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Courage to Change

More digital, more agile, faster: with B. Braun - the next decade, we have a strategic framework that is fit for the future. Hear some employees share about how they perceive the change process, which challenges are their biggest, and what drives them.

B. Braun Brazil - Motivating the team

Gabriella Nascimento

Gabriella Nascimento joined the company two years ago through B. Braun’s trainee program; since the beginning of 2022, she has been Transport and Logistics Project Manager at B. Braun Brazil. To start the day full of energy, she gets up at 5:30 every morning and goes to the gym before work.

Ms. Nascimento, what is the importance of B. Braun's corporate culture for you?

When I started my new job in January 2022, I was overwhelmed by how enthusiastically I was received by my team and how much respect I was shown—as a young woman, it isn't taken for granted that you will be recognized as a leader, not in Brazil, and not in other countries. This shows me how special B. Braun’s corporate culture is.

How can transformation processes be implemented in your daily business?

As project manager, I not only have to implement the B. Braun—the next decade strategy myself, I also have to be able to inspire my team to live this process of change. Fortunately, we all worked together before I was promoted, and we have a deep-seated trust in each another. This is particularly important because I want all of my employees to have the courage to share their ideas with me at any time; I want them to know that I am listening to them, even when the KPIs are satisfactory and, at first glance, no changes are necessary.

What contribution would you like to make to the B. Braun—the next decade strategy?

I attach great importance to celebrating successes in the right way to motivate my team. For example, when one of our customer’s hospitals has an emergency and we are under pressure to deliver prostheses or anesthesia products in the shortest possible time, we all celebrate together after we learn that everything worked out and the surgery had a positive outcome. I want my employees to know that the work they do, and they themselves, are worth something; they save people's lives, and to be able to guarantee that every day under high pressure, you have to feel valued, first and foremost. This also includes making sure that we all have a good work-life balance in order to recharge our batteries for the next challenge.

In which areas is the change most noticeable?

Opening two new warehouses was a milestone for B. Braun Brazil , this significantly shortened delivery routes to some hospitals. In this country, B. Braun products sometimes have to travel hundreds of kilometers before they reach the patient—we even supply a hospital in Manaus in the Amazon. I think the fact that we are now more decentralized is essential, because I believe our delivery service has to live up to the high quality of our products. After all, human lives are at stake.

B. Braun Finland - Developing more courage

Mia Eklund

Mia Eklund is Managing Director for the B. Braun companies in Finland and Sweden. In her free time, she likes to be active outdoor, she does competitive sailing, plays tennis, and enjoys being at her summer cottage in the Finnish archipelago.

Ms. Eklund, how can transformation processes from the B. Braun—the next decade be implemented in your daily business?

The COVID-19 pandemic presented many companies with a major challenge: out of the blue, employees had to start working from home, but the structures to do this were not in place everywhere. In the Nordics, we are fortunately at the forefront of digitalization, and have been for long. That’s why it was relatively easy for B. Braun employees in Finland and Sweden to work from home all of a sudden. Everyone had a laptop and a very good, secure Internet connection already. Processes for working remotely was in place and thus the shift went fairly smoothly.

What changes that B. Braun—the next decade envisions have come easily to you?

I returned to the company only ten months ago, after working for an American company for six years. However, I had already worked at B. Braun for nine years before that. The fact that I have gotten experience outside of B. Braun in the meantime benefits me in my new role. I have a bit of an outsider’s perspective in a way, and thus I might challenge some things more critically than I probably would if I had never left the company.

Where do you see need for more changes?

For example, I believe that we need to develop more courage to pursue new approaches—in line with the motto “fail fast, fail often”. But even though I like to implement new strategies like B. Braun—the next decade as quickly as possible, I know that you have to give change time. That’s why I try to encourage employees to be open to change. Ultimately, our goal is to increase the added value for our customers. To do this, we need to keep moving and move closer together. This is why it is important to be at the office—good ideas and improvements are born when we work together! Personally I also draw a lot of my motivation and energy from the unit cohesion in our company.

