Oerlikon Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Oerlikon

Pros – the experience within a couple of years one gets at Oerlikon one would need two or three times longer in another (more stable) company. ie for the career and technical development it is great, if you can handle the instability and turns around

Cons – ups and downs and fluctuatin of colleagues is a clear minus... change of strategies and projects are often too fast so that one ist not yet really implemented and the next mngt team generation is already coming with a new strategy...

Advice to Senior Management – speed up modern HR tools and motivation of the staff, reduce fluctuation, build up inter-departamental exchange

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Oerlikon full-time for more than a year

Pros – Leader in thin film solar technology

Cons – Difficult to predict if thin film will the technology of choice going forward

Advice to Senior Management – NA

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Oerlikon full-time for more than a year

Pros – Nice tasks could be picked up but focus is changing to quickly.

Cons – Some (German....) 'high-potentials' are getting too many chances, playing games and as management is busy with 'surviving' also people has been mobbed. New CEO (also German) has a totally other personality (and tougher) as the previous and nice Mr. Krueger.
(By the way: Vladimir V. Kuznetsov is NOT the CEO)

Advice to Senior Management – Pay attention to people-management

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Oerlikon

Pros – solar, renewable energy market!!! good technology, eco-friendly

Cons – inside communication, bad managment! less motivation for employees,

Advice to Senior Management – communicate

Former Employee – worked at Oerlikon

Pros – highly capable scientists and engineers
the company allows and promotes job changes and further development
interesting business (solar)

Cons – management lacks a clear direction and strategy or it is not able to communicate it
low morale
crappy company locations

Advice to Senior Management – work out the numbers and define a strategy ;)
communicate clearly the strategy for the years ahead
concentrate on profitable sectors

Former Employee – worked at Oerlikon

Pros – You work from home and may be off between jobs

Cons – You travel 85% of the time

Advice to Senior Management – None

Current Employee – been working at Oerlikon

Pros – Experience is a plus on CV, as far as Oerlikon is a welknown company (at least in Switzerland) and dealing with high tech products. There is some good people there that you can learn a lot from. Very differentiated segments of business, which gives the chance to learn a lot about dos and don'ts at corporation life.

Cons – Difficult to mangage corporation tasks within subs, as far as quite decentralized management. Segments are not always cooperative with HQ.
Huge fluctuation of personnel in HQ and also Segments makes work difficult, as far as even mid term knowledge is often gone.
Finally, extrem cuts of headcounts lead not rarely to quick and dirty work by the remaining ones, and huge fees to external consultants...

Advice to Senior Management – please strongly rethink your support, compensation and motivation schemes in order to avoid loosing even more people with valuable knowledge of the company. Even if in the short term it sounds "efficient" to reduce headcount, in the mid and long term you are throwing paid for and built up knowledge away!

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend