A Storybook career
An international career from apprentice to Production Manager
Sebastian Weiss has been part of the Geberit family since 2009, during which time he has progressed from apprentice to production manager – together with assignments abroad – thanks to internal development programs.
“After my apprenticeship at Geberit Mapress in Langenfeld (DE), I first worked as an assistant to the management before moving on to production. Here I was responsible for lean management in my position as GPS Coordinator (Geberit Production System), during which time I was able to learn a lot about process reliability, efficiency and management tasks.
I also studied in parallel to my job in the evenings, where I gained my bachelor’s degree in General Management specialising in production and logistics management, plus my master’s degree in Leadership & Management. Whether I needed financial help, time off when I had to study or, above all, personal support, I was helped every step along the way by Geberit. In addition to my own studies, I was also able to visit the “Potentials Management – Regional Level” internal development program offered by Geberit. The goal of this program is to establish and develop management skills.
I then travelled to Sweden in 2017 as Project Manager GPS, where I was tasked with integrating the Mörrum plant – which was acquired in 2015 – into the world of Geberit and carrying out widespread optimisations. One year later, I took over as Plant Manager and was able to make my own mark. Such a step comes at a price, of course. I had to change a lot of private things or leave them behind in Germany. This was quite an unusual and painful experience. Today, I am back closer to home and am now in charge of production at the Geberit ceramics plant in Wesel. I have also been able to take part in the advanced “Potentials Management – Management Level” program, which was another fantastic experience.
It was always important for me to find a meaning in my work, and also to have the opportunity of changing something in order to take it to the next level. I found this – plus a real sense of family togetherness – at the Geberit Group. A lot of things have changed for me in recent years and I’ve been able to learn a lot of new things. This is exactly what I was looking for.”
Sebastian’s journey at Geberit is far from over. He is exactly the kind of employee that Geberit is looking for when promoting talented young professionals in the company. You can find more information about the Operations Development Program here.