Family spirit at KWS’ branch office

The overarching motto of the almost 90-minute tour for the Büchting family was “Getting to know KWS Berlin and our colleagues.” The participants were split into three groups and then given a tour to explore the second, third and fourth floors of the office in Bülowstraße and meet the staff there. Because that’s what the visits by the CEB Circle are all about: Spurred by their close attachment to KWS, the family shareholders travel to one of the company’s locations every year to gain first-hand insights and express their appreciation for all employees.

What do HR and Global HR do, what tasks does our Accounting department perform, and what do our global finance and procurement activities look like? The succinct presentations on site revolved around these topics and thus provided a good overview of the work of the Global Transaction Center (GTC). One practical aspect was that a special program was put on to keep the children of the family occupied in the meantime. They were able to solve puzzles about the site, build a Lego model of the GTC’s structure and thus learn what the office’s employees do in their everyday work.

The presentations gave a lucid illustration of the spirit of the branch office: The formerly local structures have evolved into a new, global organization during the transition, yet the bonds with the company’s values have been retained – with the aim of promoting KWS’ progress while meeting international requirements. After the trip, Felix Büchting summed up his impressions in these words: “The setting and the presentations made the spirit and atmosphere of the branch office very tangible for us and conveyed its diversity and dynamism in a very impressive way. It was a great demonstration and experience!”