Employees of the HF MIXING GROUP are our foundation and our brand ambassadors. As part of the integration process we will interview two employees per year, who are working in the different Group business units. Thereby we want to get to know each other in a better way. No matter which unit, culture or country – we have one thing in common: the passion to fascinate customers worldwide for the HF MIXING GROUP’s products and services.
Mixing Together: Describe yourself in a few sentences: where are you from, what are your characteristics, family situation, etc.?
Kurien Thomas: Youngest of three children, I was born and brought up in India and did all my undergraduate studies in India until I moved to Manchester in the UK to do my higher studies. In a family full of medical professionals, I was born a mechanical engineer. I currently reside in the US, in a town called New Haven, home of Yale University.
‘Passion drives success. People like to be associated with a successful company.’
Mixing Together: Where do you work, in which field, and why did you choose this job?
Kurien Thomas: I am the Engineering Manager at the Farrel Corporation in the USA. My background is in mechanical engineering and I spent most of my years at Farrel as a development engineer. I was always fascinated with machines and how they work and if you have a love for mechanical engineering there is no better place to work than Farrel!
Mixing Together:What exactly is your job in the company you work for; do you prefer any tasks in particular?
Kurien Thomas: As the engineering manager, I oversee the engineering functions, both mechanical and electrical, for the Continuous Mixer business unit. I was a development engineer prior to taking up this position and I am still involved with the design and development of continuous mixers, a job that I thoroughly enjoy.
Mixing Together: How do you personally see the merging of the different companies – do you like the idea of it or not?
Kurien Thomas: The merging of the companies and the subsequent separation of the business units allow each location to focus on their core competencies. It gives the business units considerable freedom to design, develop and market their machines in a way that is best suited to meet the needs of their specific customers. The business units, while separated by their machine focus, operate under the umbrella of the HF Mixing Group, allowing free sharing of information, ideas and talent pool that give the companies a competitive advantage unlike any other.
Mixing Together: What does ‘Passion’ mean to you? What do you think could be improved within the HF MIXING GROUP to make everyone feel like a ‘passionate team player’?
Kurien Thomas: Passion to me is putting in the best I can in everything I do. Passion drives success. People like to be associated with a successful company. It makes them proud of what they do at work and how their work matters to the people around them. Impassioned employees are a company’s asset and they drive business success. A company that shares its success with its people creates a sense of belonging. Effective communication, encouragement, team building events like group sports and activities and appropriate compensation for their efforts are all ways to create a passionate workforce.
Mixing Together: Describe yourself in a few sentences: Where are you from, what are your characteristics, family situation, etc.?
Camilla Campanini: My name is Camilla Campanini and I’m 43 years old! I’m married and I have got two children, Alberto, 8 and Sofia, 2. I grew up in the countryside, but ten years ago I moved to Legnano, a small town about 30 km from Milan. I like living here; I have all the advantages of the city avoiding its defects like: traffic, smog, crime. During winter we like to follow women’s volleyball championship and we don’t miss a match of our beloved team. But as soon as the temperature warms up we ‘run away’ to the seaside because we adore it. When, at the end of the day, I still have some time, I like to read adventure books and biographies.
Mixing Together: Where do you work, in which field, and why did you choose this job?
Camilla Campanini: I've worked at Pomini since 2005; I started in the Automation department and in 2006 I moved to Sales Management department as an assistant. Before arriving at Pomini I worked in Milan at a company of the Honeywell International Group and I was involved in the sale of fire detection systems. I liked my job, but after the birth of Alberto I wanted to work closer to home so I accepted the Pomini offer. I can say that I made the right choice!
Mixing Together: What exactly is your job in the company you work for; do you prefer any tasks in particular?
Camilla Campanini: At Pomini I work with all other functions since I’m involved in a lot of activities that affect all employees such as training and organising health checks. In many cases, I’m the contact person for requests or suggestions. Periodically I have to contact various Italian associations such as Assocomaplast for the preparation of statistics related to Italian machinery sales in our field both in Italy and worldwide. I have to say that ‘Made in Italy’ products always look to be outstanding! On top of that I support sales managers and the managing director with the management of contracts and travel arrangements; furthermore I’m responsible for arranging customer visits to Pomini for kick-off meetings, inspections or presentations.
‘I was very proud of our last HF MIXING GROUP summer party because every-one had fun. We worked very hard arranging this event and knowing that our colleagues enjoyed it, made me happy!’
The favourite part of my job is organising trips, visits or events. I like to be the reference, in Italy, for exhibitions like Plast. I was very proud of our last HF MIXING GROUP summer party because everyone had fun. We worked very hard arranging this event and knowing that our colleagues enjoyed it, made me happy!
Mixing Together: How do you personally see the merging of the different companies – do you like the idea of it or not?
Camilla Campanini: I’m convinced that, since we live in a globalised, multicultural world, being part of a Group that includes companies from different countries has to be part of our life! I have to admit that at first I had some doubts because Italian culture is so different from the German or the English ones. But, after an initial period of ‘mutual study’, I’m sure that we definitely found a way to interact with each other in the best way. To strengthen such a feeling, I think it‘s important to have common moments to meet and know each other outside the workplace.
Mixing Together: What does ‘Passion’ mean to you? What do you think could be improved within the HF MIXING GROUP to make everyone feel like a ‘passionate team player’?
‘Passion for me is motivation for my job and my company.’
Camilla Campanini: Passion for me is motivation for my job and my company. Being motivated essentially means waking up every morning with a smile, happy to start a new business day, always looking for new goals in order to continually improve. I expect that my work will provide me with opportunties for self-actualisation and growth, not only on a professional level but also on the personal one. After a nice day spent in the office I will play ‘smiling’ with my children.
Mixing Together: Thank you very much for your answers!
