Geberit is a very social company

Sonja Bruhin is 64 years old and has been blind since birth. Here, she talks about the changes and challenges from the past 40 years in production at Geberit in Rapperswil-Jona (CH).

Sonja Bruhin, how did your career begin?

I have been blind since birth. After attending a school for the blind, I joined Geberit in 1984 aged 23. I worked on the conveyor belt and manually assembled the fill valve. To help me get a feel for the spacing of the parts, my boss attached adhesive tape to the conveyor belt, which I could then feel. I transferred to Geberit Apparate AG 13 years ago. I work in the shower toilet area, where I am responsible for packaging and premounting work on the welding machine.

She is responsible for packaging and premounting work in the shower toilet area.

What have been your biggest challenges?

You have to be able to perform my job blindly. If I have to operate a machine for a certain step, then I need support. But that has never been a problem. Geberit is a very social company. People here are very helpful.

You have to be able to perform my job blindly.

Sonja Bruhin, production employee at Geberit in Rapperswil-Jona

What has changed in 40 years at Geberit?

Many product parts and packages have become much more compact, lighter and easier to handle. In the past, there was a lot of material in large boxes or crates. Today, it is stored in small containers on the shelf in a fixed place. This order suits me very well.

Sonja Bruhin knows all of the work steps in premounting in the shower toilet area off by heart.

What achievements are you proud of?

When colleagues are on holiday, I sometimes take on tasks that I used to do in the past. It makes me very happy when I realise that I can still recall the individual steps. I have a good memory.