As part of our latest podcast episode, Rufus is joined by Michael Ermert, Director Operational Project Management at Thomas, who has been with the company for 37 years. In fact, he joined Thomas as a technical draughtsman in the design department at the age of just 16.
In the podcast, Michael talks about his career and why he has never regretted the switch from product design to project management, simply because he relishes the diversity of the job and the many facets it offers. As a project manager, he explains, you engage with customers, suppliers, and many colleagues for the purpose of bringing the project to a successful conclusion.
It is a task that is proving increasingly challenging as products and the underlying technologies are becoming more intelligent and complex – in line with the motto „Sense. Think. Act.“ And, of course, it is imperative that one meets the most exacting customer standards in respect of quality, costs, and delivery deadlines.
Since the end of the 2010s, Michael has also had staff responsibility in his department and has recently become head of central project management. As you can imagine, his day-to-day work is dominated by meetings and coordination activities, in addition to project controlling. The focus is on staying on top of all developments and taking control when necessary. This calls for qualities generally associated with being a project manager: you have to enjoy working with people and be responsive, a characteristic he shares with his colleagues in his team.
But that’s enough about the job: what does Michael do outside of work? When he is not in meetings at the company, with customers, or suppliers? In a nutshell: mountain biking in summer and skiing in winter. And as a general rule: traveling! In summer, he takes his camper on the occasional tour, for example to Italy or Croatia.
For those of you who would like to know which dream destination is still on his to-do list or why he would choose Thomas as his employer again and again after so many years: listen in! You’ll also find out what Michael’s favorite snack is. Without giving too much away, it’s sweet and colorful. And it doesn’t take long for him to finish a whole packet!
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