All good things come in threes – saying farewell to the Krones family (for the time being)

What is called “Guan Xi” and wonderful friendships have evolved from a total of three different student traineeships. (Broken down to its essentials, the Chinese Guan Xi – 关系 – means establishing a good social network.) Having spent almost three years at Krones and gaining some insights into a most varied range of issues, for me “Guan Xi” has included incredibly committed and helpful colleagues and a set of most diverse characters, promising some fun at work. You can be certain to meet new people time and again because fellow-workers, too, they come and go. Moreover, you don’t just meet them in and around Regensburg, you also come across them unexpectedly, for example when hitching a ride or on holiday. This can definitely bond people, because you see “once a Kronese, always a Kronese”. So what exactly is it that helps you relate to the company, that turns you into a “Kronese”? There will now surely be quite a few among you wondering: “Excuse me, what exactly is a Kronese?” Let me just try and answer this from my own perspective.

I completed my first student traineeship at Krones AG in the Creations Department. There I was able to support the team responsible for the Krones magazine published on a quarterly basis. The magazine is meanwhile available only in digital form. That reminds me of my job interview – We’d already addressed digital paths for the magazine at that time. So you see, very much has happened since then, and yet it seems to me as if it were yesterday that I set foot on the Krones premises and entered the meanwhile familiar reception hall for the first time. Three words to describe it: I was impressed (and – admittedly – quite a bit nervous as well). Four magazines, two blog articles, one bachelor thesis and a host of experience later, I “left” Creations. But who would have thought that I would again make my way to the Krones world for my second student traineeship?

When I changed from business economics for my bachelor to business informatics for my master, this meant swapping Krones for Syskron. I was firmly resolved to devote my attention to the field of cyber security, a tricky subject that is widely discussed and highly complex into the bargain. Despite my superficial knowledge, I succeeded – helped along by a small portion of courage and quite a bit of luck – in getting the job I had hoped for as the first female student trainee at Industrial Cyber Security. This meant changes not only in the issue addressed but also in work location, team dynamics and remit. Even though there were some gaps in my cyber security knowledge, I was soon part of the team. There was an option for working from home even back then, just as is mandatory at present thanks to Covid-19. But I was always pleased to be physically present at my workplace.

And since you should stop when it can’t get any better, I thought I’d go to Sydney for my semester abroad and plug my gaps with courses on Network Fundamentals, Java Programming, LANs and routing. And while the semester abroad was taking its course and I was riding the waves on my surfboard, the connections with my colleagues were kept up. As my stay in Australia was followed by the Covid-19 pandemic, it has unfortunately not been possible as yet to hold the team-building event we’d planned. But we still intend to do so asap. There’s nothing better than a round of beer with your colleagues. My Krones story, however, does not end here. Quite the contrary!

Another year at Krones AG followed, this time in the Information Management Processes, Governance and Security Department. Not only did I have to get used to new team dynamics and a different workplace layout, my first working day was also quite a bit different this time. My first week at work included introduction rounds with new colleagues to get to know each other, and also “Hi, I’m back” meetings with fellow-workers of previous years, who mostly sounded something like that: “Oh hi Jenny, what a surprise! You’re working for us again? What are you doing here? Oh, how lovely! How are you? Where precisely do you work here now?”

If my present-day “me” were to meet my previous “me” during my very first job interview at Krones and tell me “Some day, you will be a genuine Kronese”, I would wonder just as you have done at the beginning of this article: “Excuse me, what exactly is a Kronese?“ You’re not born a Kronese, you eventually become one. And following all the multifarious experience I gained in the various fields, starting in Creations, then at Industrial Cyber Security right through to IM Processes, Governance and Security, I can definitely say that I really feel part of the Krones family.

It’s the tasks assigned, the experience and insights gained, the opportunity to delve into a variety of issues, and to a much greater extent it’s the pleasant workplace atmosphere, the interpersonal dealings with all employees, even reaching across national borders and the whole Krones Group, that help people relate to the company.

At this point, I would like to say “THANK YOU VERY MUCH” to all my colleagues! It was a pleasure working with you. Don’t worry: This will not be followed by a “Goodbye – Farewell – Never to be seen again” speech. Here I rather mean “Until we meet again – I will see you soon – Bye for now”. And who knows whether Krones’ and my paths will cross again some time? “And when will you come back? You’re not really leaving. You will be back, Krones 3.1, won’t you?” Currently the running gag among my colleagues and friends in the company. But nevertheless the end of my third Krones era.

For the time being. Or perhaps not, after all? 😉