From Letter Boxes to Construction Sites – The (In)visible Heroes of Everyday Life

Always friendly, cheerful and helpful: this is how colleagues describe Savvas Savvidis, Site Service Post & City Driver. He has been part of the KUKA team since 2002 and, together with his two colleagues, he is responsible, for example, for ensuring that all letters and packages arrive where they are supposed to at the Augsburg site. That means is 17,000 delivery notes per year and thus about 34,000 parcels that need to be delivered. But that is just one of his tasks. Whether it is processing the mail, replacing offline components or, as a last resort when an employee cannot open his locker, Savvas always has a smile on his face. He explains where that comes from. 

Kristen Nasceif joined KUKA Robotics US as project manager in the Customer Service Engineering Team in 2021. After only one year, she took over projects with one of our largest customers in the US in the automotive sector. Kristen has demonstrated tremendous dedication and customer focus, leading her project teams through challenging situations with a mix of perseverance and genuine empathy. “In every project, Kristen's passion for KUKA shines through. She inspires those people around her and instills a sense of shared purpose, making her a true leader. It is important to her not only to deliver projects successfully but also with a positive team dynamic,” says Florian Winter, Engineering Manager Customer Service.

Stephen Ford, Engineering Line Manager, Ranjit Keshvala, Resident Site Engineer, and Jason Cuttill, Resident Support Technician, have been working for the customer Asda, a British supermarket chain, for 16 years. This year, they became heroes there when the fire alarm suddenly sounded during an ordinary working day. It quickly became clear that it was not a test alarm. The building was completely evacuated. In the meantime, it was possible to locate the fire as coming from a kitchen appliance. Despite clear protocols, the Asda area managers were somewhat hesitant about how to proceed due to the unusual situation. Stephen, Ranjit and Jason reacted immediately: they made sure that the flaming deep fryer was isolated and that the extractor hoods were running before they fought the fire with appropriate extinguishers. Only thanks to the prudent and quick reaction of the three Swissloggers was it possible to avert greater damage for the customer – a commitment that cannot be taken for granted under the given circumstances.

 

Abdourahmane Ndour, Resident Team Leader, has been working as a team leader at the hospital in Pontoise, near Paris, for more than 15 years. Even if relationships with the customer are sometimes challenging or tense: Abdourahmane is present and patient with a smile for the customer at all times. Thanks to his persistence, expertise and the work of his team, Swisslog Healthcare was able to win a new project for this customer in August: the renewal of all existing plants, which corresponds to a project volume of more than three million euros. An outstanding team effort, in which Abdourahmane played a decisive role. 

Martin Guertner, Foreman Body Assembly, has been part of the KUKA team in Augsburg since 2017. His journey began with an apprenticeship as an electronics technician for automation technology. It is clear to his supervisor, Volker Prues, Master Body Assembly, why he is a hidden everyday hero: “Martin is incredibly dedicated and versatile. He always goes through our production with his eyes open and whenever he sees a problem, he immediately starts to find the best solution as quickly as possible. You can always count on him – as a person and as a colleague.”

Despite facing a challenging economic situation, Derek Ye, China’s automotive sales manager, achieved the best sales of the year. This success was possible only through his constant and untiring commitment to customers. Derek joined KUKA nine years ago. The Chinese market has been volatile since then. After a period of strong growth, the economy has cooled down. However, regardless of the market conditions, Derek has always sought to provide the best service to all of his customers. 

Sascha Stoeckl started his apprenticeship as a mechatronics engineer at KUKA in 2018. He then worked for KUKA Systems in Thale for three weeks, followed by a year and a half at the construction site in Hanover. He has now been at the BMW construction site in Dingolfing for two years. Why he is a hidden hero? His colleagues know the answer: “Our people in the field are doing a crazy job. For them, it is a matter of course to give their all for KUKA and to be flexible and always on hand whenever the customer or the project requires it. What is being done here is very special,” says Thomas Forstner, Head of CoC On-Site. And site manager Roland Leutgeb adds: “The motivation of our young colleagues on the construction sites is great. After their training at KUKA, they are not only super qualified, but also incredibly committed. No matter what, I’ve never heard the phrase ‘I can’t.’ This applies to everyone here without exception.”