Each year at Hager Group we embark on a multitude of projects. They are the result of 12.900 dedicated and motivated employees applying themselves at work. We created the Hager Group Awards in recognition of the individual and team successes achieved within our company.

For the second Hager Group Awards ceremony around 140 colleagues gathered at the Hager Forum in Obernai on the evening of 18th October. The event focused on innovation, technical excellence, outstanding performance and all those who have contributed to it. They serve as a source of inspiration and motivation for us all.

The entire Board of Directors was on hand to duly honour the winners as well as all finalists and participants. First time attendee Sabine Busse, Chairman of the Board, left impressed: “For me, one of the key elements in this journey starting to lead Hager Group are employees, as you. And that is why employee recognition is really the core of what we do at Hager Group, in order to ensure that also going forward we have motivated employees. A lot of the activities we have seen at the awards show this passion and commitment.”

Not everyone who deserved to be on stage was there, but the Hager Group Awards represent much more than just this one evening. The winners stand for the many small triumphs we all achieve which pass without recognition as well as the hard work we put in every day to make our company a success.

Announcing the winners

The jury had their work cut out, having to select 15 finalists project from the 40 or so submitted. We are as pleased as we are proud that so many colleagues participated with their projects and congratulate all finalists and especially the winning projects. The final awards in the four categories go to:

Winner Digitalisation Award

S/4HANA: charting new digital horizons

Embracing change and accepting challenges, the S/4HANA migration project is a testament to Hager Group's commitment to staying ahead. This isn't just a system overhaul; it's a vision of innovation, interconnectedness and growth. With the project's vast reach touching almost every facet of our operations: our core values of openness, customer-focus and empowerment shine through. Since the global release this August, the venture stands as a beacon of our collective dedication, adaptability and unity.

Team members: Frank Helbing, Tim Waring

Winner Excellence Award

Gamma’s swift shift: Blieskastel to La Roca

With tight timelines and high stakes, the Gamma product line seamlessly shifted its production from Blieskastel to La Roca. This bold transition, which ensures increased capacity while retaining quality, is a testament to the agility, courage and customer-centric focus of the two coordinated sites. With a keen eye on efficiency, existing machinery was repurposed, marking an innovative approach to inter-site collaboration.

Team members: Melanie Christmann, Susana Miguel, Matthias Minnich, Guillaume Bechet, Florian Gerstner-Riewer

Winner Sustainability Award

NRPP programme: for a cleaner future

As part of our Blue Planet Commitment, the NRPP programme has already succeeded in removing or replacing 200 tons of non-sustainable plastic packaging since its inception in 2021. And it’s still running! This isn't just an environmental milestone; it is a tangible proof for our customers that strengthens our values of courage and authenticity.

Team members: Gaetane Grange, Heike Sprunck, Thomas Fuchs, François-Xavier Fricot, Finnis Leen

Winner Recovery Award

Plan B Hammersbach: resilience in the face of disruption

An unexpected halt at Hammersbach threatened the ongoing "Blieskastel Capacity Extension" project. Quick action led to the project being divided into three components—freeing up space in Blieskastel, transferring the Gamma product range to La Roca and outsourcing profile production. This ensured the continuation of capacity expansion plans through agile cross-functional collaboration and detailed risk management.

Team members: Guillaume Bechet, Martin Bode, Benjamin Hausknecht, Srinivasa Pakki, Thierry Siani

Quick connect clamp recovery: from halted production to full-speed delivery

An acute shortage led to a complete production stop, necessitating immediate action. This project revitalised our supply chain by strengthening relations with our original supplier, Bogner, and bringing in a new supplier, ZETKA. The effort paid off, reducing a customer backlog from 39 million euros to just 700k euros.

Team members: Frank Anna, Michael Rode, Laurence Chabrat, Thomas Lauer, Roland Supper

Job dating sessions: strategic hiring across four cities

This project took a systematic approach to hiring, organising job dating events in four different locations. The campaign attracted 2,500 candidates, fulfilling the ambitious goal of hiring 500 new staff within four months through effective task force coordination and alignment.

Team members: Hanane Oussemgane, Stéphanie Sauer, Julie Roiatti, Karoline Westrich, Lorraine Mougel