WEBVTT
00:00:00.959 --> 00:00:07.919
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to K Voices, the podcast where we introduce you to the people behind Kirchhoff Automotive.
00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:18.879
I'm Natasha Philpot, and today I'm joined by someone whose career journey has taken him from Canada and the US to now Germany, all while helping shape the future of automotive engineering.
00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:33.679
Mark joined Kirchhoff Automotive in 2018, and since then he's helped strengthen connections between our North American and European teams and recently relocated to Germany for a three-year assignment to work more closely with the global engineering team.
00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:36.719
But Mark's story goes far beyond engineering.
00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:43.200
Before becoming an automotive leader, he was a certified piano teacher and someone who nearly chose music as a career.
00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:50.799
Today he'll share how curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to learn have shaped both his personal and professional journey.
00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:53.359
So, Mark, welcome to K Voices.
00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:54.240
Thanks for coming on.
00:00:54.640 --> 00:00:55.439
Thanks, Natasha.
00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:56.399
Happy to be here.
00:00:57.039 --> 00:00:57.679
Excellent.
00:00:57.840 --> 00:00:59.200
So let's start at the beginning.
00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:05.680
You joined Kirchhoff Automotive in 2018 after spending several years at one of our competitors.
00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:08.159
Tell us how you found your way to us.
00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:10.959
Well, it was an interesting, an interesting journey.
00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:16.000
So, you know, if I go a little bit back to how my career began, uh, I'm Canadian.
00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:19.040
You know, I grew up in Canada, went to school in Canada.
00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:23.840
Um, university was in my hometown, it was the University of Windsor.
00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:29.680
And I think a lot of people know that, you know, Windsor is very heavy in the automobile industry.
00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:33.680
So that was uh that was kind of why I got into engineering.
00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:38.480
It's why I studied engineering at schools, more or less to focus on the automotive field.
00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:46.640
And then from there, I um I graduated and within a week of graduation, I was working across the border in Detroit for Stillantis.
00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:49.840
In the old days, it was called uh Daimler Chrysler.
00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:54.799
It was uh run by Mercedes back then, but today we call it Stillantis.
00:01:55.040 --> 00:02:02.959
And I was there for oh, about eight or nine years and then switched over to a supplier, which is uh Magna.
00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:06.799
And that was my previous company before I joined Kirchhoff.
00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:09.680
So working at Magna, I had different roles.
00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:14.719
I was in charge of RD for part of the time, product development.
00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:20.000
Um, I managed the team both in Germany and in Canada for some time.
00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:26.560
And then, yeah, the opportunity came up in 2018 to join Kirchhoff, and that's what I did.
00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:29.199
So I was excited to come on board.
00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:36.560
And obviously, I was posted to Aurora because that's where most of our development tasks are uh for product development.
00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:43.919
And at the time I had cost estimation as well, process planning, quality, and um, and product development in RD.
00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:55.599
So yeah, then I moved over to uh the Aurora office and got to meet all of the great people that we have there, and uh yeah, it's been uh a whirlwind eight years, I would say.
00:02:55.919 --> 00:02:57.680
Went by extremely quickly.
00:02:58.000 --> 00:02:59.280
Yeah, that's crazy.
00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:00.319
2018.
00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:06.879
So you are from Windsor, which is for those who don't know, just across the border is the US.
00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:10.159
So that's like a big hub for the automotive industry.
00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:15.039
So that's really cool that you got to be right in there where all the action is.
00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:23.840
And it's fitting that you did get to come and work in the automotive industry and how you got here is is an interesting story.
00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:28.400
Your first interview with us took place in a beer garden.
00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:30.240
Can you tell us more about that?
00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:31.599
That's right.
00:03:31.759 --> 00:03:42.479
So back in the summer of 2018, the first person that I met in person while interviewing was Heiko, uh, who is now our global CTO.
00:03:42.800 --> 00:03:50.000
And it just happened that we were talking on the phone, and I was in Germany at the time working for Magna.
00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:56.000
I was on a business trip, so I was over in Germany, and Heiko said, Hey, where are you at in Germany?
00:03:56.159 --> 00:04:00.240
So I named the town, and uh, I knew obviously that they were in Attendorn.
00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:02.719
And he said, You're only about an hour away from us.
00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:04.479
Why don't we meet somewhere in the middle?
00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:11.759
So we ended up picking a beer garden, and so my first introduction was uh having pizza and beer with Heiko in the beer garden.
00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:14.000
That was my first intro to Kirchhoff.
00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:16.639
And Heiko How did you know Heiko though?
00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:19.839
How did Well I only knew him from uh an initial interview?
00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:27.279
So we started out over the phone, and then it happened that I was there in person on the second call, and he said, Why don't we meet tonight?
00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:33.759
And we ended up uh sort of just ad lib meeting and this beer garden, and uh it was pretty interesting.
00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:39.199
He brought some slides, he talked to me about the company, and I think we really hit it off very well.
00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:46.959
Um, and it wasn't long after that that I was hired and um happy to be aboard and never looked back.
00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:48.720
No, never looked back.
00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:54.240
So, over the past eight years, how has your role evolved since joining the company?
00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:56.000
Yeah, good question.
00:04:56.160 --> 00:05:02.319
So, when I came into the company, it was the vice president of technical development in North America.
00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:07.920
So the role at that time had a lot of different groups that I was responsible for.
00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:17.439
So one was process planning, another was quality planning, uh, in addition, cost estimating, method planning, product development, RD.
00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:19.759
So there was a lot of different departments.
00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:30.319
It was good, it was kind of like trial by fire when I started because there was uh so many different things, different tasks, different teams, different groups to get used to in the company.
00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:32.399
But it was a great experience.
00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:39.199
Um, I had never led the cost estimation or process planning team prior when I worked at Magna.
00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:43.920
Uh RD and product development, yes, I had done that for several years.
00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:55.920
But it was really good to get to know the ground basics of how you put together a cost model, what goes into it, how the method plans get constructed.
