From Detroit to Augsburg

Even though the digital world offers us many opportunities for global exchange, personal contact is incredibly valuable. This is why KUKA offers its employees the opportunity to leave home for a few months and get to know other locations as part of various projects.

One person who has seized this opportunity is Pjeter Lulgjurai, Sales & Marketing Operations Manager from North America. Read the interview to find out why he wanted to work with the Corporate Communications department at KUKA's headquarters in Augsburg, what experiences he had in global cooperation and why he enjoys traveling by train despite delays.

Why did you apply for the Global Exchange Program? 

I have been with KUKA since 2013 as a working student learning along the way to “be comfortable, being uncomfortable” and continue to challenge yourself both personally and professionally. When I saw the opportunity to work abroad within a global team, I embraced the challenge. Stepping into a different country isn’t common for many North America employees, and I am hoping to change that narrative for others in our region. 

What do you think are the advantages for you personally, but also for your team in the US and for KUKA in general?

Communication is key, you can have every sales tool imaginable, however you must clearly communicate initiatives, topics, goals, etc. I embrace change, we should always continue to evolve both in our personal and professional worlds. I am hoping my alignment and relationship with Corporate Communications continues to grow and show colleagues across NAM region the importance of clear and consistent communication globally.

How is the program structured? What is the objective?

My current program plan is 3 ½ months long, and the objective was to find ways in closing the communication gap between Robotics North America and Headquarters.  One main project that I was able to support was our migration from our local intranet to the global KUKA intranet. This makes it much easier for us to access all globally available information and share more of our information at the same time.

(Why) would you recommend the program to others?

Since working closely with departments in the past such as Global Sales Operations (GSO), I have seen an enormous amount of success in ensuring local objectives and requirements are considered globally.  It also really helps putting a name to a face, we spend so much time emailing and through MS teams it has been great to have lunch, dinner, etc. with colleagues globally. You expand your network and meet some great people along the way. When I had the opportunity to work with corporate communications, I had to jump on it!

Do you have contact with other participants in the program?

Yes, we have had touchpoints with each other throughout the program. To be honest, it was great to see how large KUKA has expanded globally and the projects/initiatives that departments across the globe are working on.

The global mobility team was also great, they helped me out tremendously with securing an apartment, working VISA, and even tip & tricks around the city. 

What experiences have you had apart from work?

This question is my favorite. I have learned many new things while living in Augsburg, e.g.:

• Finish your food or here comes the bad weather. It has rained majority of all summer here in Germany!
• A Helles beer is not the preferred beverage in all of Germany, I learned this the hard way while spending some time in Cologne and everyone started laughing at me. 
• Embrace public transportation! Yes, most trains are typically late however getting to places without worrying about parking is phenomenal. I never really imagined me jumping from train to train before, however it has been a great experience. 

The Global Exchange Program in three words:

Break New Ground... Continue to challenge yourself, question what we consider the “norm” and always learn as you go.