Man and Machine – Our Capacities

Right from the beginning, the aim of Rexroth's management has been to deploy state-of-the-art equipment, in order to ease the workload of our employees and to optimise production. If it is to be successful, this process has to involve a reciprocal relationship between human beings and modern equipment.

From the start the management were aware of the danger that the automation of production would mean sacrificing handworking skills, and creative and intellectual abilities; skills which are essential for smaller-sized companies. In order to counteract this, the company made sure that people were never reduced to being dependent parts of a "man machine system".

To this end the company utilised a research project from the Technical University Berlin - called "Qualification for Professional Competence in the Workshop" - to train the company's employees to use the company's CNC machines, computer controlled laser cutters and modern machining centres.

The workshop-oriented training of the employees made them more able to deal with state-of-the-art programming techniques. This gave the management the opportunity to make bigger plans in terms of buying new machinery. Such measures as these take place with the assistance of the workers who are involved, which helps them to:

• see themselves as a productive part of the "man-machine-system", and
• to discover that they, within their system, manufacture products for other "man-machine-systems". At the same time they become sensitive to the quality requirements according to Rexroth's quality management.

• that the management of their company is continually challenged to keep the factory at the highest level of efficiency
• and they realise that they must do all they can to meet the demands which are constantly placed on them, in order to help keep the company competitive and thereby safeguard their employment.