00:05:56.160 --> 00:06:01.600
And of course, all of the pressure that comes with cost estimation because of the time.
00:06:01.759 --> 00:06:06.720
You know, the the customers and our sales team are always putting pressure on us.
00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:08.160
When will this quote be done?
00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:09.360
When will it be ready?
00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:15.680
So you're trying to do the yeah, you're trying to do like the best technical job that you can in the shortest amount of time.
00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:17.199
Oh, that's stressful.
00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:26.480
Yeah, it's it's stressful, but I have a ton of respect for everybody in that team, you know, today and back then who was doing that.
00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:31.920
Um since that time, you know, our company grew quite a bit on both sides of the ocean.
00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:37.040
Um, and as a result of growing, we've decided to kind of split the role.
00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:47.759
Uh, that was a couple of years ago, and we split it into the process planning side, which is estimating and process planning and the quality team, aside from RD and product development.
00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:52.240
So when that split took place, then I took over the global responsibilities.
00:06:52.399 --> 00:07:02.959
So I went from the local VP in North America to the global EVP, but for product development and RD only, not for the um all the other stuff.
00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:10.560
Because that's when Michael Eickert, my counterpart, he took over all the process planning as the global EVP of that department.
00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:19.279
So that makes uh makes it, I guess, a bit more specific, so you can focus more on your own expertise area.
00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:20.959
Yeah, that's right.
00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:30.399
And I think structurally for the company, it makes sense because when you look at RD and product development, that's something that you want to have the time to focus on.
00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:30.879
Yeah.
00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:44.079
Um, and if you're running the other half of it, if you're also running cost estimating and process planning, day by day, hour by hour, the wheels are always grinding there, you know, because they've got quotes that they've got to get done.
00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:54.800
And when I had all of it, the problem is that naturally you're gonna focus on the things that need today's attention, and you end up not having enough time to focus on product and RD.
00:07:54.959 --> 00:08:02.160
So it made sense to kind of split the role so that uh on one side we're focused directly on product development in RD.
00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:04.800
We can take the time necessary to focus on it.
00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:11.439
And then Michael Eichert, excellent job he's doing, running the day-to-day with the cost estimation and process planning.
00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:14.959
That's the better alternative than cloning you, I guess.
00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:16.879
You can't have two of you.
00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:20.319
Or have you in two different places at the same time.
00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:25.360
And last year, you made the decision to relocate to Germany.
00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:29.279
We miss you here in Aurora, but what led to that opportunity?
00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:35.360
Well, that was a conversation that started about six or seven months beforehand.
00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:38.080
So I moved over here at the beginning of January.
00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:48.960
But Torsten, who was our global CTO at the time, he talked to me when I was over here in person in May, and that's when the discussion started.
00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:56.080
And it started out with a shocker because I did not know and he had not announced that he was planning to retire.
00:08:56.399 --> 00:09:06.480
So he mentioned it to me when I was here last May, and he said, you know, I'll step out at the end of the year, keep it secret for now, but I'm going to step out.
00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:10.960
Heiko will move up and take over the global CTO position.
00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:18.960
And for you, we'd like to ask if you want to come over here to Germany to run global product development and RD.
00:09:19.120 --> 00:09:38.960
Now, I already was responsible for it, but the main reason was when you look at where the people are placed globally, we have probably 70% or so here in Europe, and the rest are spread between China and between Canada, which is Aurora and Troy.
00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:42.000
So the majority of the employees are over here.
00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:48.559
So it kind of made sense what Torsten was asking me to do, you know, to be over here where the majority of the people were.
00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:54.080
Plus, with Heiko taking over for Torsten, it's good for me to be nearby and close.
00:09:54.159 --> 00:09:55.679
It helps with the communication.
00:09:55.840 --> 00:10:00.480
So that was all part of the reasons why he had asked me to uh to do this.
00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:02.960
And how has it been so far?
00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:06.240
You know, you have your wife and your son.
00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:10.320
How was it just picking up and and moving over there?
00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:18.960
Yeah, it was it was easier to do the move, but it was difficult for the family because my family stayed behind.
00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:23.440
They didn't move over with me, and so doing the move was pretty simple.
00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:27.759
I mean, we searched for you know an apartment over here that's a very nice place.
00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:31.600
It's only three kilometers away, so it's five minutes from the office.
00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:34.080
Everything in that regard was really easy.
00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:39.519
And doing the move, the apartment was furnished, so I didn't have to worry about moving any furniture.
00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:43.440
I literally on January just came with two giant suitcases.
00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:47.120
Plump them down, and that's it.
00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:48.960
Then I was I was over here.
00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:53.519
But on the other side, for the family, it's a little bit tough, right?
00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:59.679
Because you know, my wife and my son, they're still back home, and obviously they miss me, I miss them.
00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:08.240
But what we do to try to make it a little easier is I go back every three, three months at the most, you know, I'm back over there.
00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:16.799
And when I'm there, I visit the Troy office, I visit the Aurora office, uh, spend time at home with family, and then vice versa.
00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:22.480
My wife and son, they have the ability to come over here, you know, once or twice a year.
00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:29.600
So I think the longest that we ever go apart is maybe six, seven, eight weeks at the at the most.
00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:39.600
And that still sounds like a long time, but you know, in my career, I've kind of gotten used to it a little bit because I've always been traveling um in my career.
00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:43.519
Um, so it's not that hard for us to to make it work.
00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:45.039
Yeah, they're used to it.
00:11:45.200 --> 00:11:48.159
And your son's older now, he's uh in university, right?
00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:48.960
That's right.
00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:54.240
He just started university and uh, you know, he chose electrical engineering, so I'm proud of that.
00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:55.200
Nice.
00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:56.559
Oh, very cool.
00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:59.200
And you studied mechanical engineering?
00:11:59.440 --> 00:11:59.919
That's right.
00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:05.279
I studied mechanical engineering and then automotive in the final year before my degree.
00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:16.080
Oh, and before that, you had a passion for music, or you probably still do, but you were going to pursue music as a career.
