Thuringian Minister of Finance visits OKM in Altenburg
During her Summer Tour 2022, Thuringia's Minister of Finance Heike Taubert visited selected companies in Thuringia. One of her destinations was OKM in Altenburg. While for the OKM team visits of this kind are rather rare occasions, for the Ministry of Finance the eye-catching company headquarters in the shape of a pyramid must have raised particular interest.
After the reception, the Finance Minister first held expert talks with OKM's managing directors CEO Stephan Grund and CTO Christian Becker to get a more detailed picture of the company's economic development since its foundation in 1998 and its transition in September 2019.
"I am pleased that [...] a piece of innovation will continue to come from Thuringia in the future.“
Minister of Finance Heike Taubert after visiting OKM
The solid basis of the company as well as its further development thanks to CEO Stephan Grund's modern management strategies have contributed to the fact that OKM has been able to survive successfully even in times of corona and crisis. Thanks to their future-oriented strategies, the managing directors succeeded in maintaining OKM's pioneering role on the international market, securing jobs in the region and even creating new jobs and training positions.
Following the internal round of talks, further participants accepted the invitation. During a joint tour with Matthias Saeckl, Head of the Training and Further Education Division of the East Thuringia Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Gera, André Neumann, Lord Mayor of the City of Altenburg, as well as PR representatives and journalists, the topics of training and recruiting skilled workers, as well as points already addressed in the previous expert discussion, were discussed in greater depth.
The tour of the remarkable building began in the showroom, where OKM detectors are not only presented but also demonstrated. CTO Christian Becker offered a short introduction into the innovative OKM technologies and showed the special features on the popular 3D ground scanner Rover C4.
The tour continued in the production facilities, where the Minister of Finance took the opportunity to talk to OKM employees. In addition to technical background information on the work in progress, Ms. Taubert was particularly interested in learning about the employees' professional backgrounds.
The enthusiasm about the company building was also reflected in those questions: The visitors were especially curious about whether it was common or rather exceptional to apply for a job in a pyramid. "Finally finding a profession" summarizes the employees' appreciation for working in this special ambiance.
Each of the floors of the pyramid offered new impulses for conversation between the guests and hosts. Thus, in the conference room, not only technical topics were continued in depth, but also the possibilities of holding business meetings at OKM.
For the OKM team, the visit was a special event. We are grateful for the inspiring talks and are looking forward to welcoming you again as guests in the pyramid soon.
More about the background of the visit: Media information of the Thuringian Ministry of Finance (2022/08/18), in German
Further reports from the regional press: OTZ (Ostthueringer Zeitung, Wolfgang Riedel (2022/08/20), in German)