B. Braun USA - Looking beyond our own horizons

Nathan Snyder

Nathan Snyder is an injection molding designer at B. Braun Medical Inc. in Allentown, Pennsylvania. He was presented with the Making a Difference Award by Jean-Claude Dubacher, CEO of B. Braun USA, for his important contribution to the B. Braun—the next decade strategy. Snyder enjoys traveling and hopes to visit and work at as many B. Braun subsidiaries around the world as possible in the near future.

Mr. Snyder, how do you know you are open to change?

My position at B. Braun has changed several times over the past six years. I started after school with an apprenticeship as a machinist, and today I work as an injection molding designer. What I like most about it is how versatile my area of responsibility is: some days I’m on site at the production facility discussing possible changes that need to be made, while on others I’m on the job as an engineer—so it's never boring.

What changes that B. Braun—the next decade envisions have been difficult for you?

The biggest challenge of my job is efficient time management. As a machinist, I worked on projects one after the other, but as an injection molding designer, I work on several projects at the same time. Since I’ve only been in this role for a few months, I’m still having a hard time prioritizing my tasks. However, I have found that it helps if I list all of my to-dos in writing and structure my thoughts on each item before I get to work.

And which ones did you find easy?

Stepping out of my comfort zone and daring to do something new has never been a problem for me. During my apprenticeship, for example, I spent six months at B. Braun's headquarters in Melsungen. I remember that the apprentices worked together across departments for a few weeks each year and were able to learn from each other—that was an unforgettable experience that has shaped my career path to this day.

What contribution would you like to make to the B. Braun—the next decade strategy?

I think that we can only achieve comprehensive change if we look beyond our own horizons—and if we tackle our tasks together, exchanging ideas with colleagues from other areas of responsibility and, above all, from other subsidiaries around the world. Thanks to my stay in Germany and my network there, I was able to work out a proposal on how we could save costs by having some components that we need for injection molding production here in Pennsylvania produced in Melsungen instead of purchasing them from an external supplier. I'm proud of the fact that I was able to help the company achieve this increase in efficiency, I want to continue to play an active role in leading B. Braun into the next decade.

B. Braun Japan - Training managers

Naoko Nagashima

Naoko Nagashima works as Division Director of Human Resources and General Affairs at B. Braun Japan. She likes to spend her free time with her 15-year-old beagle Snoopy, whom she brought to Japan from the USA.

Ms. Nagashima, which of the strategic changes that B. Braun—the next decade introduced have been difficult for you?

The world in which we have been operating has come apart at the seams in recent years. In order to meet new challenges, we must continue to develop, both personally and professionally. With this knowledge, changes whose advantages and disadvantages are obvious to me at first glance and whose results I can imagine are easy for me to cope with; on the other hand, I have a harder time when it comes to abstract changes when I do not fully understand their meaning. However, the four major areas covered by the B. Braun—the next decade strategy are a clear guideline for our future direction. For us, as an HR department, Shared Commitment in particular is what leads the way. I love the phrase, “Culture is alive when everyone participates.

In which areas is the change most noticeable?

With initiatives such as the TND Café, a cross-departmental working group designed to drive change in the corporate culture, we want to encourage employees to engage in open exchange, they should chat freely and relax with each other in the group as if they were sitting in a café. The team consists of 42 colleagues who volunteered to discuss and implement goals to improve our workplace. They are currently working in six groups, and I’m very excited to see what it will bring us and how we can change as a result.

Where do you see need for additional changes?

I believe it is important that all managers receive sufficient training with regard to change management—in order to adapt their own way of thinking, but also to be able to inspire employees for necessary change processes. This is where a change in our mindset matters, and for this, I believe we should value much more on altruism, compassion and empathy.

How can transformation processes be implemented in your daily business?

In my case, it helps to take the broadest possible perspective on change processes in everyday life. This enables me to set priorities—and I think I succeed in this by receiving valued feedbacks from my colleagues. Above all, it is important to me that we all understand that even if the results are uncertain at the moment, the transformation will eventually prove beneficial. If we don’t dare to change, we take a much bigger risk.

