BE THE CHANGE

Anata knows she has done everything right when in the evening lights turn on in remote villages in Israel. Where before there was either no or limited access to electricity, it was too expensive or produced by a noisy generator — there is now solar power. Anata, who herself has Indian roots, is currently responsible for the Israeli market as a key account manager at SMA. Her projects bring change to life — in both little and big ways while always with the clear goal in sight of being a part of this change.

When she enters a room, Anata’s personality and determination shine through. Listening to her, you know right away that she means business. “I am the change” is the day-to-day reality for Anata. With a background as a bilingual secretary, she joined SMA as a sales assistant in 2011, studied for her MBA on the side, became a junior sales manager and then became a key account manager. She arrived at a company where her talent was recognized and encouraged — with targeted coaching, training courses and mentoring as part of SMA’s Talent Program.

Anata has ambitious goals, which perfectly fit the market needs in Israel, where the proportion of renewable energy generated is set to rise by 10 percent by 2020. Its targets like this that make her job so special, and they become tangible when solar power and storage systems are used to enable kibbutz residents to generate electricity in a more self-sufficient way, Palestinians to become more self-sufficient and schools to be supplied with electricity long term. When butter does not have to be beaten by hand in Israeli villages and children can do their homework in the evening. This is precisely when Anata’s plan for happiness takes shape. Her very personal contribution to change. The change that makes SMA so special as an employer. What could be better than being part of this?

Be the change. Welcome to SMA.

It’s actually quite simple, green for solar power, red for electricity from the utility grid. Mandy came up with and developed the idea of an intuitively simple and understandable display for the self-consumption of solar power so that you always have an overview of the energy in your home, when solar power is purchased and energy costs can be saved.

So when the assistant to the vice president was asked whether she would like take part in the Innovation Kickbox pilot project, she immediately accepted. Asked. Done. Pitched. Successfully. Product Manager Andreas welcomes new ideas, such as Mandy’s. As change and innovation do not always have to come from Development and Product Management. And that is exactly what SMA promotes.

As platform manager, Andreas has implemented many ideas at SMA himself. With ennexOS, he and his colleagues created a platform for holistic, intelligent energy management. A major milestone for the energy of the future. Mandy’s intuitively simple system is a great addition to the product portfolio, and a perfect example that at SMA it counts what you do and not what is written on your business card. Just do it. And that is exactly what we want — to inspire initiators driven by passion like Mandy and Andreas.

Be the change. Welcome to SMA.

Every day, Joanna experiences the change that makes her job at SMA so unique. The industrial engineer heads a team that is responsible for product management at the Residential & Commercial business unit at SMA. Here everything focuses on inverters for smaller PV systems up to 12 kW, as well as products and system solutions that are used worldwide and need to be managed. It’s all about identifying trends, enforcing regulations, producing road maps, simplifying installations, defining features and reducing system costs. In short: shaping technological change. And Joanna’s part of this.

Joanna and her team are the beating heart of the product portfolio. They are the driving force in being the first. The first in Japan when it comes to introducing inverters that withstand the harsh climate. The first in the U.S. with the introduction of transformerless inverters. The first in Germany with the introduction of a customer service process based on automated system monitoring. They make people’s lives sunnier, with the knowledge they’re also making a valuable contribution to others.

To Joanna, her job is more than a workplace. It is approaching life with a smile on your face. One in which every individual on her team is part of the big picture. This is why here is exactly where “I am the change” meets “We are the change.”

Be the change. Welcome to SMA.

Lina and Egzon are full of energy. Energy that changes. Each did their training at SMA and have since been shaping the future — their own and that of the energy industry. Both of them enjoy every aspect.

Lina completed a dual degree at SMA. And thus, in addition to her training in wholesale and foreign trade, she also earned a Bachelor in Business Administration. Lina discovers the world with an abundance of curiosity. Ten weeks in Australia while she was training was just the beginning. As a sales coordinator, she is now responsible for international projects at the subsidiary SMA Sunbelt Energy GmbH. What drives the Sunbelt Energy team? Supplying solar power to places where there’s no electricity. The ideal home for curiosity.

The devices which Egzon deals with come from all over the world. Since completing his training as an electronics technician for devices and systems, he has not only experienced digitization firsthand at SMA but is also working to ensure that training at SMA remains what it promises: participation right from the start — with curiosity, trust, solidarity and prospects.

Be the change. Welcome to SMA.

SMA is like one big family for Saleh. And if you look at him as he’s saying this, you’ll immediately believe him. Saleh is from Egypt. It is a country full of warmth, respect and zest for life. And that’s exactly what Saleh feels every day at SMA’s reception desk.

