"We train apprentices and thus invest in future specialists"

The biomechanics company Zimmer Biomet created the most apprenticeships in the Winterthur region last year. Two weeks ago, the company received the 2021 Apprenticeship Creator Award, presented by House of Winterthur. We met with the Managing Director of Zimmer Winterthur Eduard Fischer and polymechanic apprentice Janis Früh for an interview. The interview is about the Winterthur location, investing in the future and the impact of coronavirus.

Mr. Fischer, congratulations on winning the 2021 Apprenticeship Creator Award. How many new apprenticeships did Zimmer Switzerland Manufacturing GmbH create at the end of July 2021?
Eduard Fischer : We currently have 60 apprentices at the Winterthur site. A total of 26 new ones were added last year. We always keep this number relatively stable, there are sometimes two more or fewer per year - but in total we always employ around 60 apprentices.

How is the apprenticeship system organized at your company?
EduardFischer: We work together with the AZW training center in Winterthur. Every year, we receive suggestions from the AZW as to how many people are suitable for us. Internally, it also depends on how many new employees we can effectively take on so that their support is guaranteed.

Zimmer Switzerland Manufacturing GmbH created 26 new apprenticeships at its headquarters in Winterthur last year. For this, it was awarded the 2021 Apprenticeship Creator Prize.

Image: KMU Forum Winterthur/Tania Rotondaro

So the apprentices "come" from the AZW. In which professions do the apprentices mainly work for you?
EduardFischer: Most of the apprentices are polymechanics, like Mr. Früh. They spend their third and fourth year of their apprenticeship with us. We also employ many commercial apprentices.

Mr. Früh, you decided to train as a polymechanic two years ago, why?
Janis Früh: I was actually looking for an apprenticeship for a long time. It was clear to me that I wanted to learn a technical profession. When several people close to me recommended an apprenticeship as a polymechanic, I chose this path. I looked at the profession during six trial apprenticeships and I really liked it. The profession is extremely versatile and provides an excellent basis for a wide variety of paths you can take in the future.

You're talking about the future. Do you already have concrete plans for the time after your training?
Janis Früh: No, I don't have any yet. The military is still on the agenda in any case. I don't know yet whether I want to continue working or go to vocational college afterwards. I really like it at Zimmer at the moment, so I could imagine staying here. Generally speaking, Oberwinterthur is a great location for polymechanics because of the industry based here.

Mr. Fischer, is it common for apprentices to stay with the company after completing their training?
EduardFischer: Yes, it is common. We normally take on around 50 percent of all apprentices. Every year we look at how many employees will be leaving us due to age. This is then one of the decision-making criteria that determines how many apprentices we actually take on at the end of the year.

You employ almost 1000 people at your Winterthur site, 60 of whom are apprentices. What is the added value of training so many people?
EduardFischer: There are two factors that are important: Firstly, as one of the largest employers in the region, we are aware of our social responsibility. We want to live up to this and give young people the opportunity to start their careers with us. On the other hand, we face international competition and want to ensure that we have good specialists through our apprentices. This also characterizes Winterthur as a location and, in fact, Switzerland as a location: We employ well-trained people and thus generate competitive advantages. By training apprentices at Zimmer, we are investing in future specialists who will ideally stay with us later on.

Polymechanic apprentice Janis Früh could also imagine working in the Winterthur region after his apprenticeship.

Let's move on to another topic: The corona pandemic. Mr. Früh, how has corona affected your apprenticeship so far?
Janis Früh: I started my apprenticeship in summer 2019, so I spent a large part of my apprenticeship during the pandemic. The first lockdown in particular had a big impact on my apprenticeship, as we also had to stay at home for several weeks. It would have been very important for us to work and learn on the various machines. Instead, we had to work with theory folders. The lack of practical work was particularly evident in the partial exams, and everyone's grades were correspondingly lower than in previous years. We simply lacked manual skills on the machines. In the second lockdown, things were much better and we were able to work normally in the company, naturally under the applicable safety concepts.

Mr. Fischer, how has Zimmer Biomet experienced the pandemic so far?
EduardFischer: We have also suffered losses due to coronavirus, although the impact is certainly less pronounced than in other sectors. Nevertheless, we have suffered and are still suffering from the fact that planned operations have been postponed or in some cases completely suspended due to coronavirus.

For Zimmer Winterthur Managing Director Eduard Fischer, training apprentices generates competitive advantages for the company.

Apart from the pandemic, what other issues is the company currently dealing with?
EduardFischer: In the administrative area, we are undergoing the transition from the principle of presence to working from home. As part of this, we are currently converting the entire building. In future, we will have flexible workstations rather than personal ones. This is much more in line with today's needs.

Did the pandemic bring about this change?
Eduard Fischer: The pandemic was not the decisive factor, because we already had ideas like this beforehand. But corona has certainly accelerated the whole thing. The pandemic has shown us that we can set up our entire site, excluding production of course. We used the time when everyone was working from home to develop this new concept.

Is the concept already being implemented? What is the feedback from the employees concerned?
EduardFischer: Most of them are positive. Those who are already working under the new concept are extremely happy. They appreciate the new freedom and are grateful that we have chosen this path. Many simply realize that this new system gives them much more freedom and allows them to work more flexibly. You are completely free to decide when you work in the office and when you work from home. This change also helps us to remain attractive as an employer.

Interview with: Linda Stratacò, October 2021