At the beginning of the collaboration, all parties found themselves in new territory: “We learned that Fundació Tallers offers industry support as well. In a pilot project we then tested simple installation work for our products in the workshops of their facility”, reports Pedro Durán, Managing Director of the PFISTERER branch in Barcelona. “We quickly realised on both sides that the collaboration was working really well and therefore decided to take it to the next level – integration of a team of Fundació Tallers employees directly on site at our plant.”
The objective of the Tallers Foundation is to promote social and professional integration of mentally or physically handicapped people. Meaningful, productive work with own responsibilities is a key aspect of higher quality of life. In most cases, however, it is provided in a protected environment within their own work centres. The integration of a team directly at PFISTERER thus meant a big step into the real professional world for the participants. PFISTERER is one of few companies in Spain to offer this possibility.
“From the first moment, the reception felt warm and equal. Right from the start, the PFISTERER team gave us the feeling of being on an equal footing with all other employees. Through the work we see that we don’t have to be afraid or set limits. It really boosts our confidence and certainty and motivates us to continue to grow professionally and personally”, says Ricard Burgada, Fundació Tallers team leader at PFISTERER.
“We believe in a community where people evolve together through mutual support”, says Alex Carreño, Operations Manager. “The participants of the programme work very conscientiously and reliably. Our employees welcomed the new colleagues with open arms and it is an opportunity to learn from them as well.” Everyone benefits from it. The additional support relieves PFISTERER employees of tasks such as simple assembly, labelling or kitting. And participants in the programme feel fully integrated, take part in all activities and are proud to be a part of PFISTERER. Therefore, the collaboration is already planned to continue.