B. Braun Poland - Attracting new talents

Jakub Szulc

Jakub Szulc is Head of SSC IT EMEA in Poland, overseeing many of our daily activities and coordinating actions to maximize efficiencies in the IT Shared Service Center. He started his career at B. Braun in 2008 in controlling but after four years transferred himself to IT because it was always his desired area. The most important thing for him is his family, which gives him a lot of positive energy and a sense of work-life balance.

Mr. Szulc, what has changed in your job since the launch of the B. Braun—the next decade strategy?

Digitalization plays a crucial role in B. Braun’s future. In both production and logistics, processes need to be streamlined, simplified and accelerated. This can only work if the necessary technological infrastructure—standardized and harmonized—is in place and running smoothly. In this respect, we at the Shared Service Center (SSC) are at the forefront of the transformation.

What contribution would you like to make to the B. Braun—the next decade strategy?

The more forms are replaced by digital systems, the more artificial intelligence, data mining and robotics are used at B. Braun, the more IT specialists will be needed to meet the demands of day-to-day business. Our goal and joint commitment is to stop outsourcing this kind of service to external partners. My contribution to the B. Braun—the next decade strategy is therefore primarily to attract new talent to the company, either through new hires, or through our employees development.

What changes have you found easy?

The exciting thing about working in the Shared Service Center is that every working day is different and completely unpredictable with a lot of intercultural experience; I was lucky to find wonderful colleagues with whom we have made a great team, dedicated in assisting B. Braun employees in Europe, the Middle East and Africa with IT issues. When we work on weekends or on an on-call shift, we are even responsible for all countries where B. Braun has a subsidiary.

And which ones did you find difficult?

When I moved to the Shared Service Center in 2018, it was hard for me to take a global perspective at first because I was used to focusing on IT in Poland; so I had to change my mindset, and I think many employees feel the same way. It will therefore probably take a while before we have truly grown together into a global company, but the more harmonized solutions or infrastructure we use, and more experience we exchange with our international colleagues, the more efficiently B. Braun will be able to work in the future.

What significance does B. Braun’s corporate culture have for you?

I really appreciate that B. Braun values diversity. Different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds are added value. We create a culture where all employees feel free to be who they are. It is equally important to me that our work contributes to the improvement of health protection. That's what I now tell new employees during their onboarding: whether you're writing an invoice, programming a new system, working in sales or logistics, the final goal is to help save lives by providing the best medical products.

B. Braun Russia - Implementing innovations conscientiously

Olga Zhiznevskaya

Olga Zhiznevskaya is Chief Nurse for all B. Braun dialysis centers in Russia, based in the city of St. Petersburg. In her free time, she enjoys ice skating with her husband and three-year-old daughter and doing yoga.

Ms. Zhiznevskaya, how do you know that you are open to change?

As a Chief Nurse, it is very important to me that our patients are able to live not only a long life, but also a fulfilling one, despite their serious illness; in order to be able to ensure this in the future, we must continue to improve the standard of care in our hospital, but this can only be achieved if we are prepared to change and grow with new challenges – learning never stops. That’s why I very much welcome the B. Braun—the next decade strategy, and I am pleased to be able to play a part in it by implementing innovations in patient care conscientiously.

In which areas is the change most noticeable?

For B. Braun Avitum Russia Clinics, digitalization in particular plays a major role, and at the same time it is also the biggest hurdle on our way into the next decade. This is because many nurses lack experience in dealing with digital processes and find it difficult to get excited about them.

What contribution would you like to make to the B. Braun—the next decade strategy?

It is important to me that our clinic staff understands that we are taking these steps for the good of our patients – if you only want the best for other people, change is much easier, I think. I am currently learning how to use a new graphics program to create diagrams and transfer standard operating procedures, such as those for sanitation, from paper to digital. This is certainly a positive change, but it takes a lot of time to learn the ropes; so we have to be patient until we can actually see the change in dialysis centers. But I'm sure once we get everything set up and the necessary foundations in place, it will greatly improve our service.

Where do you see need for additional changes?

