"I enjoy my work as much as on my first day".

Can you still remember your first day at work at Dr. Oetker?

Peter Marquardt: It was July 3, 1973, and I was the only one who started at Dr. Oetker that day. I was young, just out of school, so to speak. It was quite exciting when I stood at the gatekeeper's desk in the morning. I started in the paper processing/gravure printing department in Bielefeld.

How did you come to Dr. Oetker back then?

Peter Marquardt: My cousin was also in paper processing at the time. She said: "Peter, tomorrow you're coming with me to Dr. Oetker." And that was my start here.

What is your function at Dr. Oetker?

Peter Marquardt: I work within production in Bielefeld-Brackwede in internal transport, where a total of 80 colleagues are employed. With a team of eight, we ensure that the goods are unloaded, booked, labeled and sorted in the packaging warehouse after arrival.

How exactly do we have to imagine that?

Peter Marquardt: Here at the site in Bielefeld, we have 6,000 storage spaces for material that is delivered on pallets and also stored. Every day, there are between 150 and 300 pallets that have to be brought from A to B and entered into the system. This includes raw materials, packaging materials, film rolls, in other words everything that is needed in production. The process runs in two shifts, early and late.

What do you like about your job?

Peter Marquardt: I enjoy the mix: I'm there when the truck arrives with the goods, check whether the delivery is correct: for example, is the packaging damaged, what does the transporter look like, etc. - then I unload the goods, book them, label them, make sure they are stored in the packaging warehouse. I am on the move, driving forklifts, but also sitting at my desk doing office work, like receiving reports.

I can hear that you like driving forklifts....

Peter Marquardt: Absolutely! When I drive and store goods at a height of eight meters, it's still a great experience. After all, such pallets weigh 600 to 800 kilograms.

Let's take another look at the past. What stations have you already passed through?

Peter Marquardt: From 1973 to 1998, I worked in the paper processing/rotogravure printing department, then in 1998 I moved to the internal transport department here in Bielefeld-Brackwede, where I still work today.

What do you do in your free time?

Peter Marquardt: I am a family man. With my wife Annette, who has also been with Dr. Oetker for 30 years, I like to spend time in nature and with our two dogs. The family includes four children and three grandchildren. We also like to travel, for example to Turkey.

What keeps you fit?

Peter Marquardt: I like to ride my bike a lot. Often to work, and that's a good ten kilometers from Sennestadt, a district of Bielefeld.

What do you like about Dr. Oetker?

Peter Marquardt: I feel I'm in good hands here. The collegiality, the cohesion: You can always feel that. A lot has happened in 50 years, but I still value Dr. Oetker as a family business.

Retirement is in sight...

Peter Marquardt: Yes, I cannot quite believe it yet. I’ll keep going until the last day, which will be October 1, 2024.

Would you take this path again?

Peter Marquardt: Definitely yes!

What advice would you give to young people starting out in their careers or to our trainees?

Peter Marquardt: Always keep your eyes and ears open. That has always helped me. You learn best when you see and watch. That was what my father taught me: "Watch and learn.”