Kristian Langner


 Chairman of the works council

I started my professional career with an apprenticeship as a construction mechanic in metal with a focus on welding and shipbuilding technology. Afterwards, I did my military service as a regular soldier in the German air force and trained as a maintenance mechanic. As a child of the region, however, I was drawn back home after my time in the military. Initially, I was responsible for the assembly of asphalt and concrete mixing plants at Ammann Asphalt and later worked as a machine operator at Weisig Maschinenbau until I finally started at Meyer Seals in 2000.

At the beginning, I worked in the warehouse at Meyer Seals, before I switched to the stamping department in 2003 to pursue my dream job as a machine operator again. In 2002, I was elected to the works council for the first time alongside this, and even then I enjoyed carrying out this additional activity. I have always been happy to make use of the opportunity for continuous development at Meyer Seals. For example, the versatile machinery enabled me to shift my focus within the company from extrusion lamination to wax lamination. This gave me the chance not only to expand my own knowledge, but also to pass on my knowledge to colleagues, as I was responsible for training and educating the team at some plants. In May 2008, I was elected chairman of the works council for the first time. This was a great pleasure for me, as it is nice to see the satisfaction of colleagues increasing through one's own work. Since 2010, I have been a full-time chairman of the workers' council . Nevertheless, it has always been a particular concern of mine not to lose touch with my technical work, so that I still actively support the team in machine operation today.

What I particularly like about Meyer Seals is the family-like atmosphere, the quick reactions and the short lines of communication. For me, it is important to stand up for what is right. As a works council chairman, it is essential to keep everyone's best interests in mind. Responding to the problems and concerns of individuals is just as important as maintaining trusting cooperation with the management so that we can further increase satisfaction in the company together. In order to achieve this goal, Meyer Seals gives me a great deal of leeway and freedom to organise my own work so that I can respond to different situations in the best possible manner. The values that Meyer Seals represents for me through its actions and the given opportunities are therefore safety, trust, respect and transparency.

The slightly different questions:

  • If you could change one thing in the world: What would that be?
    One of many things I would like to change is to turn bad people into good people!


  • What decision would you reverse if you had the choice?
    In my life, as in every other life, things happen that are not nice or even painful. However, for the most part, I think it is wrong to undo them. We learn from mistakes and from the past, it shapes us and gives us an idea of how well we are actually doing. I think that is important.