The growing use of artificial intelligence to improve dialysis will be particularly exciting – blood pressure, fluid volume and dialysis dose would be even better controlled as a result. I hope that we will see many positive changes in this area in the coming years. Where we should also still upgrade: in Russia, there are currently 83 dialysis centers managed by B. Braun. But only two of them are connected to a surgical unit with operating room in their composition, where patients are formed or reconstructed vascular access. In addition, one of the centers has a small inpatient department. In this regard, I believe it is extremely important that patients who require surgery have the opportunity to receive dialysis while recovering from surgery. I would therefore like to see us being able to attach even more centers to hospitals in the future.

B. Braun Brazil - Shaping change together

Victor Brandao Bonan

Victor Brandao Bonan is Project and Installation Engineer at B. Braun Brazil. When he's not at the gym or meeting up with friends, he likes to travel, so he’s already looking forward to his trip to Japan, which is planned for 2023.

Mr. Bonan, what contribution would you like to make to the B. Braun—the next decade strategy?

Since I work directly with the factories, my main focus is on digitalization and automation of processes. I have worked on several projects with these goals in mind over the past few years and would like to expand on them.

Are you open to the change ahead?

Absolutely. I have always been curious and open-minded about new technologies; I love learning new things and looking for new solutions to old problems. When it comes to utility maintenance, we face a new challenge every day anyway, so flexibility and “thinking around corners” have always been part of my everyday working life at B. Braun.

What changes have you found difficult?

We operate our factories around the clock, seven days a week. Some of the projects I work on, such as flow meter replacement, require interruption to ongoing production. This means we have to plan very carefully when we can do the projects. We work very quickly and accurately here to minimize the disruption to production output from the implementation as much as possible – it’s like changing the tires on your car while it's running.

Where do you see need for additional changes?

I think we should invest more in the training and development of our employees so that they are better prepared for the challenges.

What does the B. Braun culture mean to you?

I think we are on the right track for the future with the B. Braun—the next decade strategy. We want to remain a family business, but we are not closed to the natural development that is taking place in all companies worldwide. We want to develop in our own way. In this context, the most important thing for me personally is joint commitment, because we can only move forward together; so we have to try to motivate each other, find out where we think differently and what we can add to each other’s ideas, and how we can bring about and shape this change together

B. Braun Australia - Shaping change

Zoe Welton

Zoe Welton is National Sales Manager Pharmaceuticals, Fluids & Regional Anaesthesia at B. Braun Australia. In 2017, she moved with her three children from the UK to near Sydney, where she lives in a house by the sea and enjoys long walks on the beach with her dogs Paddington and Humphrey.

Ms. Welton, what has changed in your job since the launch of the B. Braun—the next decade strategy?

We have made many changes at B. Braun Australia as part of the B. Braun—the next decade strategy; previously, some customers might have been visited by several B. Braun sales managers with different product ranges. This was because before, we had two separate departments. Now we've successfully merged them, so we’re a cross-functional team with one sales director, one vision, one strategy and one goal. This makes the sales process more fluid and transparent for both the customer and the sales representatives.

What changes have you found difficult?

Sometimes it was difficult for us as employees because we didn’t know what exactly would change as a result of the strategy. Questions came up for many, like: Is my job still safe? Who will my supervisor be? Will I still like my new role? Will I sell different products?

What contribution would you like to make to the B. Braun—the next decade strategy?

Good communication in the team is critical during these periods of change. Otherwise, turmoil ensues, sometimes leading to people making up their own version of what’s coming, which can create a lot of confusion. That’s why I would like to offer my experience to subsidiaries at other sites that have not yet started this transformation process, to let them see for themselves. Change is good. And change can be shaped.

Where do you see further need for change?

The COVID-19 outbreak has considerably changed the way we work. Above all, personal contact with customers suffered. However, at B. Braun Australia, we have been very fortunate that our sales figures have not been affected by the decline in face-to-face meetings; customers seem to do their own research and contact their B. Braun representative when needed, so they only really need face-to-face service for new, technically complicated products. So, we need to think about how best to engage customers in the future and develop our sales teams digitally. For employees who have trained for years to read body language and develop in-person sales strategies, this is an especially daunting challenge. In the future, I would like to see more online training and support for our sales force.