The first MiniTec employee was given a fitting farewell (from left to right): Bernhard Bauer, Johann Fleig, Tobias Doll, Sonja Bauer, Andreas Böhnlein, Sandra Geyer-Altenkirch, Helga Collin

There are always farewells at MiniTec, but in this case it is a very special one: Johann Fleig, the very first employee of the company, ended his professional activities in the medium-sized company on April 1, 2020. Due to Corona, the official farewell could only take place on June 26.

The man celebrating his jubilee had moved from Russia in 1990 and initially landed with his family in a reception center in Gries, Palatinate. The manager there, Helga Collin, looked after five families, including that of Johann Fleig, a trained mechanic.

At the beginning of 1991, MiniTec founder Bernhard Bauer hired him as his first employee. The entrepreneur looks back: "Previously, Mr. Fleig had worked in the city of Togliatti in Russia, where the Lada plants are located. The Russian Germans were somewhat caught between two stools. In Russia they were regarded as Germans, in Germany as Russians. There were many prejudices. For me, it was also about eliminating them, because they simply weren't true." Bernhard Bauer also made sure that Johann Fleig and his family were housed in a house for rent.

Fleig remembers: "Right from the start, I was welcomed at MiniTec as if I were part of a family and always enjoyed going to work. I particularly liked the good working atmosphere. Initially, I was employed as an assembler. My first task was to dismantle the storage racks of a friendly company and reassemble them at MiniTec. As time went on, the company grew and I was able to take over the management of the warehouse and pre-assembly."

At almost 64, it was now time for a well-deserved retirement on April 1, 2020 after 29 years of service, although Bernhard Bauer regrets this very much: "Johann Fleig was always extremely reliable, was not too good for anything, a very loyal soul, nothing was ever too much for him. Today, he is not only a deserving employee, but also a friend of our family."