Employees

As of December 31, 2003, the Andritz Group had a total of 4,771 employees (2002: 4,601).  The increase of 3.7% compared to 2002 is mainly due to the acquisition of Fiedler, and was partly offset by slightly decreasing numbers of employees in some other Andritz Group companies.  At year’s end, 1,173 people were employees of Andritz AG (2002: 1,161) and 3,598 employees (2002: 3,440) were working for other Andritz Group companies.

The regional distribution of the Group’s employees remained nearly unchanged compared to 2002: approximately 24% of the workforce is based in Northern Europe (2002: 25%), 25% in Austria (2002: 25%), 20% in North America (2002: 23%), 13% in Germany (2002: 8%), 5% in Denmark (2002: 5%), 1% in the United Kingdom (2002: 2%), 3% in the Netherlands (2002: 4%), 4% in France (2002: 5%), 3% in China (2002: 1%), and 2% in other countries (2002: 2%).

This distribution of the workforce reflects both the global presence and the international approach of the Andritz Group.  During 2003, the staff of the Andritz Group in China increased steadily following the strategy to establish a strong presence in this fast growing market.

A revised product-oriented organizational structure was established for Pulp Mill Technologies splitting the former Kraft Mill Systems Division into three new Divisions with global responsibility: Fiberline Division, Chemical Systems Division, and Recovery Division.  All top management positions in these Divisions were filled with experienced managers from Andritz, who had to complete a demanding and challenging assessment procedure.  

Managers in central functions, who were appointed at the beginning of 2003, have quickly settled in their areas of responsibility and contributed to the success of the Group.

All vacancies in managerial as well as in other functions were filled with highly qualified candidates.

Major Developments in 2003

During the year under review, the Andritz Group Management Training Program was successfully revised.  Together with a renowned European management consulting and training institute, the program was adjusted to today’s management needs and challenges.  The first module of the Andritz Management Challenge Program was held as a pilot seminar in Austria.  Twenty-two employees from 12 different Andritz Group companies participated in this training.  The structure of this training group can also be seen as a strong sign for Andritz’s global organizational approach.  Feedback from participants was very positive.  Some minor adjustments for the next program - planned to start in autumn 2004 - will be made.  The second module of this overall management training will take place in spring 2004 in Finland.

More than 30 employees gained new skills in Conflict Resolution Management during seminars held in Belgium, Finland, and Austria.  Participants learned new approaches to handling sensitive issues and intercultural differences.  

An interactive computer and internet-based training module that gives new recruits primary information about the Andritz Group was developed by the Human Resource department in Finland.  The roll-out in other Group locations is planned in the near future.  

In addition to Group-wide training activities local training was held in all companies belonging to the Andritz Group.  

Cooperation between Andritz Human Resources Managers from North America, Nordic Countries,  and Austria was intensified in 2003.  Regular meetings supported the sharing of experiences.  Common Human Resources tools were coordinated and harmonized.  The most important activities such as clear definition of position requirements, recruiting, introduction of new recruits, training, performance assessment, etc. were documented in the Human Resources process within the Quality Management System.