00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:19.360
How did you make that decision to go into automotive?
00:12:19.679 --> 00:12:28.960
Yeah, that was a difficult decision because um, you know, like like everybody, when you get to the end of high school, you need to kind of make a choice what you want to do, right?
00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:32.639
You have to decide, you know, are you gonna are you gonna go this direction?
00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:34.240
Are you gonna go that direction?
00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:37.679
And for me, the choice was kind of down to two things.
00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:40.879
I had studied music since I was five years old.
00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:47.360
Um, my mother was the one that kind of pushed me in that direction, put me with a piano teacher at the age of five.
00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:56.879
And over the years, between the age of five and eighteen, when I was finishing high school, I had gone through all the courses, you know, for learning piano at the in Canada.
00:12:56.960 --> 00:13:00.080
It's called the Royal Conservatory of Music.
00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:03.840
And I had got my teaching certificate at the time.
00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:11.679
And I thought, well, maybe I want to study music at the university, get a music degree to go along with my teaching certificate.
00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:12.159
Yeah.
00:13:12.399 --> 00:13:17.039
And I was trying to balance do I want to do that or do I want to go to engineering?
00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:18.799
Because my marks were good enough.
00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:24.960
And I had the prerequisite courses done for science in high school and mathematics.
00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:26.799
So I had done well in those.
00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:30.320
So both uh faculties were inviting me.
00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:36.080
Basically, I got the invitation, had to make a decision, had to clone yourself again.
00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:38.320
Yeah, exactly.
00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:49.200
So yeah, it wasn't easy because I thought, you know, my my strong passion was for music, although there was nothing wrong with engineering, math, or science.
00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:52.559
I like that too, and I have a technical mind all the same.
00:13:52.799 --> 00:14:03.039
Yeah, what ended up making the decision was a conversation with my parents, you know, where my my father came and he said, you know what, you're always going to have music, and you've already got your teaching certificate.
00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:14.799
Getting a music degree is nice, but if you compare that to getting an engineering degree, you've got an employable skill set, you know, for the future with an engineering degree.
00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:24.879
And he was right in the end, because when I got my engineering degree, like I mentioned, boom, I was hired, and within a week I was already working at uh Chrysler across the border.
00:14:25.200 --> 00:14:28.879
And I still yeah, so it was it was good advice.
00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:30.480
And I never gave up the music.
00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:36.480
I still still played piano, I still taught piano, and I really enjoyed doing that.
00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:48.720
I ended up giving up the teaching side of it a few years ago when I ended up spending so much time traveling, it wasn't really fair to the students anymore because I couldn't be in place, you know, in one spot to do the lessons.
00:14:48.799 --> 00:14:55.440
So I guess you can't do them virtually either with piano, you need to be in person kind of thing, right?
00:14:55.759 --> 00:15:01.600
It's helpful, yeah, if you're there in person because you want to kind of show them what they have to do on the on the keys.
00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:02.399
Yeah.
00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:04.159
Does your son play piano?
00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:05.600
Did you teach him how to play?
00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:06.480
You know what?
00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:12.720
I tried when he was younger, and I don't know, he never really had a strong liking to it.
00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:17.759
Um, he wanted to try guitar, he did a little bit of guitar lessons, but kind of fizzled out too.
00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:21.600
So yeah, he didn't uh he didn't really catch on too much to music.
00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:23.759
Uh so you still play now?
00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:28.559
Like will you just grab on the a piano and belt out a tune?
00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:33.440
Yeah, from from time to time when I get the chance, um, I do.
00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:38.879
A funny story is that I think a lot of people will know Cheng Zhang, our RD manager.
00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:45.759
So Cheng and I were at um the house of Arnt Kirchhoff, you know, one of our shareholders.
00:15:45.919 --> 00:15:49.919
It was a party and it was fall, and it was um it was a really good time.
00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:54.559
We had dinner there, it was a bit of a celebration, and then the party kind of died down.
00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:58.799
We were getting later in the evening until we were one of the last ones left.
00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:03.440
And Arnt has a piano in his main living area there.
00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:09.200
And so I just asked, I said, Hey, do you mind if I jump on the keys here and play a little bit?
00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:10.240
And that's what I did.
00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:15.360
And Shag was very excited, and he was standing beside me and saying, Can you play this one?
00:16:15.519 --> 00:16:16.000
Can you play?
00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:17.200
No way.
00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:19.519
That is amazing.
00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:22.080
Oh, I wish there was uh footage of that.
00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:24.240
That would be so fun to see.
00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:27.200
Yeah, it was a good time.
00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:34.879
That you're still tapping into it and you don't have any regrets about ever not going into music.
00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:48.000
No, um, maybe I had a few regrets in the early days, you know, when I was studying engineering and engineering was hard, the courses were hard, and you know, you get a lot of stress worrying about exams.
00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:50.639
And at times you think, man, why am I doing this?
00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:53.200
Maybe I should just drop out of this.
00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:57.200
It's so much more fun just to play music, to be in a band.
00:16:57.440 --> 00:17:02.879
And you always think, you know what, maybe I'll be famous and maybe I'll I'll be successful with my band.
00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:09.119
And especially when you're going through school and university and exams, it crosses your mind, right?
00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:14.720
That there's a let's say an easier, better, more fun life on the other side to go to music.
00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:23.759
It is crazy to think, though, I know in Canada anyway, like you have you're so young when you're deciding what you want to do for the rest of your life.
00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:36.240
Like, how do you let a 17-year-old choose their path at such a young age, which I always find so so odd, but it all worked out for you, which is great.
00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:44.000
And you've had a successful career, which has taken you all over the place, like Canada, US, Europe, China.
00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:53.200
And with your experience and seeing everything, how important do you think collaboration is across regions in a global company like ours?
00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:55.680
Oh, I think it's absolutely critical.
00:17:55.839 --> 00:17:57.440
It's extremely important.
00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:05.680
When you look at how connected um the world is today, number one, and then how connected the auto industry is today.
00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:15.440
You know, there's times when you'll go to a conference in China and you find people from North America that you know that are there, or the same thing in Munich, right?
