Reitz Talent Factory
Do you need to have a slightly obsessive streak to be able to recite in your sleep what abbreviations such as SAG, EVE, AWG, AWV, ICP, AGG, NTA and ATA stand for? To voluntarily travel to the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control in Frankfurt am Main and meet like-minded people who are passionate about export law, legislation and customs regulations? Perhaps it is not absolutely essential – but it certainly does no harm, as the career of our Head of Logistics, Sven Kröning, demonstrates.
“At first, someone asked me whether BAFA was a new type of BIFI sausage,”
Sven Kröning recalls, adjusting his glasses with the composed gesture of a man who is not easily unsettled, even by the most complicated maze of legal paragraphs.
“By now, most people understand why these issues are vital for companies that export products abroad.” As an example, he refers to the Crimea affair that brought Siemens into the headlines. Turbines originally intended for the Russian mainland had been diverted to Crimea and installed in power stations there. The employees responsible inevitably came under legal scrutiny. Companies are required to take every possible step to check and, wherever possible, prevent their products from being supplied to countries subject to an embargo. Failure to do so can result in severe penalties – including imprisonment.
Somewhere Between a Sales Blocker and a Protective Shield
It is partly because of these unpredictable risks that Sven Kröning has received the company’s full support for many years in his intensive work on complex export control and embargo issues. At a particular point in his career, he deliberately chose to specialise in this field. One element of Reitz’s corporate strategy is to focus on each individual’s strengths. Together with the management team, he therefore considered the question: “How can you contribute most effectively to our company?” At the time, there was no one in the company with in-depth knowledge of export law, while the subject was becoming increasingly important due to the associated risks. The answer was therefore clear. Today, thanks to numerous BAFA training courses and his continuing curiosity, Sven Kröning is a recognised specialist. In some cases, much to the frustration of the sales team, he is required to veto an enquiry. “Of course, it is not much fun to have a reputation as the person who prevents sales. On the other hand, my work also makes me something of a protective shield for the company and the management team. Ultimately, they would be held responsible if something went wrong.”
“You Should Probably Take Half as Many Tablets”
Despite the daily challenges and occasional conflicts involved in his work, the trained industrial management assistant has retained a strong sense of gratitude. “If someone had told me during my apprenticeship that I would one day be responsible for 25 employees as a department head, I would have said: You should probably take half as many tablets.”
In companies that grow and evolve, new tasks regularly arise for which there are no established experts. These situations provide employees with the opportunity to develop their own area of expertise through personal commitment and initiative. The essential prerequisite is that the desire for individual development is taken seriously and actively supported. On his journey from apprentice in 1997 to Head of Logistics in 2019, Sven Kröning consistently received the support he needed to take the next step. “Without these opportunities, I would be a completely different person today. I would never have developed in the same way.” In his current role, he not only wants to contribute to the company’s financial success. He also hopes to pass on to the next generation the same foundation that allowed both him and the company as a whole to develop.
Step by Step – My Journey at Reitz
I began my apprenticeship as an industrial management assistant at Reitz in 1997. This was followed by my civilian service. While I was still completing my civilian service, I applied for a vacant position in the logistics department. The day after my interview with Franz-Josef Pollmann, I started the job. It worked in my favour that I was never intimidated by customs law. Quite the opposite. As the logistics role increasingly shifted towards documentation, export law and related topics, I became Head of Logistics relatively early in my career. At the time, however, I could not imagine remaining in the same position for the next several decades. I found emerging topics such as quality management far too interesting. After spending some time as a Quality Management Officer, however, I realised that quality management was probably not where my true passion lay. I wanted to return to my specialist field, even though the position of Head of Logistics had since been filled. I therefore returned to my former department in a new capacity, specialising in data protection and export control and establishing my own area of expertise. In August 2016, I was given the opportunity to take over the vacant position of Head of Logistics once again. What I still enjoy most about my work is the fact that I can learn something new every single day.