In the 1980s, BMW employed many Irish emigrants on their production line. Now, they're calling again, but this time the stakes are higher, writes DEREK SCALLY
GERMANY’S CAR industry has always been a barometer of the wider German economy and, judging from recent reports, both are in rude health.
In the first quarter of 2012 Audi sold a record 346,100 cars. BMW had a record first quarter too, selling a total of 400,000 cars under its BMW, Mini and Rolls Royce brands. The good news is repeated across the industry. For German industry analysts, the results confirm that BMW, Audi and Daimler are benefitting from the globalisation of the car market and their strategies of recent years to reduce dependency on individual markets.
“When you look closer at the market you see that the companies doing well are the ones who are strong in North America and China,” says Guido Reinking, editor-in-chief of Automobilwoche. With lacklustre European sales companies that aren’t strong in China have problems. If you took away Volkswagen’s US or China market, they’d not be doing too well either.”
Parallel to sales figures are encouraging jobs figures: Audi has announced that it is hiring 2,000 new workers this year, 800 more than originally planned. In addition, it is giving permanent contracts to 700 temporary workers. The new jobs will be spread across Audi’s German operations as well as plants in Belgium and Hungary, and also a new Mexico plant to produce the Q5 SUV.
BMW took on 4,000 people last year and are poised to repeat that feat this year. The Bavarian giant is anxious to hire non-German workers for two reasons: to internationalise their increasingly globalised company, but also to address a skills shortage at home.
For every four engineers retiring, German universities are producing only three to replace them – a dangerous situation given that companies now need to develop petrol, hybrid and electric products in parallel.
“We are looking for production staff, particularly for our electric car plant in Leipzig, as well as specialists for lightweight construction and software developers,” said BMW corporate spokesman Jochen Frey.
For Irish workers at BMW, times have changed too; where emigrants in the 1980s worked the production line, the new Irish are involved in high-tech product development. Clontarf native Rónán Ó Braonáin, a computer science graduate from DCU, was the first person BMW hired for its new software development division.
BMW is moving away from commissioning suppliers, such as Bosch or Continental, to supply fundamental parts like the in-car computer system. They are creating more software functions in-house. Ó Braonáin got in on the ground floor after learning some German during an Erasmus year in Linz and picked up some experience at a summer internship with Siemens in Munich. After nearly four years with BMW, he is impressed by the way the company works.
“BMW takes the time to make sure things are done right the first time, rather than taking short-cuts and having problems appear later on,” says Ó Braonáin. Though he now works in California, three doors down from Google’s headquarters, he says Irish graduates should consider the opportunities in Germany before jetting off to Australia and New Zealand.
“German companies are constantly looking for new people,” he says. “Having the language is not a huge prerequisite – people speak excellent English, but you have to be open to learning German.”
Donegal native Pauric McCabe studied mechanical manufacturing engineering at Queen’s in Belfast and started work in Rover in 1999, working on the Mini relaunch. Though he couldn’t speak German, he was one of just 300 employees hired directly by BMW after it shut down Rover.
He moved to Bavaria nine years ago, learnt some German along the way and today heads planning of the company’s brake disc production.
“The way the company is expanding, being a native English-speaker in BMW at the moment opens up so many opportunities. But you have to be ready to learn German, too – it makes life easier and helps you understand the business culture,” says McCabe, who enjoys his new Bavarian life. He manages the local youth football team, and owns two pairs of Lederhosen.
“The Bavarians are very like the Irish,” he said. “If you make an effort to integrate they really welcome you. BMW looks after you, too: you get responsibility and, if you do good work, you’ll be rewarded.”
The auto industry has changed a lot since the last Irish emigration wave in the 1980s, but one important question remains: when you work for BMW can you still drink beer in the lunch break?
“That culture has changed,” says McCabe solemnly. “There is beer in the canteen but most go for non-alcoholic if they drink beer at all.”