00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:20.079
We go to the conferences in Munich and we see people that we know from all over the world.
00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:24.960
And as big as the industry is, it's amazing how interconnected it is.
00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:27.599
And the same goes for our company.
00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:40.720
You know, with the different regions that we have, um, I always enjoy talking to people from all around our company, from the different areas, whether that's you know, China, North America, Mexico, um, Poland.
00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:48.240
And it's amazing how similar we all are at heart, that everybody wants to do the best they can for the company.
00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:56.240
And the complexity is always the issue is how do we bring together people from so many continents and so many different regions?
00:18:56.480 --> 00:19:07.039
But I gotta say, we have a lot of extremely skilled people in our company and also able to share and able to help teach and train and learn from each other.
00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:14.079
And I'm always amazed every time we do, you know, joint workshops or global workshops and we bring everybody together.
00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:17.680
There's always things to learn from people in the other regions.
00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:21.200
And I really like that and I really appreciate that in the company.
00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:22.960
Yeah, no, it is true.
00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:29.920
Even though we are all so different, it is cool when we all come together and we all have the same goal, same vision, same values.
00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:35.279
Is there anything that you've learned from working with colleagues from different countries and cultures?
00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:37.599
You're taking uh some German lessons.
00:19:37.759 --> 00:19:38.960
How are those going?
00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:41.200
Yeah, that's going, it's going okay.
00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:46.720
I wish I could spend more time on it and uh and also I wish I could speak more during the day.
00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:55.200
So, what I'm trying to do right now is when we have meetings over here, and I'm the only, let's say, non-German speaker in the room.
00:19:55.440 --> 00:20:00.640
I usually tell the room, don't do the meeting in English, let's do the meeting in German.
00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:04.000
Gives me a chance to listen and try to learn words.
00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:11.680
Some people will see me on my computer here, feverishly typing, and they might think, hey, why isn't Mark paying attention to the meeting?
00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:13.359
But actually, I am.
00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:16.799
What I'm trying to do is I have my translator open.
00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:17.839
Oh my god.
00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:25.440
And when I hear words that I don't recognize, I'm trying to quickly type them in and then register them and try to learn the words in that way.
00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:27.920
So oh, that's so smart.
00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:32.480
So PSA, everyone who's in a meeting with Mark, he is paying attention.
00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:34.559
He's just a translator.
00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:35.279
That's right.
00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:38.960
I'm trying my best to learn the language while listening at the same time.
00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:46.400
And looking ahead at the automotive industry, what excites you the most?
00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:48.640
Oh, there's there's a lot of things.
00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:58.720
But when you look, there are changes going on in the industry right now that are going to, let's say, shape the future for the next 15, 20 years and beyond.
00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:02.480
So the big, big uh call it like macro changes that are coming.
00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:04.000
Number one, electrification.
00:21:04.160 --> 00:21:05.359
Everybody sees it, right?
00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:11.759
The cars are getting more electrified, meaning more electric vehicles on the road year after year.
00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:19.519
At some point in the future, I don't know when, if it's 15 years from now or 20 years from now, that's what we're gonna have, is all electric cars.
00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:26.880
So the transition is very interesting to see because it's not occurring equally in each region of the world.
00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:29.759
Some regions are slower, some are faster.
00:21:29.920 --> 00:21:36.960
Uh, and the technology coming out of different countries is also more advanced in some areas and less advanced in others.
00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:42.720
But it's amazing to see how quickly the industry is pushing for that change.
00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:44.000
Uh, that's one.
00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:52.000
And then there's a second one that just popped in my head is autonomous driving, driving where the vehicle's driving on its own.
00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:58.319
And I yeah, I think that's that's a really it's scary for a lot of people, right?
00:21:59.279 --> 00:21:59.839
I can't think of it.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:00.559
About it.
00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:06.799
Think about like turning the control of the car completely over to the car itself, right?
00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:10.960
Instead of you trying to to steer and to drive the vehicle.
00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:30.400
And I don't know if people will be able to take a nap in the back seat or they'll be so nervous at first that they're No, it's kind of like when I'm on an airplane, even though I am not flying the plane, I'm up, but I'm I'm looking, I'm anxious, and I feel like I'd be that way with an autonomous vehicle for sure.
00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:32.319
It's just it's a scary thought.
00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:38.079
But right now, if we listen to this podcast 20 years from now, maybe we'll be laughing at ourselves.
00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:38.480
I don't know.
00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:38.960
Yeah.
00:22:39.119 --> 00:22:46.000
Or maybe our kids or grandchildren will think, man, they were so old fashioned back then, they couldn't get over their fear.
00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:47.440
Exactly.
00:22:47.680 --> 00:22:58.319
So when you look at the younger engineers that are just starting out in the industry now, like our kids and our grandkids and down the line, what advice would you give them?
00:22:58.480 --> 00:23:02.079
Because it's a totally different world than than when you started.
00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:04.960
Yeah, uh that that's a really good question.
00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:09.039
I mean, when I came in, it was probably a lot easier.
00:23:09.119 --> 00:23:14.079
So the first thing I tell them is it's a lot harder today to come into the field.
00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:17.279
Um, I think the job market has gotten a lot harder.
00:23:17.359 --> 00:23:21.759
Uh, the competition has gotten a lot stiffer, you know, from around the world.
00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:24.640
We live in such a competitive world.
00:23:24.799 --> 00:23:30.880
Um, and I think that maybe can grind on especially the younger people when they first come in.
00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:37.039
So I think one of the things I would tell them is that we, the older people, we need to be there to support them.
00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:41.200
We have to be there to help them, to encourage them, to guide them.
00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:47.599
They're gonna go through rough patches, they're gonna feel that competitive pressure, they're gonna feel that job stress.
00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:50.559
It creeps in inevitably, right, for all of us.
00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:52.480
Um, and we need to be there for them.
00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:55.359
We've got to be there to support them and help them along.
