Finally, cleanroom conditions and a microbiological environment were able to be established in a special WfbM room, which is monitored by a closely meshed monitoring system. “The collaboration with the foundation’s WfbM was extremely pleasant from the very beginning. All employees were very open and cooperative, for example, in defining the devices, tools, and process steps and then putting them into practice. We were excited to see how enthusiastic and dedicated the employees are in doing their work,” confirms Armin Pfeifer, Head of Quality Management Pajunk and responsible for the project’s organization.

The cooperation will soon be expanded to new types of assembly work. Also, a one-week trial internship for Pajunk trainees is in the works in which any potential fears of contact are to be shed. It’s a wonderful feeling for the employees in the workshop to share their work with the interns and to obtain new knowledge.

An additional partnership has existed with ProMediPac (OWB Group) since 2017. The Oberschwäbischen Werkstätten gGmbH (OWB Group) also employs people with handicaps in its workshop in Mengen. From contract packaging to repackaging, logistics and consulting, ProMediPac offers a broad spectrum of services. This includes validation, cleaning, inspection, assembly, finalization, packaging, repackaging, and labeling. In cooperation with a certified partner, ProMediPac also offers the sterilization of medical products. In order to package delicate medical technology and pharmaceutical products under the highest hygiene and safety requirements, investments were made at its Mengen location into modern and professional clean rooms of the classes C and D. This enabled the company to develop a sophisticated hygiene concept. Furthermore, ProMediPac had itself certified by TÜV Süd for ISO 13485. The manufacturing authorization for the secondary packaging of medicinal products according to section 13 of the German Medicines Act is unique for a workshop for people with handicaps. In this respect, in 2017 a Japanese authority visited Mengen and audited the clean rooms.

Approx. 15 people with handicaps work in the professional clean rooms at ProMediPac and are guided by two trained job educators. ProMediPac shapes needle attachments and buttons for Pajunk. Pajunk values the additional external support, which enables internal capacity bottlenecks to be dealt with easily. The training and education of people with handicaps for these modern workplaces were of utmost importance.

For this year, a visit by ProMediPac employees to Pajunk is planned to show them how the needle attachments and buttons they shaped with a last are processed further. This tour aims to reinforce the motivation and work satisfaction of the employees, who are very much looking forward to this excursion. Currently, additional projects are in the works with regard to the collaboration.