Landsberger Premiumdruckerei sticks to the old custom of book printers
EGGER Druck + Medien, the premium printing company in Landsberg, had to believe in two at once. Grabbed by their arms and legs and without much fuss, they landed one after the other in a huge tub of cold water. This seemingly deceitful trick in spite of cold temperatures is a centuries-old custom and is called Gautschen. Sophie Schmidbauer and Bassel Farroukh were couched. Both had recently completed their training at EGGER and were "officially" admitted to the guild with this custom.
"The 'freshly baked' journeymen turned into 'freshly washed' journeymen - free of mischief, error and botchery" explains Werner Wagner, couchmaster and long-time offset printer at EGGER Druck + Medien, smiling. Wagner performed the custom on the EGGER premises with the help of several colleagues.
The couch maker had a tub filled with water and set up in the yard. At first the Gäutschlinge knelt on logs. To address the couch master they sat down on chairs with dripping wet sponges. The "sponge masters" wrung out further wet sponges over their heads. At the command of the couch master, four "packers" packed one couch after the other into the tub. Within a few minutes the procedure was over. The goutlings changed their clothes and then had lunch together with their colleagues.
"We are very proud of our two new journeymen. Both completed their training very well. As a Syrian refugee, it was not easy for Bassel in particular, as he had to start from scratch with everything, such as language. He deserves a very high credit for that," explains Xaver Egger, Managing Director of EGGER.
Bassel Farroukh came to Germany in 2015 as a Syrian refugee. In September 2016, he began his three-year training as a media technologist in print finishing with the expert for folding cartons. "I like the work at EGGER very much, but especially at the beginning it was not easy for me - new language, foreign culture, new machines. I am very grateful to my colleagues. They have always supported me very well," says Farroukh. He is particularly proud of his certificate, which he received from the IHK. "And the Gautschen was a lot of fun."
Sophie Schmidbauer was born in Landsberg and trained as a media designer for digital and print from September 2016 to February 2019, specializing in design and technology. "The Gautschen was a bit surprising for me, but it was very funny. It's a really nice experience. With this traditional ritual, belonging to the guild also increases and gives the completed training a special value," says Schmidbauer, who was taken on directly as a media designer. "I really liked the training at EGGER. It was always practical with many internal stations, there was good support and everyone was helpful with open questions".
EGGER Druck + Medien has been closely associated with Landsberg am Lech since 1872. Initially located in the city centre and for several decades in the industrial area, the company has been a popular training location for young people. This is due on the one hand to the diversity of occupations and trades and on the other hand to the open and familiar working atmosphere. In addition, sales figures continue to grow, contrary to the industry as a whole. This is primarily due to the strategic focus on high-quality packaging printing.
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