Kalmar Service Hero: Jannik Tiemann from Germany

Jannik started his apprenticeship as a commercial vehicle technician in 2005, completing his training in 2009. Prior to joining Kalmar, he worked as a mobile mechanic for the highway breakdown service. 

"That job was a great education and it gave me a lot of skills that have benefited me in my work at Kalmar," Jannik says. "Helping a customer on the highway in the middle of the night and having to independently figure out the problem really gave me a great deal of confidence in my work as a technician."

Jannik joined Kalmar in 2015, but he has known the company for much longer. His father began working at Kalmar in 1998, so Jannik was familiar with the heavy equipment at the port of Hamburg already as a young boy.

"Growing up next to the port and seeing all the big machines operating there, it was always a kind of dream for me to work at Kalmar," Jannik recalls. "So, when many years later it worked out, I was very happy for the opportunity and am still really proud to be at the company."

Keeping the containers moving 

Jannik's regular service customers include HCS Hamburger Container Service, a leading empty container handling depot in the port of Hamburg. For HCS, a reliable equipment fleet is essential, as the company's machines are run with heavy loads in continuous two-shift operation.  

We are part of the critical infrastructure in the port, which is why it is very important for us to maintain a high level of fleet availability and correspondingly fast container handling," says Dr. Roland Karnbach, General Manager of HCS.

"Kalmar has been a reliable partner for us for many years. We purchase the majority of our equipment from Kalmar, and they have a team of dependable technicians who ensure that our machines are serviced quickly and can stay in continuous operation.

Safety is #1

In his job as service technician, Jannik particularly enjoys the wide range of different tasks that the work encompasses. "Another thing that I really appreciate about Kalmar is the approach to occupational safety," he adds. "The company places great importance to ensuring that we are well equipped and that we have a safe job. Regular inspections take place, and any issues are tackled together and discussed. That's very important to me, because at the end of the day, we all want to get home safely."

In his free time, Jannik enjoys spending time with his wife and two children and following his favourite soccer team F.C. St. Pauli at Hamburg's Millerntorstadion where he holds a season ticket. "My hobbies are a bit neglected at the moment because of the family, but soccer is definitely my favourite," he says. "I started playing soccer when I was four years old and played regularly until an injury in my mid-20s. But even today, I'm still never far from the stadium!"