Delhi employees warmly welcome intern into their Hydro plant and homes

Twenty-one-year-old Moritz Spintig is participating in a German Apprenticeship as an Industrial Clerk. This program, also known as 'dual studies,' involves 70% on-the-job training and 30% university instruction. Moritz works at Hydro’s plant in Uphusen, Germany.

Moritz recently added an additional apprenticeship as an International Clerk, requiring at least three weeks of work in another country. Working for Hydro was perfect for this scenario. Moritz contacted his manager and HR manager, who jumped into action. Eventually, HR Director Fred W Eubanks gladly accepted the opportunity to host Moritz as a summer intern at our Delhi plant. Isabeau Dusch, Ralf Liedtke, and Sacha Brandt were instrumental in helping Moritz navigate the application process.

On July 1, Moritz started his internship with Hydro Delhi’s REDD Team, a product brand of ENA that manufactures aluminum access products, such as ramps and stair solutions. During his seven-week work assignment, Moritz was exposed to a little bit of everything at Delhi and the REDD Team. He immersed himself on the shop floor, with Shane Shah, Gary Lively, and Mike Henderson as his mentors. Kristi Wright, Tim Burroughs, and Tammie Stutts showed him the full customer service and engineering arena. Josh Klober and Vernon Jackson gave him the outside sales experience. He even accompanied Josh Klober on a customer installation in Austin, Texas. His most significant project was making valuable improvements to production planning spreadsheets.

Coming from Bremen, the 11th largest city in Germany, to Delhi, Louisiana, population 2,600, was quite a culture shock for Moritz. This summer, he traded in metropolitan living for a slower pace of life. While living with the Eubanks family, Moritz attended a large Southern family reunion and learned to work on a farm. REDD Team sales manager Josh Klober and his family also hosted Moritz, where he was treated to kayaking in a bayou and caught his first fish ever! He also visited Mrs. Klober’s middle school classroom and reconnected with nature in his rural surroundings. In turn, Moritz was able to teach his colleagues and their families about his home and culture.

On weekends, Moritz enjoyed the culture of neighboring cities like Jackson, Mississippi, and Magnolia, Arkansas. He also celebrated America’s birthday for the first time and rang in his 21st birthday in New Orleans!

"I am very grateful to Norsk Hydro for the opportunity to have gained valuable and inspiring experience over the summer. Without the support of the Norsk Hydro and everyone involved, this would not have been possible. I am looking forward to sharing my newly gained knowledge and impressions with my colleagues in Germany. I am convinced that this exchange can help to network younger colleagues and allow them to learn from each other," said Moritz Spintig.

He hopes he can be a role model for more personnel exchanges, especially for young adults just entering the workforce.

Thank you to the entire Delhi team for showing Moritz the truest form of Southern hospitality!