Macro perspective
Raw materials are in demand like never before and are currently the focus of much discussion. They are crucial to our prosperity as an industrial nation.
As a high-tech country and a leading exporter, Germany is particularly reliant on the supply of special raw materials.The pandemic and its consequences for all industrial supply chains, from raw materials to finished end products, have brought the issue of raw materials into focus for companies and politicians. Weaknesses and dependencies resulting from the close global integration of companies became clear for all to see.
Furthermore, renewable energies and decarbonization are experiencing an unexpected boost due to climate change and the energy supply problems caused by the war in Ukraine. They are the central element of an energy policy that seeks to minimize dependency on raw fossil materials.
These are the very things ANZAPLAN has committed to. The global development of electromobility and the drive towards independence from fossil raw materials are creating a dramatic increase in the amount of raw materials (e.g. graphite, lithium, rare earths, vanadium) required for energy production, energy storage and efficient energy use. The resulting, rapidly increasing demand for raw materials is the fundamental driver for international raw material projects — our core business. ANZAPLAN is reacting to the rapidly growing demand for our services in the field of process development, the implementation of these services on a pilot scale and subsequent process engineering by constantly expanding its team of highly qualified employees at its locations in Hirschau, Amberg and Toronto. This is a trend that is expected to continue in the years to come.
Micro perspective
ANZAPLAN is reacting to all these global and societal changes by growing in size and by differentiating individual company areas. Alongside expanding laboratory and technical center capacities, training and developing our personnel is of key importance. As a training company, ANZAPLAN also has an outstanding position here.
The highly exciting, wide-ranging requirements of the individual sub-areas (engineering department and laboratory area) within ANZAPLAN are reflected in a broad, multidisciplinary team. Since the pandemic meant in-person contact had to be minimized as much as possible, meaning that our regular joint excursions and barbecue parties were canceled, this made it much more difficult to get to know each other. So we want to give you a more personal picture of some of our new employees below.
What all of our newcomers have in common is their enthusiasm for the variety of issues in our work. They never get bored! The employees feel very gratified by the company’s great commitment and willingness to learn, the passion and the feeling they are making a valuable contribution to society.
Not only are ANZAPLAN’s projects and analyses international and wide-ranging, many of our employees come from far and wide, such as Craig Nicolay, a business development team member since 2019 who has French and Scottish roots. Esteban Landivar, a process engineer who has been in our engineering team since 2021, enriches our team professionally and culturally — he comes from Santa Cruz in Bolivia.
Dr. Dirk Schuch, who comes from Altenburg in Thuringia and is a passionate runner, has been driving hydrometallurgical topics, especially in the lithium sector, since 2020. Despite a challenging start at ANZAPLAN during the pandemic — he was also separated from his family for six months as a commuter — he says that all kinds of colleagues, from trainees to long-standing employees, helped him quickly settle into his new working environment.
It is exactly this kind of open exchange and our good teamwork ethic that all of our employees value. These factors are a major part of the positive, constructive working atmosphere at ANZAPLAN. Challenges are overcome together, everyone gets involved and contributes to our success in solving complex problems in process development and analytics.
Last but not least, seasoned employees still treasure their place at the company. Florian Jenatschke, born in Hirschau and raised in Amberg, who plays volleyball and rides his motorbike in his free time, has now returned to his roots after spending many years working as a chemical laboratory assistant in Nuremberg.
Emilio Morawiec, an Amberg native, is also enthusiastic about the team spirit and, as a chemical laboratory assistant at ANZAPLAN, has found exactly what he wanted for his professional future; a demanding and varied working environment in a laboratory. In his free time, he does weight training and enjoys photography.
Michael Klopf, a chemical laboratory technician and passionate mushroom picker from Lower Franconia, thinks that, despite not always understanding it initially, the Upper Palatinate dialect has a certain appeal, and that’s saying something…😉
Both those from the Upper Palatinate and its “new arrivals” appreciate the wide range of leisure activities that are available in Amberg and the surrounding area.
These range from raising chickens and gardening to long walks in the forest, bike tours and mushroom picking, or a visit to one of the countless regional festivals, to name just a few. Colleagues who like sports also have plenty of opportunities for horseback riding, American football (Amberg Mad Bulldogs), archery (Monte Kaolino), sailing (Lake Steinberg), climbing on the Hirschau high ropes course or in the nearby Franconian Switzerland and much more.
In Amberg and the surrounding area, the conditions are ideal for creating the perfect balance of family, work and leisure time; the large variety of kindergartens, schools and clubs contributes to this.
And if you are longing for the big city, according to Mr. Nicolay, the cities of Munich or Nuremberg are just short trips away.
Our new colleagues unanimously confirm that working at ANZAPLAN and living in our region make for the perfect combination of work and leisure.
Dr. Sebastian Prinz