00:23:55.519 --> 00:24:05.279
But I would say as long as they stay, you know, true and work hard, do the best that they can, there is always gonna be people to help mentor them and help them through, especially at this company.
00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:17.839
If we're talking about at Kirchhoff, we've got a great, you know, company culture, a lot of people that are there in the background with a lot of experience to help the next generation develop and make their way up and into the company.
00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:21.839
Yeah, I know, especially now it's uh the summer interns.
00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:27.119
We had a lot this season and we had a few in RD over here, which was nice.
00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:35.839
And it's it's cool to see everything come full circle when you have the youngers and the older generation coming together, like to see it.
00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:44.240
And you know, I like when you talk to the younger students too, sometimes they can think out of the box because they haven't been in our box very much, right?
00:24:44.319 --> 00:24:47.279
They're not stuck in the ways that we think about things.
00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:56.000
Sometimes uh they give you great ideas that come out of the box, other times makes me laugh because they give you something funny to think about that we never thought about before.
00:24:56.160 --> 00:25:01.920
So, all in all, that's I really enjoy the students and the younger ones because they're not molded yet, right?
00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:09.599
They haven't formed into that closed box, and they can sometimes give you ideas that are worth looking into and worth investigating.
00:25:09.839 --> 00:25:10.240
Totally.
00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:13.680
Yeah, they have a fresh, fresh perspective, which is always good.
00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:18.559
They're always evolving, always adapting, even with AI and stuff now.
00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:24.559
I feel everything is moving so quickly, which is good and bad.
00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:25.839
That's true, yeah.
00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:28.559
It's getting getting faster and faster all the time.
00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:29.039
Yeah.
00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:34.720
So when you're not working and you have some downtime, what do you like to do?
00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:38.720
Like, what are you doing in Germany right now when you're you're not at work?
00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:47.440
Well, I like to read books and more and more now I like to listen to podcasts online, whether it's on YouTube or some of the other sites that are out there.
00:25:47.680 --> 00:25:50.079
And you know, if people say, Well, what are your interests?
00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:51.359
What are you interested in?
00:25:51.599 --> 00:26:04.400
A lot of the time I'm following politics, I like to follow music, I like to follow astronomy, things like that, you know, or astronomical discoveries, sometimes history as well and archaeology.
00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:09.440
Yeah, today I would say we have so much access that we never had when we were younger.
00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:15.680
We used to have to go to the library, you remember, and open up a book, and we would have to read that book today.
00:26:16.160 --> 00:26:17.359
Encyclopedia.
00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:23.599
Yeah, and today, I mean, you just search on Google or you go onto these podcast sites, and the topics are endless.
00:26:23.759 --> 00:26:27.839
You can find anything that you might be interested in about learning.
00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:28.559
And I love that.
00:26:28.640 --> 00:26:35.759
I like learning more either with his history, astronomy, um, archaeology, all of those different topics.
00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:37.599
Yeah, no, there's so many.
00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:42.799
There was actually a a lunar eclipse here in Canada the other night.
00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:44.799
It was kind of cool to see.
00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:46.400
Did they have that in Germany?
00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:47.599
Was it the same thing?
00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:53.759
I don't know if it was over here, but uh I remember, was it a solar eclipse that was a couple of years ago?
00:26:53.920 --> 00:26:56.079
Yeah, over in in Canada.
00:26:56.400 --> 00:27:01.440
And my wife and I actually I was working from home that day, and it was somewhere around lunchtime, if I remember.
00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:02.880
And we went outside.
00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:12.960
Man, was it eerie because the the sky got so dark and the birds and the all the call wildlife that was around, everything got quiet.
00:27:13.119 --> 00:27:18.559
It was extremely eerie because it just comes and then a few minutes later it kind of gets back bright again.
00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:20.559
So really cool experience.
00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:21.680
Yeah, yeah.
00:27:21.839 --> 00:27:22.720
No, that's cool.
00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:31.200
But my last question for you, which is what I ask everybody on the show what is your dream car and why?
00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:34.400
Oh, my dream car.
00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:45.440
I'd have to think there are so many cars that I that I really like, but if money wasn't an object, I probably would go for a Porsche 911.
00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:48.000
Um, but it would need to be red.
00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:48.640
Oh.
00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:52.640
And it would need to have the the bright, shiny aluminum wheels.
00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:56.319
I don't really like blacked-out, you know, a lot of guys like the blacked out look.
00:27:56.559 --> 00:27:59.759
Yeah, still a little bit old school, but oh, I I love it.
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:05.440
Um, when I was younger, the reason I I can give a little backstory, why would I choose the the 9-11?
00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:06.400
Why?
00:28:06.720 --> 00:28:22.480
Yeah, when I was younger, a teenager, um my father had a guy who was a friend of his who bought an old, I think it was a 1972 Porsche 9-11 uh Carrera or Targa.
00:28:22.559 --> 00:28:24.559
I think it was a Targa was the name of it.
00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:26.160
And man, it was beautiful.
00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:27.519
So he fixed it all up.
00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:30.240
It started out, it was kind of a little bit ugly and rusted.
00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:33.759
But by the time he was done, that thing was beautiful.
00:28:33.920 --> 00:28:37.119
And he came over to our house and he asked, Do you want to come for a ride in it?
00:28:37.279 --> 00:28:40.240
And we did, and he took me out on some back roads.
00:28:40.480 --> 00:28:44.400
And, you know, I had never been call it like sport driving like that before.
00:28:44.480 --> 00:28:49.279
And yeah, that was the first time I was a young teenager, and I fell in love with that car.
00:28:49.359 --> 00:28:52.400
I mean, he showed me the engine, they were air-cooled back then, right?
00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:58.559
The cars were weren't cooled with liquid, and he showed me the motor, he showed me the drivetrain.
00:28:58.799 --> 00:29:03.920
Um, I couldn't drive it because I was too young at the time, but I just fell in love with those cars.
00:29:04.079 --> 00:29:10.319
And you know, even when I was coming up through university, I used to keep posters of 9-11s up on the wall in my room there.
