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Engineer Wolfgang Kühn takes internationalization as a career opportunity
Open-minded and highly inquisitive
am inquisitive by nature, always eager
to gain new impressions and be
given new tasks. I never had the
chance to spend an extended workrelated
period abroad during my
studies; that is why I am really glad
Rheinmetall Defence offered me
the opportunity to work for the Greek
subsidiary.” In fact, Wolfgang Kühn
started working for Rheinmetall Hellas
S.A. in Athens nearly a year ago and
has had no regrets.
Since July 2006 the 36 year-old engineer
from Dresden has been working
as a technical author responsible for
the entire documentation of the Greek
version of the PCP command system
for the ASRAD (Advanced Short Range
Air Defence) system, consisting of various
operating and maintenance manuals
as well as spare parts catalogs for
the system components.
“To fulfill so-called offset requirements
in the project, the technical
manuals for the
command system
designed by
Rheinmetall Defence
of Bremen
were to be prepared
at Rheinmetall
Hellas.
This called for the
system expertise
and involvement
of a documentation
specialist –
to meet these requirements,
a job
description was
drawn up in co-
operation with
Jörg Daniel, director
of the Technical
Publications/Logistics Engineering
business unit,” explains Michael
Heinzemann, chairman of the board of
directors and managing director of
Rheinmetall Hellas since 2003.
Kühn, who had joined the technical
publications unit in 2004, was just the
man for the job. Not only did he have
the necessary technical know-how
thanks to his extensive authoring experience,
but he was open-minded
and highly motivated when asked
about the extended assignment
abroad – something that is not always
a matter of course, even in times of
globalization. Comments Heinzemann:
“During discussions with employees at
our German sites, we often find our
staff reserved when we ask whether
they would be willing to work abroad,
even if only for a limited period. There
are many different reasons for this
ranging from family commitments to
fear of the unknown.”
Kühn has not found it difficult to combine
work abroad with family life. The father
of an eight year-old son points out:
“As my family and I live in Dresden anyway,
the place of work is only of secondary
importance. The train from Dresden
to Bremen takes approximately 6 hours,
a flight from Dresden to Athens with all
the related traveling and waiting times
takes roughly the same time.”
The move to Athens was obviously
not a leap in the dark as Rheinmetall
employees are given maximum assistance
when they go abroad – a point
that Wolfgang Kühn is quick to confirm:
“After my first visit to Athens, I was
promised all the help I needed, for in-
Has been working in the Greek capital Athens since the middle of 2006: Wolfgang
Kühn works for Rheinmetall Hellas as a technical author for special documentations.
stance, while looking for accommodation
and registering, and both Rheinmetall
Defence of Bremen and Rheinmetall
Hellas kept to their promises.”
Kühn is especially grateful for the fantastic
support given by his colleague in
Athens Despina Solkidou.
Social issues naturally also play a
role at the group’s many subsidiaries
and branch offices around the globe.
Provisions – for instance, the assurance
of employment at Rheinmetall on
Kühn’s return from Greece or the integration
in the company’s own social
benefits scheme – are just as important
as obligations on the part of
Rheinmetall Hellas – like e.g. health in-
16
surance, flights home or special flights
in emergencies. Says Kühn: “All of
these aspects are really well organized,
meaning that I don’t face any risks in
connection with my work out here.”
The Greeks are also very pleased with
their “new” employee who has more
than ten years of authoring experience.
Apart from Kühn’s technical experience
with various types of documentation,
his extensive expertise and his high
level of motivation, Heinzemann finds
his human qualities particularly praiseworthy.
“Thanks to his open-mindedness,
Wolfgang Kühn very quickly settled
into his new life in a different company
and country.”
And how does all of this affect Kühn’s
family? “Obviously, it is slightly different
living 3000 kilometers away from one’s
family but thanks to good flight connections
and the support of Rheinmetall I
spend between six and eight days a
month at home with my family. Besides,
modern communication
media like
internet and telephone
are useful in
maintaining “normality”,
and my
son is naturally always
eager to explore
the 4.5 million
Greek capital.”
Kühn – who
passed his degree
in communications
engineering
at the Technical
Photo: Studio 91 - Georgios N. Anastasopulos /Athen
College of Deutsche
Telekom in
Leipzig in 1996 –
says his decision
to work abroad
has paid off both professionally and privately.
“Professionally, because I have
been able to improve not only my core
competencies but also capabilities like
teamwork, project and time management;
privately, because I have learnt to
deal with a totally new and different
mentality and culture. Also, I have been
given an insight into business operations
outside my home company and
been lucky enough to meet lots of different
people.” Kühn’s experience has
been positive all round, his greatest
challenge being the complete and utter
chaos during rush hour – and this normally
doesn’t end ‘til about one o’clock
in Athens! Bernhard Schenk