COMMITMENT
Some things are not obligatory for companies but we think that, as a company, they should be done nevertheless. For example to give something back to society which creates the framework conditions for our successful work.
Girls' Day 2025: "I'm going to be a boss!"
Girls' Day is an annual day of action that gives girls and young women the opportunity to find out about so-called "male professions" at companies and institutions. Five girls aged between eleven and fourteen accepted the invitation to "Girls' Day 2025". Under the motto "I'm going to be a boss!", WAGNER offered the schoolgirls the opportunity to get to know the entire company on this day – and to lend a hand themselves.
They were also given exciting insights into supposedly "male domains" such as production, assembly and logistics. Supposedly – because there are none at WAGNER: the proportion of women among the approximately 200 employees at the three WAGNER plants is fifty per cent, and it is just as high in training and management positions. And the boss is also a woman: Ellen Wagner is the second generation to run the company together with her brother Ulrich.
The Managing Director, who was recently named "Woman of the Year", answered the girls' questions on the topic of "How do you actually become a boss?" and "What do you actually do?" at the action day. That went down well: 13-year-old Mina can now also imagine taking up a "man's job" one day, and becoming a boss: "Well, I thought Girls' Day at WAGNER was really cool! Ellen Wagner told us a lot about her career path and how she became a managing director. It was totally inspiring to hear that women can really make a difference. We talked about how important it is for more women to work in technical professions and in management positions. I found that totally motivating because you could see that it is possible – and that girls can do it just as well as boys!"
Cool pop-up basecamp
Under the motto "Come in and advance!", the JobXpedition 2024", an initiative of ALMI, a consortium of medium-sized industrial businesses in Lahr, offers all apprenticeship seekers a unique opportunity for career guidance. The unusual concept: a cool pop-up base camp in the centre of Lahr served as a place for informal encounters, advice, and exchange.
WAGNER and seven other ALMI companies were present at the "jobX-Basecamp" in a prime city centre location with numerous activities over a period of three months. All with the aim of helping young people find their way through the "training jungle" and introducing them to a total of 25 training occupations with excellent future prospects in the technical and commercial fields.
A new concept has also been developed for the allocation of internships: During the opening hours of the base camp, e.g. following the careers advice session, but also around the clock, young people can book an internship on the "JobXpedition" website with just three clicks. So, no long search for an internship company, no complicated application process, great chances of success – and the best prospects of a qualified dual training programme in the desired profession!
Consistent innovation management through Kaizen
At the second Kaizen workshop with students from Offenburg University of Applied Sciences, the participants, led by Prof Dr Andreas Friedel, were able to develop and implement their ideas in several areas of WAGNER-Werke in a practical way using the Kaizen principle.
The prospective industrial engineers found intelligent solutions for redesigning the dispatch workstations. In line with the motto "Achieve optimum results with little effort", the students first analysed the current situation together with WAGNER's lean management experts, developed a target concept and then used cardboard engineering to produce dummy workstations on a 1:1 scale. This allowed the work processes to be tested and further optimised on site before the final conversion.
Lean Manager Simon Schwab was impressed by the students' creative ideas for improvement at the Kaizen workshop: "They did a great job with innovation management, which gave us all new impetus and fresh inspiration for streamlining our operating processes. The great thing about it is that it's not just about coming up with theoretical solutions; we will implement the restructuring of workplaces and optimisation of process design in the company in the near future."
World Champion: "The Schooll“
We really like this project! That's why we support "The School". This dance school in our neighbouring town of Offenburg is not only a place where you can learn different dance styles from the hip hop field, but also a community that promotes, inspires and brings young people together.
For almost 10 years, the founders Denis Craciun and Sebastian Falk have been pursuing their vision of offering children and young people a place of refuge where they can feel comfortable, try out their talent, pursue their passion and get in touch with others.
In the meantime, "The School" is backed by a team of seven professional dancers who not only act as teachers, but also as mentors and role models. They teach the students the technical and artistic aspects of dance, but also values such as respect, discipline and teamwork. In addition, they promote young talents by offering internships, performances and competition participation.
With success: "The School" became world champion in the category "Under 16 HipHop" at the "World Streetdance Championship 2023" in Blackpool! A second group of students as well as the adult dancers were also convincing in the "World Champion Battle" and were able to enjoy top places.