00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:12.720
Oh my gosh.
00:29:12.880 --> 00:29:14.559
Have you ever driven one?
00:29:14.880 --> 00:29:16.640
Uh yes, yes, I did.
00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:25.599
Uh, I had a chance when I worked at Chrysler, we had competitor cars that were kept in uh a certain area in Auburn Hills.
00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:30.640
Um and I had the chance to take one of these Porsche 911s out on the track.
00:29:30.799 --> 00:29:37.839
Now I don't know which Chrysler car was competing with the 11, but for some reason we had one.
00:29:38.079 --> 00:29:41.359
And I got it, I got a chance to take it on the Chrysler track.
00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:43.599
There's a track there in Auburn Hills and take it around.
00:29:43.759 --> 00:29:45.519
And man, that was so much fun.
00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:48.559
Um's Auburn Hills.
00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:52.160
Uh Auburn Hills is about 15 minutes north of Troy.
00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:52.960
Oh, okay.
00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:56.960
So still in that vicinity of motor city.
00:29:57.359 --> 00:30:00.160
Yeah, it's in that in the local area there.
00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:01.359
It was so great.
00:30:01.440 --> 00:30:13.359
And you know, one day, if I ever have enough money saved up, maybe by the time I retire, and if I can convince my wife that we can use a second car, then yeah, uh, that'll be the first purchase.
00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:19.440
Maybe there's always something she says, which is more important than buying a Porsche 9-11.
00:30:19.519 --> 00:30:21.039
So we haven't managed to get one.
00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:23.119
There's always something to do, right?
00:30:23.359 --> 00:30:23.599
That's right.
00:30:23.759 --> 00:30:24.079
Down the road.
00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:28.319
Yes.
00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:29.759
Well, I hope so.
00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:37.119
Um, Mark, uh, before we wrap up, is there anything that you would like to share with our colleagues?
00:30:37.440 --> 00:30:46.799
The first thing that comes into my mind is, you know, we're going through a lot of, you know, tough, tough times right now, especially with all these trade tariffs and everything going on.
00:30:46.960 --> 00:30:49.839
And I think a lot of people are worried about the future.
00:30:50.079 --> 00:31:03.759
And the thing that I would say is that if we all stick together and and we all work together as a team, I don't think any other supplier will stop us or compete with us and our future remains strong.
00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:07.279
You know, we stay focused on the task ahead and the goals.
00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:10.079
I think we have a great chance for for the future.
00:31:10.799 --> 00:31:11.920
Yeah, I love that.
00:31:12.079 --> 00:31:13.119
That is great advice.
00:31:13.279 --> 00:31:15.119
Very positive and uplifting.
00:31:15.279 --> 00:31:19.599
Mark, thank you so much for joining me today and for sharing your story.
00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:23.519
And to everyone listening, thank you for tuning in to K Voices.
00:31:23.680 --> 00:31:30.720
If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to follow along for future conversations with colleagues from across our global organization.
00:31:31.119 --> 00:31:34.960
Until next time, I'm Natasha Philpot, and this has been K Voices.
00:00:00.959 --> 00:00:07.919
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to K Voices, the podcast where we introduce you to the people behind Kirchhoff Automotive.
00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:18.879
I'm Natasha Philpot, and today I'm joined by someone whose career journey has taken him from Canada and the US to now Germany, all while helping shape the future of automotive engineering.
00:00:19.359 --> 00:00:33.679
Mark joined Kirchhoff Automotive in 2018, and since then he's helped strengthen connections between our North American and European teams and recently relocated to Germany for a three-year assignment to work more closely with the global engineering team.
00:00:34.079 --> 00:00:36.719
But Mark's story goes far beyond engineering.
00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:43.200
Before becoming an automotive leader, he was a certified piano teacher and someone who nearly chose music as a career.
00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:50.799
Today he'll share how curiosity, creativity, and a willingness to learn have shaped both his personal and professional journey.
00:00:51.119 --> 00:00:53.359
So, Mark, welcome to K Voices.
00:00:53.439 --> 00:00:54.240
Thanks for coming on.
00:00:54.640 --> 00:00:55.439
Thanks, Natasha.
00:00:55.520 --> 00:00:56.399
Happy to be here.
00:00:57.039 --> 00:00:57.679
Excellent.
00:00:57.840 --> 00:00:59.200
So let's start at the beginning.
00:00:59.280 --> 00:01:05.680
You joined Kirchhoff Automotive in 2018 after spending several years at one of our competitors.
00:01:05.920 --> 00:01:08.159
Tell us how you found your way to us.
00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:10.959
Well, it was an interesting, an interesting journey.
00:01:11.120 --> 00:01:16.000
So, you know, if I go a little bit back to how my career began, uh, I'm Canadian.
00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:19.040
You know, I grew up in Canada, went to school in Canada.
00:01:19.200 --> 00:01:23.840
Um, university was in my hometown, it was the University of Windsor.
00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:29.680
And I think a lot of people know that, you know, Windsor is very heavy in the automobile industry.
00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:33.680
So that was uh that was kind of why I got into engineering.
00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:38.480
It's why I studied engineering at schools, more or less to focus on the automotive field.
00:01:38.640 --> 00:01:46.640
And then from there, I um I graduated and within a week of graduation, I was working across the border in Detroit for Stillantis.
00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:49.840
In the old days, it was called uh Daimler Chrysler.
00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:54.799
It was uh run by Mercedes back then, but today we call it Stillantis.
00:01:55.040 --> 00:02:02.959
And I was there for oh, about eight or nine years and then switched over to a supplier, which is uh Magna.
00:02:03.200 --> 00:02:06.799
And that was my previous company before I joined Kirchhoff.
00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:09.680
So working at Magna, I had different roles.
00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:14.719
I was in charge of RD for part of the time, product development.
00:02:14.879 --> 00:02:20.000
Um, I managed the team both in Germany and in Canada for some time.
00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:26.560
And then, yeah, the opportunity came up in 2018 to join Kirchhoff, and that's what I did.
