Sabine Weidtkamp grew up with HANSA‑FLEX. As a teenager, she helped out at the Höxter branch after school and completed her apprenticeship there. Today she looks after six branches.

Yes, very well. HANSA‑FLEX has always been part of my life – and still is today. My parents worked for the company since the early 1970s, my father as a co-partner and my mother in the office. It went without saying that I would help out at the Höxter branch after school – counting O-rings and screw connections during stock-taking and doing other little jobs. It was like a big family, everyone knew each other and helped each other out. That still plays a big role at HANSA‑FLEX today. My brother also works at HANSA‑FLEX as a technical branch consultant.

My parents always supported me, but never gave me preferential treatment. At the branch I was just like any other employee. I actually had other plans – I thought about training in healthcare or becoming a baker or chef. But in the end, I decided to do an apprenticeship as a wholesale and foreign trade clerk at the new branch in Boffzen in 1985. It's a decision I've never regretted. After completing my training, I spent many years supporting the region in commercial operations. In 2006, when my parents retired, I took over the management of the Höxter branch – a big step that enabled me to learn a lot, supported by the confidence of my line managers and teams.

The great thing is that I learned everything from the ground up: everyday work in the warehouse, the requirements of office organisation, the challenges of leadership. This experience helped me enormously in setting up the regional back office in Kassel. The focus was on restructuring our processes and significantly reducing the workload of the sales force and branches. The close interaction with customers, regional managers, back office managers, branches and head office was particularly valuable. I was often on the road, made new contacts and experienced how much easier things are when people know each other and communicate openly and on an equal footing.

Of course, it involves classic management tasks: developing branches, complying with regulations, communicating with other branches and with head office. But for me, people are the most important factor. I look after six branches and am regularly on site. I also help out with day-to-day business, answer the phone or lend a hand. For me, that's just part of the job. As is listening to whatever my colleagues have on their mind. Especially today, when so much is becoming more complex and fast-paced, closeness and trust are more important than ever. I know everyone personally – that's very important to me.

That was one of the most exciting phases of my career. In 2008 the entire company – from head office to the individual branches – was converted to SAP. For many, this was a huge change. I volunteered to be a key user because I found the challenge exciting. We organised training courses, developed new processes and helped employees overcome their fears of the new system. It was demanding, of course, but we did it together as a team. I’m still proud of that to this very day.

Of course, the hydraulics industry tends to be male-dominated. But the fact that I am a woman in a management position has never been viewed critically at HANSA‑FLEX. What counts here is who you are as a person, not your gender. Competence, humour and a dose of tenacity also help, of course. I would encourage young women to have confidence in themselves and go for it! HANSA‑FLEX is open to women in all areas.

To have been part of a piece of the company's history and helping to shape it. I have seen how HANSA‑FLEX has grown, opened up new areas of business and repeatedly risen to fresh challenges. I’m particularly proud of the fact that we have maintained our family spirit. We celebrate anniversaries together, meet up for birthdays, at traditional marksmen's festivals or even on the cycle path along the River Weser. This spirit of togetherness is and remains an important part of our company culture.