Interview with Dr. Jürgen Reinert, CEO at SMA

REINERT As is the case in most industries, the solar industry is dealing with a significantly wider array of issues than before. The energy transition poses major challenges for our industry and society as a whole: How do we want to go about producing clean electricity? How can we use it efficiently and sustainably? And how can we ensure that different sectors are effectively networked? Offering purely technical answers to these questions is no longer an option. To put it bluntly: Whereas a few years ago it was enough to recruit talented engineers, today we need a large number of skilled workers from a wide range of fields: software, marketing, sustainability, etc. 

REINERT At SMA, we’ve been transitioning for several years from being a company that manufactures products for electricity generation to a system and solutions provider. This means that we no longer just offer inverters for solar power systems but also energy management applications, charging solutions and much more besides. Of course, this complexity is also having an impact on our employees – both on those we already have, whose daily work routine is changing and developing dynamically, and on those we want to attract and who are now expected to bring a wide range of competencies with them. 

As a company with a clear purpose, I’ve no doubt we have an advantage here in the battle for the best of the best. But we also face tough competition from other companies –  especially in countries like the USA or Australia, where we don’t yet have such a high market profile. 

REINERT We’re sure of one thing: Our most important resource is the creativity and innovative strength of our employees. That’s why HR issues are at the top of the agenda for the company and also for me personally. One dimension that plays an essential role for us is the internationalization question. We’re present in 20 countries and sell our solutions and products worldwide. We want and need to reflect the international character of our business in every aspect of our HR work too. This poses strategic questions, but also some very specific ones: Benefits that suit our employees in Germany aren’t necessarily the right thing for our Australian colleagues. 

REINERT Flexible working models have become an integral part of our working world. We’ve adjusted to this and are working on making good offers to our employees in this respect. The requirements aren’t the same everywhere, of course: Young parents need different models and opportunities than career starters or older employees. That’s why it’s important for us to appeal to all target groups with what we offer as an employer. We need to integrate this diversity, which goes much further in an international company and which we have and want to encourage in our workforce at SMA, into our working environment as best we can, because this is the only way to counter the shortage of skilled workers and create an attractive working environment for all employees. 

Diversity is also an issue when it comes to compensation: It has to be attractive – and, for the younger generation in particular, it’s not just about the salary, but also about having time for family, hobbies, and friends, for example.  

REINERT We’re seeing that the younger generation in particular increasingly wants their work to be meaningful; for example, they want to be involved in resolving major issues. This is nothing new for us at SMA; our employees have always been driven by the vision of creating a clean and sustainable energy supply. So, there’s no conflict between the generations in our company on this issue. But, of course, our young colleagues are coming to us with ideas and perceptions, for example in digitalization or new work, which are new to the “old hands” among us. We have lots to learn from each other here. 

With regard to working conditions, our goal is to create the best possible working conditions for all our employees at all our sites worldwide. For example, we attach great importance to ergonomic workplaces not only in the office, but also – especially – in production. Of course, there are differences, and there are things we simply can’t offer in our operational areas, such as mobile working, for instance. But here we’re trying to adapt what we offer to meet people’s needs; for example, our portfolio includes health-related offers that are adapted to the needs of our front-line workers. However, many of our offers are attractive to all our employees, such as our company pension plan, subsidies for discount travel here in Germany, or special leave. 

REINERT The knowledge and creativity of our colleagues are the greatest driving force we have, which is why we’re very keen to network knowledge as effectively as possible within the company and to ensure that our employees can carry on receiving training. We use both our own trainings, some of which are also on offer in our “Solar Academy”, and external training courses. And another important tool is networking among our employees and with other companies, which we’re actively supporting with offers such as “Working Out Loud”. It’s important to us to have a culture in which everyone can and should get involved in our creative pursuit of solutions. I think that’s also part of what makes SMA special. 

Another outstanding quality of SMA is our inventive spirit: Once again, we’ve just recently awarded more than 70 “inventor cubes” at our summer party. These are given to employees whose work has led to patents being filed. These are of course immensely important in our field, and we’re really proud of the fact that patent development is part of our DNA and key to our future viability. 

REINERT As a company, we need to be just as innovative, adaptable and flexible in the future as we want our employees to be. After all, it’s only those employers who can react quickly to requirements and changes who will be able to stay competitive in a volatile environment. This kind of adaptability is only possible if everyone pulls together. And that’s where we come full circle – because at SMA, we have a long tradition of cooperation and innovative strength. That’s why we believe we’re well positioned to meet the challenges of the future.