00:02:26.719 --> 00:02:29.199
So I was excited to come on board.
00:02:29.280 --> 00:02:36.560
And obviously, I was posted to Aurora because that's where most of our development tasks are uh for product development.
00:02:36.639 --> 00:02:43.919
And at the time I had cost estimation as well, process planning, quality, and um, and product development in RD.
00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:55.599
So yeah, then I moved over to uh the Aurora office and got to meet all of the great people that we have there, and uh yeah, it's been uh a whirlwind eight years, I would say.
00:02:55.919 --> 00:02:57.680
Went by extremely quickly.
00:02:58.000 --> 00:02:59.280
Yeah, that's crazy.
00:02:59.439 --> 00:03:00.319
2018.
00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:06.879
So you are from Windsor, which is for those who don't know, just across the border is the US.
00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:10.159
So that's like a big hub for the automotive industry.
00:03:10.319 --> 00:03:15.039
So that's really cool that you got to be right in there where all the action is.
00:03:15.520 --> 00:03:23.840
And it's fitting that you did get to come and work in the automotive industry and how you got here is is an interesting story.
00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:28.400
Your first interview with us took place in a beer garden.
00:03:28.560 --> 00:03:30.240
Can you tell us more about that?
00:03:30.960 --> 00:03:31.599
That's right.
00:03:31.759 --> 00:03:42.479
So back in the summer of 2018, the first person that I met in person while interviewing was Heiko, uh, who is now our global CTO.
00:03:42.800 --> 00:03:50.000
And it just happened that we were talking on the phone, and I was in Germany at the time working for Magna.
00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:56.000
I was on a business trip, so I was over in Germany, and Heiko said, Hey, where are you at in Germany?
00:03:56.159 --> 00:04:00.240
So I named the town, and uh, I knew obviously that they were in Attendorn.
00:04:00.479 --> 00:04:02.719
And he said, You're only about an hour away from us.
00:04:02.800 --> 00:04:04.479
Why don't we meet somewhere in the middle?
00:04:04.639 --> 00:04:11.759
So we ended up picking a beer garden, and so my first introduction was uh having pizza and beer with Heiko in the beer garden.
00:04:11.840 --> 00:04:14.000
That was my first intro to Kirchhoff.
00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:16.639
And Heiko How did you know Heiko though?
00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:19.839
How did Well I only knew him from uh an initial interview?
00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:27.279
So we started out over the phone, and then it happened that I was there in person on the second call, and he said, Why don't we meet tonight?
00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:33.759
And we ended up uh sort of just ad lib meeting and this beer garden, and uh it was pretty interesting.
00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:39.199
He brought some slides, he talked to me about the company, and I think we really hit it off very well.
00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:46.959
Um, and it wasn't long after that that I was hired and um happy to be aboard and never looked back.
00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:48.720
No, never looked back.
00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:54.240
So, over the past eight years, how has your role evolved since joining the company?
00:04:54.879 --> 00:04:56.000
Yeah, good question.
00:04:56.160 --> 00:05:02.319
So, when I came into the company, it was the vice president of technical development in North America.
00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:07.920
So the role at that time had a lot of different groups that I was responsible for.
00:05:08.079 --> 00:05:17.439
So one was process planning, another was quality planning, uh, in addition, cost estimating, method planning, product development, RD.
00:05:17.600 --> 00:05:19.759
So there was a lot of different departments.
00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:30.319
It was good, it was kind of like trial by fire when I started because there was uh so many different things, different tasks, different teams, different groups to get used to in the company.
00:05:30.480 --> 00:05:32.399
But it was a great experience.
00:05:32.560 --> 00:05:39.199
Um, I had never led the cost estimation or process planning team prior when I worked at Magna.
00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:43.920
Uh RD and product development, yes, I had done that for several years.
00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:55.920
But it was really good to get to know the ground basics of how you put together a cost model, what goes into it, how the method plans get constructed.
00:05:56.160 --> 00:06:01.600
And of course, all of the pressure that comes with cost estimation because of the time.
00:06:01.759 --> 00:06:06.720
You know, the the customers and our sales team are always putting pressure on us.
00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:08.160
When will this quote be done?
00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:09.360
When will it be ready?
00:06:09.600 --> 00:06:15.680
So you're trying to do the yeah, you're trying to do like the best technical job that you can in the shortest amount of time.
00:06:16.000 --> 00:06:17.199
Oh, that's stressful.
00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:26.480
Yeah, it's it's stressful, but I have a ton of respect for everybody in that team, you know, today and back then who was doing that.
00:06:26.639 --> 00:06:31.920
Um since that time, you know, our company grew quite a bit on both sides of the ocean.
00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:37.040
Um, and as a result of growing, we've decided to kind of split the role.
00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:47.759
Uh, that was a couple of years ago, and we split it into the process planning side, which is estimating and process planning and the quality team, aside from RD and product development.
00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:52.240
So when that split took place, then I took over the global responsibilities.
00:06:52.399 --> 00:07:02.959
So I went from the local VP in North America to the global EVP, but for product development and RD only, not for the um all the other stuff.
00:07:03.040 --> 00:07:10.560
Because that's when Michael Eickert, my counterpart, he took over all the process planning as the global EVP of that department.
00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:19.279
So that makes uh makes it, I guess, a bit more specific, so you can focus more on your own expertise area.
00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:20.959
Yeah, that's right.
00:07:21.199 --> 00:07:30.399
And I think structurally for the company, it makes sense because when you look at RD and product development, that's something that you want to have the time to focus on.
00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:30.879
Yeah.
00:07:31.120 --> 00:07:44.079
Um, and if you're running the other half of it, if you're also running cost estimating and process planning, day by day, hour by hour, the wheels are always grinding there, you know, because they've got quotes that they've got to get done.
00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:54.800
And when I had all of it, the problem is that naturally you're gonna focus on the things that need today's attention, and you end up not having enough time to focus on product and RD.
00:07:54.959 --> 00:08:02.160
So it made sense to kind of split the role so that uh on one side we're focused directly on product development in RD.
