People at ALPLA - Interview with Miriam Hessler
Miriam has had a truly remarkable career at ALPLA: from contract worker to department manager in less than seven years. Talking to her, it quickly becomes clear how she achieved this. For Miriam, people come first. Whether it’s in optimising processes or collaborating with colleagues.
Name: Miriam Hessler
Location: Fußach (AT)
Position: Department Manager IM Finishing
How would you explain your job to a child?
The role of the complementation department is to put together individual components made of plastic. A good example of this are flip-top closures for sports bottles or packaging for UHU glue sticks. We also print some components. As department manager, I’m like Bob the Builder. I motivate my team and support them wherever I can. And I take responsibility and allocate tasks.
What’s your favourite project that you’ve worked on at ALPLA?
I really enjoyed working on implementing the 5S workplace methodology in my former department. I got my first experience in process management from this. This was excellent preparation for my leadership position, which I took on in mid January 2019.
I’m also really enjoying an ongoing project. As department manager, my current goal is to improve daily work routines for my team. I look after team building, review structures and make working practices easier in the production facility. This includes closer proximity and new systems, for example.
What is your greatest success, in your personal or professional life?
In my personal life, it’s without doubt the birth of our son in May 2018. The little guy has turned my life and my girlfriend’s life completely upside down. I’m also very proud of what I’ve achieved in my career. I was still a contractor in 2012, and I was taken on as a shift worker in machine operation in 2013. I worked my way up from there and now I’m department manager.
Where is your favourite place in the world?
Wherever my family is. I feel at home when we’re together. Wherever we are.
Can you tell us a saying from your native language?
This saying is very personal to me and very important in my working life: ‘Es ist noch kein Meister vom Himmel gefallen.’ This means that we all make mistakes and we need to learn how to do things first. We can learn to do anything if we want to. I also like remind my team of this whenever they make a mistake.
What motivates you to get out of bed in the morning?
I really enjoy my work. The motivation in the team is fantastic and there is a great sense of community. Just like with Bob, together, we can do anything.
Can you tell us four things that are on your to-do list?
I’m a spontaneous sort of person, so that’s a very difficult question. I really just want to be happy, together with my family, which might well grow a bit more. What I would really like to do, though, is visit the Rocky Mountains in the USA. The landscape there must be incredible, and I’d love to experience that. And I’d like to build my own house.
What type of music do you listen to in your car?
I usually listen to the radio. Otherwise, I like listening to American country music.
Can you describe ALPLA in three words?
First and foremost, ALPLA is very family-oriented. We show consideration for one another and adopt a very collaborative approach. As a German, the informal atmosphere took a bit of getting used to, but now I couldn’t work any other way. Opting for an informal approach automatically brings us closer to one another. ALPLA is also open. Open to new ideas, open to different cultures. Everybody gets an opportunity, regardless of where they come from. My third association with ALPLA is the future. We will still need plastic packaging in the future. And ALPLA is working hard to come up with innovative processes and products that will secure the company’s long-term future.
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