"Revolutionary rethinking in our work environment"

Thomas Reunert

10.09.2019

Iserlohn. Today, Tuesday, the doors of the new Medice administration building will open to invited guests, whose initial reaction will definitely be utter amazement.

And probably not even the jets of water and the contemporary vibe of the pool on the left next to the little working café will be enough on their own to astonish. And again, there must be something more to win visitors over than their first impressions of the luxuriously comfortable seating suites in the lounge area on the right of the hall. No, what will probably captivate visitors from the very first moment is the bright atmosphere and generous spacing in terms of square metres and therefore also the generous thinking behind it.

But first of all, our thoughts really must take an involuntary step back into the past. Until a few months ago, it was still the case that you could generally drive along the Kuhloweg towards Dröschede above the old administration building and from there see how the Medice company site was steadily growing over the years. Where once the Winklers, Schockemöhles and Neckermänner of the riding world performed their dressage rounds to the sound of cheers and cleared oxers and other jumps with bravado, now the elderly operations buildings were being joined ever more by new production and warehouse structures. And yet from up there, it was probably not at all possible to grasp the actual dimensions, the spaciousness and multi-functional character of the area. That much is obvious now given the gradual encroachment from the other side across the new 'Medice Allee', which runs off from the Hellweg. However, you can do that now, for example, by going into one of the new, generously proportioned offices, one of the conference rooms or on to the balcony and then looking down.

Later, in conversation with the local newspaper, Dr. Richard Ammer will be happy to agree with the journalist's assumption that this close-to-nature environment with panoramic views of the Iserlohn woodland is ideally suited to reflecting and deciding on natural medicines for people. "It is true that here we have a major advantage over businesses in a Rhineland heavy-industry region."

Next in the pipeline are Sweden and England We are holding our conversation in a luxurious conference room on the third floor of the new building. In the distance, the Danzturm (Danz Tower) beckons. At the table, we are welcomed by Dr. Katja Pütter-Ammer and Dr. Richard Ammer, third-generation company owners, both keen to continue running the company, on sound creative and commercial principles, both in the 71st year since its foundation by Medice pioneer Gustav Pütter in 1949 - and in the years to come. The company's governing body has now grown to include executive managers Dr. Jürgen Kreimeyer and Eric Neyret. Dr. Katja Pütter-Ammer also sees the two executive managers as the living and visible proof that the company's main site in Iserlohn is an extremely remarkable place to work in. "Every week, they come from Munich and Heidelberg respectively to Iserlohn and both think that our location is simply 'magic', they enjoy our natural setting for their sporting activities and even their wives feel drawn to the choice of fashionable clothes here."

So well attuned as they are, the executive managers also definitely enjoy being part of the company's steady sales growth, from its former circa 60 million to the current circa 235 million euro (with an upward trend and upward budget figures). Concentrated in Europe, Russia (new and with its own infrastructure) and parts of Asia, Medice operates in around 50 markets with partners and increasingly also has its own subsidiaries. The latest news, according to the Ammers, is that market entries in Sweden and England are in the pipeline.

Technically, the company is making progress in three areas. First, the sector known as OTC business, which means everything that customers can buy in pharmacies without a prescription (OTC - over the counter). Of course, one of the successful preparations in this sector is Meditonsin, which many people have now raised to cult status as a cold remedy. Overall, according to Dr. Richard Ammer, this product is 15th in the field of internationally successful brands. Research and marketing sectors two and three are committed to problematic issues in the field of central nervous system disorders. Here, they focus on ADHD in children, a much discussed topic - though not always discussed in a scientifically well balanced manner in uninformed public circles. They also focus on medical issues on all aspects of the kidney. This is a field in which Medice is now in fifth place in the list of global players. Dr. Katja Pütter-Ammer: "Basically, two thirds of our sales are still in Germany, though sales abroad are growing more and more." They are obviously also proud of how the employee count has grown to the current figure. " Our workforce now numbers 633 in total, with 473 of them employed here on the Iserlohn site." Dr. Richard Ammer adds, "When my wife started here, the whole company employed 200. So that's not bad at all, don't you think?"

And it was precisely the growth in workforce numbers in recent years that had necessitated this new building at the Iserlohn site. Even if the company was already maintaining extra branch offices now in Munich and Cologne. "However, this does not mean that we will - or intend to - grow away from Iserlohn in the medium or long term. You see, we have more plans for this site," says Dr. Katja Pütter-Ammer and expands on the project involving construction of an ultra-modern picking plant for drugs and in addition a new despatch department.

An important topic is regional meat humanely reared

Suddenly, the conversation turns to food, because significant expansion and conversion of the canteen are also planned. Terms such as 'organic cooking', 'fresh food', 'meat reared in the region and humanely' now enter the conversation. In this field, too, the Pütter family obviously intend to set an example - as with the 'Employee Fitness Centre', which provides a company-specific further training program free of charge. For physical fitness, the company had secured the services and skills of the local Taekwondo champion and medallist Carlos Esteves.

And with all these campaigns and services to employees, there was also the obvious aim of creating employer marketing, quite apart from making sure of a satisfied workforce. Dr. Richard Ammer: "Recruiting - and keeping - good employees is one aspect. But we also try, as a family-run business, to generate a somewhat different culture so that the workforce are happy to lose sight of the fact that they are definitely not in a metropolis or city of global stature, and yet feel good all the same." His wife Katja adds, "You see, working environments are increasingly becoming living environments. And as these two worlds merge, both sides need to be catered for."

Yet even though the company provides 'chill out' zones and other benefits, this in no way means that the "prevailing atmosphere here is some sort of 'fun culture'. We work very seriously here and to the point." At this point, one question can no longer be avoided - "How do people address each other here - still with the formal 'Sie' for 'you'? And the answer is really not surprising. Dr. Katja Pütter: "Initially, this was still a purely formal 'you' culture, though by now many in the company address each other with the informal 'you'."

Time now to return once more to the new building and the thinking and perspectives behind it. Naturally, we worked hard at achieving a design that would last as long as possible, says Dr. Katja Pütter-Ammer, one where we could respond successfully to the inevitable changes in the market and the world both sustainably and looking forward into the future. "We are all in no doubt at all that we in our sector will also experience a big bang." And that's true, not only because sooner or later routine activities will be replaced by artificial intelligence capabilities. And all that would lead to changes "which will demand a complete rethink of our working worlds." At both structural level and in terms of space. "And this is exactly what leads to such new working environments, such as we have developed here." Open communication platforms, a working café, a discussion island, the rocking chair, the comfy fleece sofa corner, the protected PC area. And even table football for those short moments of relaxation or perhaps as a way of releasing tension. Apart from that, the circa 100 executive managers and employees working in all sections and on all storeys with a combined floor-space of around 3,000 square metres have already had four months to experience all the service supply solutions geared to sound ecological and energy-production principles, and the abundance of light and air for ideal thinking and good talk.

Conversation topics are all the occupational and workplace challenges of the market but also perhaps the company's in-house honey supply (not yet quite so much) from bees visiting the company's apple trees. Or how to continue realising the company's philosophical approach expressed as "Caring with passion" or, in Pütter German, "Kümmern mit Leidenschaft".

Source:

Reunert, T. (2019, September 10). „Das völlige Neudenken unserer Arbeitswelt“. Abgerufen am 11. September 2019, von https://www.ikz-online.de/staedte/iserlohn/das-voellige-neudenken-unserer-arbeitswelt-id227038615.html"