As part of our series profiling Otto Hofstetter AG employees, the people who contribute every day to supporting the world-renowned quality of our products and services, this time we offer you a portrait of a member of the engineering department.
After 17 years at Otto Hofstetter AG, Manuela Böni decided she wanted a change. She took a look at other professional options and returned to us two years ago. She works in our traditional field of expertise as a design engineer. At the beginning of her career, she completed a four-year training programme as a mechanical draughtswoman, and she has continued to develop her skills and know-how over the years. Since she lives some distance from Uznach, she has been working from home during the pandemic. She lives in a tranquil region of Switzerland, in the foothills of some impressive mountains, where excellent vineyards can be found. In this showplace of nature, and with yoga as part of her routine, our interviewee provides fresh energy.
Manuela Böni, what exactly is your job at OHAG?
My area of responsibility includes the creation and development of technical drawings for preforms and PET moulds. Thanks to my 19 years of experience, the trickier preform drawings usually end up on my desk. This work is not only technically demanding, it’s really about finding the best solutions and working with the technical sales people to meet the customer’s specific needs while at the same time ensuring the durability of the equipment and the quality of the end products. This is often a challenge, but as a team we have always found a solution.
A design engineer working from home is rather unusual.How does this arrangement work for you?
For me, this is the perfect arrangement. In Uznach, about 20 people work in the engineering office in one big room. It’s natural that, at any given time, something is being discussed somewhere in the room, or a customer calls, or one of us has to vent a bit of emotion if something doesn’t go as planned (or indeed if it does!). At home, I am not distracted by anything and I can focus on my tasks 100 percent. If someone has to talk to me, I am reachable via team chat and phone all the time. So, I’m present but absent, and for me that’s ideal. What I sometimes miss is the proximity to the workshop, as well as the casual contact with my colleagues. From time to time, there are technical questions that I’d like to discuss, which we do, of course, online, but it’s not quite the same. That’s why I work one or more days a week in Uznach.
What is OHAG for you?
After completing my apprenticeship, I began my career at Otto Hofstetter AG. Until the two-year detour to check out other companies, I spent my whole professional life here. I like the work, so I wanted to come back. At Otto Hofstetter AG, it’s not all peace, joy and harmony, but it doesn’t have to be like that for me, either. I stand by my opinions and openly say what I think. That’s possible to do here and it’s appreciated by everyone – OK, with maybe a few exceptions. But that also works for me.
What do you look forward to most when you go to work?
Basically, the work itself. Back when I was in school, when we girls were asked to choose between home economics and geometry, the technical side of things interested me more. And, when the time came to choose a career, it was clear for me from the beginning that I wanted to do something technical. This interest remains, though my technical interests run in many directions, not just preforms or packaging.
What do you do outside of OHAG?
No much technical stuff, except when there is something to repair at home. Otherwise, I like walking in nature. The area where I live is ideal. Mountains, vineyards and a lovely landscape provide plenty of choices for walks. In addition, I like to discuss all kinds of things with people. I’m interested in the opinions of others. I do work intensely, I guess, so to relax, I like to read. Here, too, I have wide interests, except for politics and history. When my 10-year-old godchild recently recommended a book to me from the children’s detective series “The Three!!!”, I said I’ll read it. It’s is a welcome distraction for me.
You have led us to a small hill at the edge of the forest. Below us is the village of Uznach and in the distance the mountains. Why is this your favourite place?
There are many wonderful places around Uznach. This one is near where I grew up. As children, we spent a lot of time up here. We played in the forest with stones, nuts and berries and then ate them. We knew exactly where there were berries. In addition, this place was within walking distance of home. So, if someone’s mother called out, we could hear it. Later, as a teenager, we girls came here to share our worries and joys.
The view is wonderful. You can see the whole area. To what extent are views and maintaining an overview important to you?
The view from this spot touches me deeply every time I see it. I love to look out over the wide, flat Linth Plain to Lake Zurich. Having an overview is very important to me. On the other hand, I don’t like surprises. I like to know what’s coming my way and where I stand, whether the situation is positive or negative. That gives me security. In general, I like to be on the safe side, so I check things that might not seem necessary. That’s just how I am. Trust is not always easy for me, but I realise you cannot always question everything.
Do you know the names of the mountains we see beyond the Linth Plain?
Should I list them? Seriously, I know them all. And not only that. I’ve hiked up almost every one of them. With our parents, we often used to drive to the mountains for hikes. There was a phase when I didn’t necessarily share my parents’ enthusiasm for hiking. But, as I got older, I understood it better. Today I often hike for three or four hours at a time and enjoy every moment.
You grew up in Uznach. What does it mean for you to have roots?
For me, having roots means knowing who you are. It also means having something familiar and without surprises. In terms of Uznach, that’s true for me. I was born and raised here. I feel at home here. But that doesn’t mean I want to live here. In fact it’s the opposite. Uznach has changed a lot and there are other, more pleasant places to live, in my opinion. My parents and my work are here, so I always get my fill of Uznach, and that does me good.
How much are you rooted at OHAG?
When you’ve been here as long as I have, you know how the shop runs. You know who you can fully trust and who is best treated with a bit of caution. That was also a major reason why I wanted to return to Otto Hofstetter AG. I knew what to expect and I knew most of my colleagues – people I like and with whom I can work very well together. It was important to me not to just jump into the unknown. Here, I know what’s expected of me. I had proven to myself that my skills were also appreciated at other companies. And that strengthened my self-confidence.
What does it take to be comfortable as a woman in a technical profession?
I really got on to the technical track early. In vocational school, I was the only girl. If the boys got into some mischief, at first the teachers hoped I would tell on them. If I had betrayed the troublemakers, they would no longer have accepted me. As an apprentice, a supervisor once gave me a lower grade than the boys for comparable performance. But that’s ancient history now. Today my competence is recognised by men. Only very rarely does someone seek a second opinion from a man after I’ve expressed my views. But I don’t get annoyed by that. My energy is too valuable to worry about such things.
How could OHAG improve?
That’s a tough question. Sometimes I guess I would like to see somewhat better communication. What’s more, I would be grateful to get feedback on performance when it is flawless. It’s not about getting a pat on the back after every job. But from time to time you do like to hear: “That was good work.” Yes, that would be nice.
