Where does your mind go when it wanders – not really by train, but by thoughts?

Our mind travels to Kassel, a city in central Germany.

What makes it so special, will you ask?

Kassel is home to our oldest factory under the Bombardier umbrella, and besides being the oldest factory, it has an interesting (hi)story behind.

Besides locomotives, the factory manufactured Panzers for the second world war, buses, trucks, gearboxes. It suffered many changes and it’s been called many names until Bombardier acquired it around 2001.

2002 was the year of the delivery of our first TRAXX cross-border locomotive and to date, 34,500 steam, diesel and electric locomotives have been manufactured to our site in Kassel.

With the new generation of locomotives, Bombardier offers the rail industry’s most modern and comprehensive range of electric four-axle locomotives. Its three models - TRAXX AC3, TRAXX MS3 and TRAXX DC3 - cover Europe’s mainline applications under all four catenaries and offer optional Last Mile functionality, a support diesel engine which bridges non-electrified sections. The new locomotives are based on Bombardier’s highly successful TRAXX platform, with 18 years of experience and more than 2,000 vehicles currently in operation in Europe.

Behind the curtains

We asked our colleague Catalin Ciornei to share something from his experience of working with our colleagues in Kassel as a buyer, managing a portfolio of 50 suppliers. This is what he told us:

My entire experience being part of the Kassel team was great, full of challenges and opportunities. I am happy that in 2016, as a new member of the Kassel team, I had the opportunity to meet in person all my colleagues in Kassel, because this helped a lot in building a good working relationship with them based on open communication and mutual respect. They helped me a lot in developing my skills as a buyer and were always supportive when I have met difficulties. For that I will always be grateful to them. Now, as I have gained more experience, I try to support them in return whenever I can and repay them for their past effort.

How do you work with people from Kassel considering the cultural differences?

I had no difficulty working with them despite of the cultural differences, because I finished my studies at an university in Germany and I have already got used to their culture. I tend to believe that they have also adapted themselves to our culture and that the relationship between us and them couldn’t be any better. There is mutual respect and we support each other whenever necessary. 

What do you enjoy most from your daily tasks?

I enjoy that every day comes with new challenges, which provide me with a lot of opportunities to keep growing and developing my skills. Being an end-to-end process, there is no ending to the new challenges that arise, no matter how many years of experience you have. I am also grateful for my colleagues. We make a really great team, it is a pleasure to work with them and this also matters a lot for me.

Did we spark your interest? Wanna be part of the coolest team in the Global Procurement Center, Cluj-Napoca? Then do not hesitate to apply: