Schenck Process is a top employer for engineers

In 2009, Schenck Process was again one of the "TOP employers for engineers" in Germany. It's the second consecutive year that the international Darmstadt-based company has won the accolade awarded by the independent research institute, CRF.

A total of 34 companies qualified for the title this year – from family-run SMEs to global groups. The companies were examined according to seven criteria: development opportunities, innovation management, internationality, job security, corporate culture, pay and work-life balance. The experts assessed the internationality and innovation management at Schenck Process as particularly positive. And it is this innovation management that secures a company's future development, as Dr. Kai Engel from A.T. Kearney, a consultancy firm which took part in the study, emphasises: "Well thought-out innovation management is a key element of sustainable restructuring – more so than cost optimisation which is noticeable in the short-term."

Schenck Process is also a top employer in terms of internationality. As a world market leader in measuring and process technology, the company employs around 2200 members of staff around the world, more than 800 of whom are engineers. They have the opportunity to deploy their know-how at 27 sites around the globe.

CRF's evaluation doesn't just give companies a valuable insight into the quality of their work in Human Resources, it also gives applicants the opportunity to better evaluate potential employers. Because it's often the case that engineers are still spoilt for choice: above-average university graduates, applicants with high potential and specialist workers and managers who are willing to change are in high demand, even in economically difficult times.

CRF has been identifying the most attractive employers in Germany since 2003 and recognises them for outstanding working and career conditions. The focal point of the study is the environment companies offer their employees and the possible career paths. The 2009 study was carried out in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Susanne Ihsen from the Department of Gender Studies in Science and Engineering at the Technische Universität München (Technical University of Munich) and the consultancy firm A.T. Kearney. The study is partly based on the companies' responses to an extensive questionnaire on human resource management. Independent business journalists also interview employees and HR managers directly on site to complete the picture.

Detailed results of the study and extensive company portraits can be found in "Top-Arbeitgeber für Ingenieure" ("Top employers for engineers") published by W. Bertelsmann Verlag.