To arouse children’s interest in technology through play – this is the objective of holiday childcare at Fill Machine Engineering in Gurten. A 150 m² room – equipped with mini robots and computers – was made available to employees‘ children for this purpose in the new Fill Future Lab. Three qualified teachers provided for optimum supervision. Fostering of creativity, an introduction to digitalization, familiarization with technology, and various outdoor activities brought the children exciting days with no shortage of fun.
Gurten, 14th September 2020 – A nine-week school summer break poses a major challenge for many working parents. Last summer, Fill employees were able to bring their children between the ages of two and 10 years with them into the company for four weeks. This opportunity to better harmonize work and family life was very well received. The innovative premises of Fill’s new digitalization center with the Future Lab formed an ideal framework for the kids. Valerie Kaufmann, vocational trainee at Fill, is a qualified kindergarten teacher and currently studying mechanical engineering at Montanuniversität Leoben. She has developed her own concept tailored to children, complete with robots, 3D pens, and cool technical handicraft units, and this was implemented in the vacation program. The children were enthralled.
„Mama, the coolest vacation program ever“
„Everything revolved around our future in a digital world at the Fill Future Lab this year. Cool robots thrilled the children of all ages. Over the course of the four weeks, the young explorers developed into great programmers,“ reports Valerie Kaufmann. The very youngest participants had „Cubetto“ at their disposal – a robot without any screens or keys, which is programmed instead with building blocks. The first programs were written with playful, cheeky verve and then tested straight away by the robot. The children decide whether it revolves and sings by pressing its buttons. „The whole world is our playground“ was the slogan. Apple slices, water glasses, and Play-Doh figures were turned by „Makey Makey“ into very special buttons that could be used to make music or play games. One little member of the group put the children’s enthusiasm for the exciting vacation program in a nutshell: „Mama, this is the coolest vacation program ever!“
Corporate data
Fill is a leading international machine and plant manufacturing company serving diverse branches of industry. The family-owned business excels in the use of the latest technology and methods in management, communication, and production.
Business operations encompass the fields of metal, plastics and wood for the automotive, aircraft, wind energy, sport and building industries. The company is the global market and innovation leader in aluminum core removal technology, casting technology, wood bandsaw technology, as well as in ski and snowboard production machines. Andreas Fill (CEO), Alois Wiesinger (CTO), and Günter Redhammer (COO) are the managing directors of the company founded in 1966, which is still completely family-owned and now has about 920 employees. In 2019 the company recorded sales of around 169 million euros.
Further information can be found at: www.fill.co.at
