- November 2, 2022
Around the first of October, depending on local calendars, Punch Powertrain’s employees and their relatives came together on globally spread sites, to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary during a Family Day. The attendees celebrated collectively as the company turns the page towards a new, electrified future.
Half a century ago, the foundations for Punch Powertrain were laid at the headquarters in Sint-Truiden. The company’s employees and their families were invited to celebrate this milestone together.
Connected across continents
The celebrations took place on or around the first of October throughout the different facilities, from Belgium to France, Germany, Malaysia, and India. The Chinese office will celebrate the occasion on a later date, following a visit by Punch Powertrain’s CEO Jorge Solis.
The initiative was met with great enthusiasm from the different teams globally. The variety in cultures, and festive habits, made for a very diverse and rich activity agenda. Each event had its own local flavour, but the overall feeling of enthusiasm and connectedness was felt across all the different locations.
Extended Punch family
The company chose to celebrate this fifty-year milestone with its employees and their families. The aim was to acquaint colleagues across teams, and their loved ones, with the high-tech and future-oriented solutions that Punch Powertrain is developing for the automotive industry. After all, this golden jubilee was the perfect occasion to showcase some of the technological advancements in the recent years, both in terms of new technologies and new facilities.
With the family day we wanted to offer our team the opportunity to show their families their work environment and the innovations they are contributing to.
High-tech and fun coming together
Guests could walk through the production lines and the test centre. A mapped-out tour of the grounds gave visitors a better understanding of the process that goes on behind the otherwise closed doors. For example, they were able to observe the machines and installations where the e-DCT/DT2 will be produced later this year. The high-tech, safe and clean environment left a lasting impression on the visitors. “The tour was well laid-out! My girlfriend was particularly impressed with how clean everything was in our industrial environment”, says Jurgen Bismans, PPS Test Engineering Leader.
The program of the day carried on outside. For many visitors being able to test-drive cars with Punch Powertrain transmissions was one of the highlights of the day. They could test drive both released car models and new models, that are in pre-production stage and are yet to hit the roads. For example, the new innovative models carrying Punch Powertrain’s transmissions, in development with partner Stellantis, will be released to the public next year. So, trying them out during the family day was a unique opportunity. The colleagues and family members found the drives insightful, expressing their enthusiasm about the dual clutch transmission’s smooth shift.
Even the youngest visitors were able to join in on the fun. For the occasion, the event team created an entertaining playground with different types of games in the production hall.
Live music, games, snacks, and drinks, all contributed to the cheerful atmosphere. Colleagues and their loved ones were chatting, laughing, and bonding over shared experiences while getting to know each other better. In the meantime, children were running around, challenging each other in different games, jumping on the bouncy castle and enjoying the different snacks. “My grandson told me he also wants to work at Punch Powertrain when he grows up. They have a bounce house and yummy fries, he said”, recounts Dirk Schoubben, PME Specialist.
With the celebration Punch Powertrain aimed at connecting and showing appreciation to all colleagues, both present and remote, who are the driving force behind the company. It was great to see people coming together globally and enjoying a fun day in a relaxed atmosphere, making it a day to remember.