Saleh doesn’t have to be told what needs to be done. He just does it. Whenever he sees that something can be done better, he reflects on how to achieve it. From central management of all office supplies to single-handedly creating and installing signs on doors, Saleh identifies optimization potential and implements his ideas. However, his greatest contribution to change is himself. Saleh can brighten the mood of SMA employees and visitors with his unique character and warmth. Anyone who has gotten up on the wrong side of the bed will have their day brightened after being welcomed by Saleh at reception.

His last name “Said” translated from Arabic means “happy”. And that’s Saleh. He feels completely at home at SMA and passionately passes this positivity on to others. As for his first name, that means “good.” It’s so good that we have you, Saleh.

Be the change. Welcome to SMA.

“Actually, I’m like a spider. But a friendly spider.” With a twinkle in her eye, Stefanie laughs as she says this about her job at SMA. A job that is mostly about networking. Stefanie is SMA’s Master Data Professional and carries out valuable interface work for digitization.

With the introduction of a new CRM system, she is supporting a major change at SMA. One that will make working different. More digital. The central access point for all customer data needs to be maintained and optimally connected. Stefanie, alongside others, oversees the design of the interfaces and thus connects different worlds, the commercial world of the SAP system with the sales and service world of the new CRM system. Data exchange. Process management. Networking. Stefanie pulls the strings. And loves working internationally across every time zone.

Data is the basis of the digital transformation and many other new applications of the future. For example, our online portals allow our customers to retrieve their energy data at any time and effectively manage household and commercial consumption. This works with the right data management. Thanks to Stefanie and her inspiring ideas.

Be the change. Welcome to SMA.

People build relationships in particularly special moments. In moments when trust and getting a head start with information come from networking and sharing knowledge. At least this is what Sandra does — and pretty successfully. Sandra is the face of the SMA Partner Program. This is a program that turns solar power professionals into partners, on an equal footing, and thus shines the spotlight on those who know exactly how the market ticks, as well as on what we need to do to keep up with the changes in the photovoltaic market.

Sandra has been in the networking business for a long time. In mid-2006, she welcomed the first solar power professional into the Partner Program she created and, in turn, became a great source of support to sales. While SMA sells to wholesalers, the work Sandra and her department do eliminates a step by taking care of those closer to the market.

She incorporates them into innovation workshops and into process and product development. She thereby makes a valuable contribution to gathering information to help implement change.

Sandra networks knowledge. Interdisciplinary work without blinkers. This is exactly what is possible at SMA. And while the solar power professionals give valuable input, Sandra and her team support them with creative marketing services, VIP service benefits, exclusive training courses and new customer acquisition. It is a clear win-win situation to help drive change — and Sandra is a valuable part of it.

Be the change. Welcome to SMA.

Production changes constantly: from manual work to automation. Milestones that need to be completed. As is the case with Lisa and Faruk, two quality managers who share a common goal of ensuring the best possible quality at SMA, which is continuously monitored and adjusted to meet market standards.

After completing her apprenticeship as an industrial mechanic at SMA, Lisa continued her training to qualify as a master industrial mechanic. As an industrial engineer with a major in mechanical engineering, Faruk knows exactly what matters. Corrective Action, Preventive Action, CAPA for short, is terminology these two specialists put in to practice so skillfully. Whenever it comes to corrective and preventive actions, fine-tuning is required to ensure the quality of our products.

A primary area of focus for them is process optimization. For example, the introduction of semi-automatic screwdriving technology through the use of vacuum bits and automatic screw feed. The technological advances our specialists have made in series production underpin the changes happening in the energy industry. It is a good feeling to know that Lisa and Faruk always find the best solution.

Be the change. Welcome to SMA.

Melissa and Tim both studied in Cologne. Melissa studied Media Technology and Tim Electrical Engineering. However, their paths crossed for the first time at SMA — where they each did an internship and then wrote their thesis. For both of them, it was the perfect transition from studying theory to putting it into practice.

Melissa has since been working as a software developer at SMA. Tim has found his calling in product management, and particularly appreciates the flexibility at SMA. As after he wrote his master’s thesis in Predevelopment, the plans he had for his future changed direction, product management instead of development. That was the right path for Tim.

Melissa’s and Tim’s clear message to students is — take the practical path. Ideally, where you are a part of the change you desire in this world. Where you can write a thesis that is really needed. For the change in the energy industry.

Be the change. Welcome to SMA.