Qimonda * Reviews

Pros

Good benefits, although, this may change with tough economic conditions. Interesting work in a high tech area with a casual, but professional climate. Pace of work is fast and interesting, there is opportunity to find and carve out a niche of good work. The memory sector is in a tremendous downturn right now, but if it comes back Qimonda is positioned well for the future.

Cons

Sr. management does not communicate or inspire - need to tell the workforce more about where they want to lead us. The organization needs to train front line supervisors and managers to a higher level - technical is good, people skills are poor. Some indications of a blaming type culture - where people look to blame others for problems instead of learning and working together to improve. The hours can be long as production is always running. The overall level of competence seems to vary greatly with some individuals having high levels and others only medium levels - this can make working across groups difficult.

Advice to Senior Management

Communicate - communicate - communicate! Why do you think I should throw in and put forth extra effort to keep this ship on course?

Pros

International company with opportunities to travel and network in other countires. Pay and bonuses are good. PTO system is good where sick, holiday and vacation is lump together so you begin with about 5 weeks of time to use anyway you please.

Cons

Highs and Lows of DRAM, Job Security, incompetent people in high positions. They won't fire these people they just move them around to other positions.

Advice to Senior Management

Invest more time in Sandston, Offer volunteer packages

Pros

Benefits package better than other companies. Used to be even better, but more of the financial support is being pushed to the employee. Engineers are passionate about thier jobs and responsibilities in most (but definately not all) areas.

Cons

Management is disconnected from the engineering community and manufacturing. You can't see what is going on in the factory from a conference room! Mgmt has had plenty of opportunities to get rid of the 'hangers-on' in the engineering community and haven't. There are engineers there who should be relieved of their responsiblities but still show up to work every day without contributing a darn thing to the overall success of the factory.

Advice to Senior Management

Walk a mile in the shoes of the engineers/techs/operators before forming an opinion on a topic.

Pros

Good exposure for college graduates, better than average benefits package and 401k matching. Opportunity to work globally (US, Europe, Asia). Fairly quick turnaround for first advancements.

Cons

Poor management (either micro-managers or clueless), seemingly random directives and initiatives, no ability to focus or anticipate the consequences of decisions. Semi manufacturing is shaky in the US today and DRAM is the worst. 60 hour work weeks with no recognition.

Advice to Senior Management

Start from the bottom up instead of the top down. Spend some quality time on the production floor and with the engineers. Stop guessing and making uninformed decisions, quick conclusions.

Pros

Right now is not a good time to work for Qimonda!!! A few years ago it was the best move, but now!!!

Cons

The company management made some bad decisions prior to the market downturn and now it may cost us to go out of business!!! They are now trying to savage what they can, but it seems to be too little too late... REACTIVE instead of PROACTIVE

Advice to Senior Management

Be more forthcoming with information about the company!!! Hearing it from the media is not the best way to build morale!!!

Pros

it is possible to work with cutting edge computer technology and within the company are some very good experts on aspects of high-speed computer platforms. the company has good labs and good equipment to do R&D, a very nice IT landscape and company laptops are fairly easy to obtain. It is possible to login via VPN into the company network from almost everywhere. Also, the intercultural aspects of most of the colleagues are a very nice experience. Healthcare insurance and salary a good for the workload and it is possible to have a very healthy work-life balance. Certainly for the position in Munich there is access to the beautifull mountains and it is possible to ski for December-April.

Cons

rigid organisation
degree of transparency and business of company not possible to influence from lower levels
slow processes, a lot of discussions

Advice to Senior Management

give personal feedback to work performance more often
improve learning culture and possibility to have a dialogue

Pros

Qimonda has a a beautiful, clean facility. The cafe is a convenient place to have lunch, or you can go in to "town" to grab Mexican or some great Thai food! They have onsite banking and an employee resource center (although this room is not very well maintained and the computers are sloooooooooooow!). The employee's at Qimonda are very welcoming and generous in helping newcomers succeed. Qimonda has great benefits, PTO and Exempt policies too!

Cons

Some downsides include the fact that the company is a sinking ship! The negativity and low morale of the employee's has not been combated by management very well. There are a lot of people who have worked for the company since it was WOS, i'm sure they can all speak to what a change the company has made in the last couple of years. It's not just due to the "cylical nature of the industry"--it's how they do business.

Advice to Senior Management

The communication has drastically declined from senior management--they seem to be adding to the problem rather than making things better. It's not a good thing when you hear managers talking about their resumes or the fact that senior management has profiles on LinkedIn!

Pros

Ability to work and travel internationally (fab sites in the U.S., Portugal, Germany, Malaysia, and China). If you want to get into ATE or DRAM design out of college, this was a decent place to gain some experience. Pay and benefits were competitive/better than average.

Cons

Management and workers in Munich looks down on the rest of the international design centers and fabs. Knowledge sharing is non-existent. I experienced a lot of petty behavior and borderline discrimination during some of my trips in Munich. Management is a joke - no one has figured out yet that good technical engineers don't necessarily make good managers.

Advice to Senior Management

Start looking for a new job....with the stock price hovering around $0.20 / share, Qimonda might not be around much longer.

Pros

Good pay when the industry is doing well. Right now, not so much! Qimonda paid a good share of the medical premium. PTO is decent, as long as you use it wisely. Most of the people that complain about lack of time off, are the ones that abuse it.

Cons

Instability in the job, one of the factories is closing down....layoffs of more than 1,000 people. Poor morale at work now. It's not Qimonda per se, the whole semiconductor industry is risky right now with chip prices being as low as they are. This industry seems to be a roller coaster, with ups and downs throughout the year.

Advice to Senior Management

Please dont back out of giving us our severance payment! Many of us are dependent on it.

Pros

Great benefits and relocation package. Good technology with a lot of potential. Management appreciates the value of family time and are very flexible with schedules and time off.

Cons

Very poor communication by senior management. They can not be trusted with anything they say. What used to be an enjoyable environment to work in is no longer here. Company will probably not be here in a few months. A change in senior management is needed and is the only way the company will have a future.

Advice to Senior Management

Be more open with your employees and listen to their ideas. Follow through on your commitments.