Joanna Swiderski

After coming to Germany from Poland, I completed an apprenticeship as a forwarding agent as I feared I had no chance on the German job market as an ecotrophologist and primary school teacher. I started working for NISSIN on June 1, 1992. It was important to me to work for a company that employs people from different cultures. At first, I was responsible for organizing transports with the Trans-Siberian Railway and supporting the sea freight sector, which was developing rapidly at NISSIN at the time. The sea freight sector eventually became my main focus. After moving to Neuss, the current headquarters of the company, I became Assistant Operations Manager. My responsibilities include price calculations for customers and interested parties, negotiations with shipping companies, and the complete order processing for the worldwide shipping of transport goods, with a focus on worldwide exports. I work across different time zones, so I sometimes talk to Japan in the morning and to the U.S. in the evening.

Over the years, NISSIN's sea freight business has expanded considerably. I have remained loyal to the sea freight sector and am pleased to have been able to contribute to its growth. I am now the main contact person for this sector, and I am frequently contacted by other NISSIN branches in Germany and abroad. Even though I have been organizing sea freight transports for 30 years now, there is always something new to learn. I greatly value the diversity in my work that comes from special customer requests or new regulations. It motivates me to achieve the best possible outcome for my customers. My commitment and many years of experience are appreciated at NISSIN. I am trusted to work independently and can freely decide which shipping company to work with, for example, and I like that. If a mistake is made, the organization and I look for solutions together. This allows me to feel comfortable in exploring uncharted waters, so to say.

Early in the morning, I already know what the weather is like in Singapore. Working at NISSIN, I just feel "at home in the world." However, that is not the only reason why I like working here. Our small team is very friendly. I even meet some other team members in my free time. We are very familiar with each other and know what is important to one another. This makes for a great atmosphere at work. Even from the very beginning of my time at NISSIN, I could feel that the people are very open and helpful. They provided me with excellent training and gave me a chance. Now I pass on the knowledge I have gained over the years to our trainees and young colleagues and am more than happy to give them advice for their future journey. If I need help, I always receive it, too. Once, a colleague took me to the doctor, and my former supervisor used to drive me to the train station every day for a while. That support is just very reassuring.

At NISSIN I have met so many nice people from all over the world, both employees from other branches as well as customers. We used to have more Japanese colleagues here in Germany with whom we also met up outside of work. Now they work in other countries, but they still visit me when they get the chance. I have so many great encounters at NISSIN that I never get bored. My personal life is also not the least bit boring: I take care of our daughter's three small children part-time and our two cats. I enjoy going out with my husband and our friends to concerts and on day trips or weekend excursions. I simply enjoy spending time with people.