“Kässbohrer“ is not just any name for Siegfried Phillip – he was also around during the time when Setra was still Kässbohrer. His workplace on the production line feels like a second home for him. He has been in the bus production facility in Neu-Ulm for a total of 40 years. During his 25 years as a group leader he has also seen all the other plants. This year it's time for him to retire – even though he would really like to continue working longer. In any case, his retirement will not leave the company without a “Philipp” on its register…

Fabian Philipp sits a few hundred meters away in the office of the systems and start-up process management department. He will continue the Philipp family tradition at EvoBus. Siegfried Philipp's son started his apprenticeship in the group in 2006 as an automotive mechatronics engineer with a specialization in vehicle communication technology. He then continued his training and completed a cooperative study program in vehicle electronics: The summer holidays were always spent working in the company.After intermediate stop-overs in the various technical units and employment at the research center at Eselsberg, he has been in the Neu-Ulm Plant since 2014. Creating vehicle software, collaborating on development, production and IT projects are all a part of his daily work. He also told us that he participated in the #ThankGodit’sMonday! workshop, where he dealt intensively with the concept of the mobile workplace.

From school work-study to a permanent job contract

One of the things he likes about working at EvoBus is that an employee has a greater area of responsibility than in the passenger car area: “You can do much more here. In addition, you also contribute to a modern and pioneering mobility with the bus. Coaches and urban buses continue to play a very important role.”

Like his father, he has developed a liking for getting up early, a tendency to talk loudly and a sincere helping attitude, as well as a commitment to the Bus. Most of these qualities can be traced back to his father's job. Siegfried Philipp admits that he had a certain degree of influence on his son:

“No doubt about that! My son basically grew up to be an automotive mechanic,” he laughs. “I started taking him to our small workshop when he was only three years old.There I showed him everything.He got to know EvoBus during his work-study from school and work during the school holidays. Later, he also got an apprenticeship here.”

The question about a different job never really came up, an apprenticeship at EvoBus was always my first choice after finishing school, explained Fabian Philipp:

“The fact that my father has worked for the same company for so many years was a big influence on our family life. When we sat down to dinner and talked about the day, my father often talked about his work. Being his son, I was of course curious and wanted to know more about what it was like."

Will the tradition continue?

Father Siegfried only went to elementary school before started his apprenticeship. He eventually moved on from the automotive workshop to Kässbohrer.He was promoted to group leader at Bus, had personnel responsibility and an interesting and varied career. One thing is clear for him: Looking back, he would do it all over again

Whether the tradition of working for Bus will continue in the next generation of the Phillip family remains to be seen. Fabian's wedding is coming up this year, let's see what the future brings:

“You can of course set the tone in the upbringing with a coloring book full of cars or the “right” toys. But is still comes down to whether there is interest. If I had never shown an interest in cars, but more towards sports, things would have probably have turned out differently. Putting things together was always a hobby for me and not a duty. My father passed on his fascination with his job and I think that I will also try to do the same in a similar way.”

Father Siegfried did a good job with Fabian Phillip. As a teenager it was normal to go to the workshop in the afternoon after school and start working on things. Normally everything was taken apart for fun, but as he got older things were also screwed back together successfully. Even today, he still likes to go back to his own small workshop after a good day's work. What would he do if he didn't work for EvoBus?Restore vintage cars. The love of vehicles of all types determines Fabian's life.Variety is still very important in life – Fabian finds this in sports. He is currently training to participate in a triathlon.

Passion for the bus – even on holiday

The two men's enthusiasm for buses in the past and present is also an ever-present topic of conversation in the family life of the Phillips. Mrs. Philipp is not always spared, as Siegfried can report: “She sometimes rolls up her eyes a bit when we get to talking about buses again in the evening. She's right, of course. We have more than enough time to talk about this here.”

“However”, continued Fabian, “when you have this fascination for the product, you also feel responsible for it and want to achieve good results. This always happens with us: When we are driving down the motorway and see a Setra Bus, we often look in the rear view mirror after we have passed it. Luckily for us this happens quite often.”
“And while vacationing in another country, we often discussed how many Setra buses we had seen on the road,” continued Siegfried.
Along with work and the pleasant family dinners, one thing the Philipp family also really love doing together is: going on vacation. In the past, this was to visit the grandparents in Hungary or hiking in South Tirol. Last year they traveled to South Africa. Fabian will go back there again in any case.

“I'll never be bored”

His father Siegfried plans one thing for his retirement this year: He wants to dip into his pension fund and take his wife on a Mediterranean cruise. But he will remain loyal to the bus. He can imagine offering factory tours in order to share his knowledge. “Apart from that, the garage has to be cleaned up eventually so I won't get bored”, he said with a smile.
For his son Fabian, in addition to his wedding and building a house this year, there are many interesting projects coming up at the Bus:the B2E electronic concept, autonomous driving and various driver assistance systems.If it was at all possible – father Siegfried would love to trade his workplace with his son for one day. Not just because he is interested in his son's work, but because he is especially curious about the work of other departments. One thing Siegfried can be sure of is that Fabian will keep him up to date about new developments even during his retirement.