Insight into project management: Toni Fahrni in conversation

Jonas von Arb has been Head of Business Services at Akustik & Raum since 1 May 2023. As part of the two-person administration team, he sees a lot of potential for reorganisation when the new building opens next year. ‘I'm looking forward to being part of something big,’ he says in the interview. Jonas von Arb, as Head of Business Services, you work at the interface between different departments at Akustik & Raum. How do you perceive the collaboration? Jonas von Arb: There is a good mutual understanding of each other's tasks, which makes for respectful and pleasant interaction. This in turn leads to good co-operation across all departments. Since April of this year, there have been two of us in Administration: Corinne Wiederkehr has been working for us as Head of Finance and Administration. When are you satisfied after a working day? I see the administration department as an internal and external service provider. I am therefore satisfied when the other person is satisfied. What are the biggest challenges in your day-to-day work? We are a small administration team with very short decision-making paths and can therefore act quickly, flexibly and in a customer-orientated manner. Nevertheless, we expect to optimise our processes with the move to the new building in Vordemwald and the associated introduction of a new ERP system. I see a lot of potential in the digitalisation of Akustik & Raum - so the coming months will certainly be an instructive and interesting time for us all. You mentioned the new building. What are you most looking forward to in this project? A new building always means redesigning different things. Being part of this unique story and being able to play an active role is very motivating. I'm delighted to be part of something big. Thank you for giving us an insight into your day-to-day work at Akustik & Raum! Stay up to date and follow us on social media Are you interested in further insights into everyday life at Akustik und Raum or don't want to miss any news about our new building? Then follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Be part of the upcoming milestones of Akustik & Raum!

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Akustik & Raum AG is expected to move into the modern new building in Vordemwald in autumn 2025. The company has high hopes for the improved conditions and the larger production area and is optimistic about the future. Since last autumn, the new Akustik & Raum AG building has been under construction in Vordemwald, just a few kilometres from the current site in Olten. The forward-looking new building became necessary because the production capacity in the Olten industrial estate had been reached. At the new site, the company has 5000 m2 of production space and an extended office wing at its disposal. As Managing Director Markus Bürgi confirms, the company is delighted with the progress made since the ground-breaking ceremony last autumn: ‘The construction work is on track and we are confident that production can start in the new hall in autumn 2025 as planned.’ The sustainable supporting structure is built in June Currently, 20 to 30 construction workers are making visible progress on the large construction site every day. Assembly of the supporting structure, which is one of the special features of the new building and is made entirely from sustainable timber, will begin in June. The contracts for operating equipment and machinery have also already been awarded. ‘The energy of our future location can already be felt in the empty hall and the employees are also really looking forward to the new building,’ says Markus Bürgi, summarising the current mood at Akustik & Raum AG. The good co-operation with Renggli AG also contributes to this. The company specialises in energy-efficient timber construction and was already involved in the planning of the new building. A new era in the company's history begins in autumn 2025 Ruedi Emmenegger, project manager for the new building and production manager at Akustik & Raum AG, is optimistic about the next milestones: ‘The hall will be ready for the assembly of our systems in March, followed by the finishing touches until the start of production in autumn. It's an exciting time for everyone involved and the anticipation of the move is growing with each passing day.’ Markus Bürgi also confirms this: ‘The new building will allow us to significantly improve our general conditions - also with regard to large orders from Switzerland and Europe.’ In combination with the energy measures that will be implemented with the new building - including a 3500 m2 photovoltaic system on the roof - Akustik & Raum AG will be entering a new era next autumn. Follow the construction progress live Thanks to the construction site webcam of our project partner Renggli AG, you can follow the construction progress of our new building live at any time. Here you can follow what is happening on the construction site.

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Rico Meier has been working at Akustik & Raum AG for five years and is currently Deputy Head of CNC. In this interview, he talks about challenges in production, teamwork and reveals how he recovers after a successful working day. Rico Meier, what are the biggest challenges in your day-to-day work as Deputy Head of CNC Production at Akustik & Raum? Rico Meier: My area of responsibility in production is wide-ranging and different projects often come together. In this respect, the biggest challenge is keeping track of all the processes and details. To what extent does liaising with other departments in Production play a role in this? For smaller projects, we don't really need to liaise with other departments on a day-to-day basis - everyone knows what they have to do. For more complex orders, however, it is normal for us to put our heads together across departments. This ensures that everyone involved knows all the special features of the job and the work steps of the other departments can be made easier in many cases. What do you enjoy most about your work? There are various aspects that I like. However, I am particularly pleased when complex NC programmes are created from simple CAD lines and figures. The NC programmes in turn form the basis to produce our acoustic elements. What makes production at Akustik & Raum AG special? We are currently a team of 18 people and nobody is afraid to scrutinise even tried-and-tested processes in terms of efficiency. This helps us move forward together as a team. A team that is set to grow further, by the way: We are currently on the lookout for more qualified employees. You have been working at Akustik & Raum for five years. Is there a project that stands out in your memory from this time? More than a specific project, I would mention our Linea Massiv acoustics application - I was heavily involved in its development. When are you satisfied with a working day and how do you switch off? (laughs) I'm satisfied when there's a big pile of finished parts in front of the machine. After work, I like to socialise with my friends, and I also do a lot of sport, am active in the fire brigade and enjoy playing computer games. Thank you for giving us an insight into your day-to-day work at Akustik & Raum!   Stay up to date and follow us on social media Are you interested in further insights into everyday life at Akustik und Raum or don't want to miss any news about our new building? Then follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Be part of the upcoming milestones of Akustik & Raum!

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