Lenia – the order picking queen
Lenia is in the second year of her apprenticeship as a logistics specialist at Emmi’s Kirchberg site. She’s responsible for ensuring that everything runs smoothly – from goods receipt to inventory management to on-time delivery. Her apprenticeship offers her the perfect opportunity to get to know the world of logistics in all its facets. She makes sure that all Emmi products are in the right place at the right time. Learn more about her in the interview...
What does a normal working day at Emmi look like for you?
During my three-year apprenticeship, I change departments every two months. At the moment, I work in order picking. Here, I take products from the warehouse and prepare them for shipping or production. I make sure that all items are provided, packaged and labelled in the right quantity and quality. This means that different products are collected on a pallet for a specific location, instead of just one pallet with the same products.
My working day starts at around 7:20 am. First, I look at what I have to do that day. I then start order picking, where I assemble products according to the orders and pack them on pallets. I get to drive a stacker, which is pretty great. Right at the beginning of my apprenticeship, I learnt how to drive them safely and correctly and had to pass a test.
How long it takes to complete all orders varies every day. On some days, we have a lot of orders to process and on others less. As soon as I’ve completed all the orders, I tidy up my workstation and wipe it clean so that I leave everything in an orderly manner.
Since the rooms we work in are quite cool at around 5 degrees, we’re allowed to take a warm-up break of 20 minutes each morning and afternoon. This is a helpful way to warm up briefly. If there’s time left after completing the orders, I use the opportunity to study for school. I finish work by 4:30 pm at the latest.
What made you want to join Emmi?
I was particularly impressed by the friendly team during my trial apprenticeship. The staff are really funny and open, which immediately made me feel comfortable. But the products also played a big role. I’ve always been a fan of Emmi products, and I found it exciting to get a look behind the scenes of such a large company.
What motivates you in your work?
The encouraging conversations with my colleagues in the morning keep me awake and motivate me to do my best. It’s a great feeling to work with such a wonderful team that supports each other so much. What’s more, I can’t go without the various Emmi products in the morning – they give me the perfect energy boost.
Who is your first point of contact if you have any problems or challenges?
Who can support me depends on how big the problem is. If there are minor equipment issues, I can ask any member of my team and get help quickly. If anyone notices that I’ve done something wrong, they tell me right away, in a friendly manner. Together, we go through the process again, which helps me a lot. For more difficult challenges, I would go to my vocational trainer. Fortunately, that doesn’t happen very often. At school, of course, I always have the opportunity to contact my teacher if I need support.
What has been your best experience?
My best Emmi moment was the ‘Welcome to Emmi’ day at the start of my apprenticeship. This special day is for all new apprentices to get to know each other and get a first impression of Emmi. The day always takes place at the Emmi production site in Suhr. It was a lot of fun getting to know the other apprentices from all the other professions and sites and chatting to them.
I found it particularly fascinating to see the differences between the Suhr and Kirchberg sites. Suhr is much larger and has its own dairy, which we don’t have in Kirchberg. This insight showed me how diverse and interconnected the areas of work at Emmi are. The day not only enriched the start of my apprenticeship at Emmi, but also gave me the feeling of being part of a big company. It was an excellent opportunity to learn more about Emmi and to see how the different areas and departments are interlinked.
What is your favourite Emmi product?
Sometimes you just need something to make the day a little sweeter – for me, it’s Emmi Caffè Latte Vanilla.
What goals have you set yourself?
My first and most important goal is to successfully complete my apprenticeship. I’m confident that I can do this, as I always try to be proactive. Right from the start, I made it my mission to always be involved and to listen attentively whenever something was explained to me, whether at school or in inter-company courses. To make sure I don’t miss anything and that I understand the content well, I write everything down. I don’t have any big, long-term goals at the moment. Instead, I’m focussing on successfully mastering the current challenges.
“I was particularly impressed by the friendly team during my trial apprenticeship.“
Our author Sophie
My name is Sophie Jung and I stared my three-year commercial apprenticeship at Emmi in 2023.
From August 2024 to January 2025, I had the great pleasure of working in Corporate Communications. During that time, I was involved in an exciting project: the creation of various apprentice portraits. This was a great opportunity to plan and realise a product independently. If I had any questions, my practice photographer and my team were always there to support me.
Now the moment has come for me to share the portrait of Lenia. I am incredibly proud of the result and am delighted to be able to present the stories and faces of our learners.
