Anyone who visits the new Sennheiser production site in Brașov, Romania, can be sure of a warm welcome—plant manager Violeta Balint and her team make sure of that. And if you take a closer look at the production lines and the building, you are guaranteed to be impressed. Everything here is so new, so efficient and well thought out. A few years ago there was nothing but a large expanse of field. Brașov is booming. Many companies have taken up residence here. The proximity to Bucharest and the strong trading area with good resources make the region very attractive. Sennheiser was able to plan every aspect of the new production halls and thus fully satisfy the high demands on modern production.
Violeta came to Sennheiser as HR manager while the plant was still under construction. It was her job to ensure that the required number of employees was ready for operation. “I came from the automotive sector, where the conditions are very different. I didn’t know much about Sennheiser when the position opened up, but right from the very first interview I noticed that Sennheiser was different than the other companies I had worked for previously. The people I spoke to told me about themselves and their role at Sennheiser, as well as a lot about the company and the people behind the products rather than grilling me about myself for two hours. It was such a pleasant and motivating conversation that I immediately called my husband and said: I have to get this job!”
Violeta started looking for employees in the region who were equally enthusiastic. “I didn’t want to lose the culture that had attracted me in the first place when I selected our future colleagues. I also had various discussions and made sure that we followed all the rules of the local authorities when constructing the building and the production lines. Today, 120 people are employed at the Brașov site—and Violeta has also taken a step up the career ladder. She has been a plant manager since early 2019. Did it surprise you that, as is often the case, this job was not offered to an engineer? “I think they just kept an open mind and took a different approach. Due to my personnel background, I was already very familiar with the processes and technical challenges. As an HR manager, you have to know what you are looking for from your employees. And, of course, if things get tricky, I have a wonderful team who can help me find the solution to any problem. At the end of the day, the people make all the difference.”
In the future, Violeta hopes that further product lines will be added to the new plant. After all, the secret is in the mix. There is also still a lot of space on the field next to the building and an airport for Brașov is under discussion. All the foundations are in place for Violeta and her team to continue to show strong growth in the future.