And his old classmate is now part of his team again, as he has also moved into sales. “It is important that our sales experts have an understanding of production and practical application,” says Michael Hohlweg, Managing Director of HERMOS Schaltanlagen GmbH. The job is not just pure sales, he explains. “They are an important link between the customers on one side and production on the other. This function is vital because the project business is becoming increasingly challenging and projects are becoming more customized,” says Hohlweg. That is why he is also pleased to have the new branch in Wolfsbach with 4,500 square meters for storage and production, providing enough space for the successful company.

“We are so successful that we need more staff to process all the orders,” says Hohlweg. “Applicants should have an electrical engineering background,” he says. Qualification as a switchgear manufacturer then takes place within the company and through practical work.

Andreas Strömsdörfer and Andreas Krauß have both been with HERMOS for over 20 years. “I feel well looked after. The company is like a second family to me,” says Strömsdörfer about the good working atmosphere. Andreas Krauß also points to the development opportunities within the company: “HERMOS has given me a perspective.”

The two old schoolmates clearly enjoy working at HERMOS, and a true friendship has developed over all the years together. “We complement each other and understand each other perfectly,” both say.