Kaizen with bright minds
No one should be satisfied with what has "always been this way“ because there is always and everywhere potential for improvement to be discovered. This is the basis of the Japanese Kaizen principle. Translated, kaizen means "change for the better". During a Kaizen workshop in the WAGNER factories, students from the Offenburg University of Applied Sciences impressively demonstrated what practical implementation can look like in a manufacturing company.
The extraordinary thing about it was that it was not just about "grey theory", but about concrete changes in operating procedures.
Under the direction of Prof. Dr.-Ing. Andreas Friedel, the prospective industrial engineers were able to develop and implement their ideas in three different company areas in a practical manner according to the Kaizen principle.
The Kaizen workshop at WAGNR not only brought new experiences and insights for all participants, but also a lot of joy in the constructive cooperation. Furthermore, all workshop participants have the chance of exciting internships as part of the practical semester, current topics for a bachelor thesis and a versatile job at Wagner after graduation!
Vocational orientation with fun and verve
In the WAGNER factories in Lahr, a variety of practical and well-designed products are developed, manufactured and delivered to customers all over the world, such as furniture accessories, doorstops, plant trolleys and transport helpers. But how are actually the internal procedures in a company of the consumer goods industry? And which training professions and job possibilities are offered?
In the frame of its engagement for vocational orientation, WAGNER has invited young people from the Evangelischen Kinder- und Jugendhilfezentrum Dinglingen e.V., Dinglinger Haus, to an information visit and provided answers on those and many more questions.
The event started in the blue WAGNER factory II. In the logistics centre, Managing Director Ellen Wagner, Plant Manager Dumitru Bejinariu, Warehouse Logistician Ezequiel Möhring and Alexander Wagner, Warehouse Logistics Trainee, how the management of incoming goods, quality control, competent storage, order picking and outgoing goods works. Subsequently, in the assembly line for transport rollers, the adolescents could take action by themselves and printed load surfaces with the WAGNER logo, glued on informative stickers and mounted castors with fun and verve.
Great team!
“For its efforts towards the employment of seriously disabled people, the Wagner System GmbH has fulfilled its social policy responsibilities in an exemplary manner ”, this was the explanation of the jury from the Local Government Association for Youth and Social Affairs of Baden-Wuerttemberg for awarding the company with the inclusion prize “Disabled-friendly Employer”.
For many years, people with handicaps are contributing to the company’s success, each of them in a unique way. As a matter of course, social commitment is a part of Wagner’s company culture. “Inclusion” means here not only providing traineeships and employments but also the creation of new perspectives in a satisfying professional environment that corresponds to the diversity of talents of disabled persons. The Specialist Integration Service that suggests and supports suitable employees is of great assistance for Wagner.
For Managing Director Ellen Wagner this is an ideal partnership: „They make a great job. Their mission is to secure and to encourage the employment of seriously disabled people. Their committed staff come to visit us regularly and provide to our disabled employees and us their assistance, guidance and advice.”
In all tasks, WAGNER integrates persons with handicaps as colleagues with equal rights into the team and encourages them intensively and individually from the beginning, each of them in a very personal way. Thus, integration and inclusion go hand in hand. The delightful result: community and mutual respect create normality and encourage self-esteem and individual independence of the disabled colleagues.
Colourful graffiti art
During the creative workshop “Graffiti art at the State Garden Show Lahr 2018”, the action was motley, joyful and jolly. “WAGNER for kids” had invited to this event in the framework of the summer holiday programme of the city of Lahr. Twenty girls and boys between ten and fifteen years followed the invitation.
On the area behind the historical steam train at the “Meeting point Baden-Wuerttemberg” plant trolleys and mobile plant boxes from Wagner were prepared that had been lavishly planted by the children with flowers, herbs and grasses. Subsequent to the planting, the spray artist David Rich went into action. He explained the workshop participants where and how it is allowed to spray, gave useful tips and, supported by the team of “WAGNER for kids”, he assisted during the designing of the rollers and plant boxes. The colourful results showed that the children and young people were engaged with fun and ambition.
At the conclusion of the workshop, all participants received a personal creative certificate as well as their artfully sprayed “graffiti rollers” as souvenirs of an inspiring afternoon at the State Garden Show. Worth seeing: as of now, the colourful “GreenBOXes” from Wagner with the graffiti art of the creative kids are exhibited on the area behind the steam train and enrich the State Garden Show with a further attraction.