From business model innovation in a international environment to a Tier 2 supplier.

Yes, I am supporting as a vacationing worker the production plant Hoerbiger in my hometown. From having an average time of way to work of 1,5hours, it has been reduced to 10minutes walking or 2 minutes by bicycle. But it is exciting to see the difference of technological equipment and mindset of people working in this industry as a supplier.

Sure, it is an extrinsic motivation as it is a safety budget for my expenditures in Newcastle during my master’s degree in Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship. But working for 8 weeks in this organisation is very interesting. Especially, hearing stories about the past and increasing pressure for production facilities due to lean management and partly automation, which has a negative impact on the work environment. Additionally, it is very worrying about the lack of strategic perspective concerning automotive disruption, which is definitively a dilemma for OEMs and suppliers in Tier 1-3. The difficulty can be described as being between operations and profit margins versus taking the investment in R&D and new technologies for the change by providing products and services suiting the first-mover.

Nonetheless, it is an excellent opportunity to learn the production processes and have discussions with employees and understand the automotive industry from the third row. For Newcastle, I am super excited and expecting to have a fast pacing and fantastic year. It makes me curious to think how much the city has changed since my absence.