00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:04.800
We can take the time necessary to focus on it.
00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:11.439
And then Michael Eichert, excellent job he's doing, running the day-to-day with the cost estimation and process planning.
00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:14.959
That's the better alternative than cloning you, I guess.
00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:16.879
You can't have two of you.
00:08:17.600 --> 00:08:20.319
Or have you in two different places at the same time.
00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:25.360
And last year, you made the decision to relocate to Germany.
00:08:25.680 --> 00:08:29.279
We miss you here in Aurora, but what led to that opportunity?
00:08:29.680 --> 00:08:35.360
Well, that was a conversation that started about six or seven months beforehand.
00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:38.080
So I moved over here at the beginning of January.
00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:48.960
But Torsten, who was our global CTO at the time, he talked to me when I was over here in person in May, and that's when the discussion started.
00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:56.080
And it started out with a shocker because I did not know and he had not announced that he was planning to retire.
00:08:56.399 --> 00:09:06.480
So he mentioned it to me when I was here last May, and he said, you know, I'll step out at the end of the year, keep it secret for now, but I'm going to step out.
00:09:06.720 --> 00:09:10.960
Heiko will move up and take over the global CTO position.
00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:18.960
And for you, we'd like to ask if you want to come over here to Germany to run global product development and RD.
00:09:19.120 --> 00:09:38.960
Now, I already was responsible for it, but the main reason was when you look at where the people are placed globally, we have probably 70% or so here in Europe, and the rest are spread between China and between Canada, which is Aurora and Troy.
00:09:39.200 --> 00:09:42.000
So the majority of the employees are over here.
00:09:42.080 --> 00:09:48.559
So it kind of made sense what Torsten was asking me to do, you know, to be over here where the majority of the people were.
00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:54.080
Plus, with Heiko taking over for Torsten, it's good for me to be nearby and close.
00:09:54.159 --> 00:09:55.679
It helps with the communication.
00:09:55.840 --> 00:10:00.480
So that was all part of the reasons why he had asked me to uh to do this.
00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:02.960
And how has it been so far?
00:10:03.120 --> 00:10:06.240
You know, you have your wife and your son.
00:10:06.399 --> 00:10:10.320
How was it just picking up and and moving over there?
00:10:11.279 --> 00:10:18.960
Yeah, it was it was easier to do the move, but it was difficult for the family because my family stayed behind.
00:10:19.120 --> 00:10:23.440
They didn't move over with me, and so doing the move was pretty simple.
00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:27.759
I mean, we searched for you know an apartment over here that's a very nice place.
00:10:27.840 --> 00:10:31.600
It's only three kilometers away, so it's five minutes from the office.
00:10:31.840 --> 00:10:34.080
Everything in that regard was really easy.
00:10:34.159 --> 00:10:39.519
And doing the move, the apartment was furnished, so I didn't have to worry about moving any furniture.
00:10:39.679 --> 00:10:43.440
I literally on January just came with two giant suitcases.
00:10:45.120 --> 00:10:47.120
Plump them down, and that's it.
00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:48.960
Then I was I was over here.
00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:53.519
But on the other side, for the family, it's a little bit tough, right?
00:10:53.679 --> 00:10:59.679
Because you know, my wife and my son, they're still back home, and obviously they miss me, I miss them.
00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:08.240
But what we do to try to make it a little easier is I go back every three, three months at the most, you know, I'm back over there.
00:11:08.399 --> 00:11:16.799
And when I'm there, I visit the Troy office, I visit the Aurora office, uh, spend time at home with family, and then vice versa.
00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:22.480
My wife and son, they have the ability to come over here, you know, once or twice a year.
00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:29.600
So I think the longest that we ever go apart is maybe six, seven, eight weeks at the at the most.
00:11:29.919 --> 00:11:39.600
And that still sounds like a long time, but you know, in my career, I've kind of gotten used to it a little bit because I've always been traveling um in my career.
00:11:39.840 --> 00:11:43.519
Um, so it's not that hard for us to to make it work.
00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:45.039
Yeah, they're used to it.
00:11:45.200 --> 00:11:48.159
And your son's older now, he's uh in university, right?
00:11:48.480 --> 00:11:48.960
That's right.
00:11:49.120 --> 00:11:54.240
He just started university and uh, you know, he chose electrical engineering, so I'm proud of that.
00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:55.200
Nice.
00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:56.559
Oh, very cool.
00:11:56.720 --> 00:11:59.200
And you studied mechanical engineering?
00:11:59.440 --> 00:11:59.919
That's right.
00:12:00.080 --> 00:12:05.279
I studied mechanical engineering and then automotive in the final year before my degree.
00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:16.080
Oh, and before that, you had a passion for music, or you probably still do, but you were going to pursue music as a career.
00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:19.360
How did you make that decision to go into automotive?
00:12:19.679 --> 00:12:28.960
Yeah, that was a difficult decision because um, you know, like like everybody, when you get to the end of high school, you need to kind of make a choice what you want to do, right?
00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:32.639
You have to decide, you know, are you gonna are you gonna go this direction?
00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:34.240
Are you gonna go that direction?
00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:37.679
And for me, the choice was kind of down to two things.
00:12:37.919 --> 00:12:40.879
I had studied music since I was five years old.
00:12:40.960 --> 00:12:47.360
Um, my mother was the one that kind of pushed me in that direction, put me with a piano teacher at the age of five.
00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:56.879
And over the years, between the age of five and eighteen, when I was finishing high school, I had gone through all the courses, you know, for learning piano at the in Canada.
00:12:56.960 --> 00:13:00.080
It's called the Royal Conservatory of Music.
00:13:00.240 --> 00:13:03.840
And I had got my teaching certificate at the time.
00:13:03.919 --> 00:13:11.679
And I thought, well, maybe I want to study music at the university, get a music degree to go along with my teaching certificate.
00:13:11.919 --> 00:13:12.159
Yeah.
00:13:12.399 --> 00:13:17.039
And I was trying to balance do I want to do that or do I want to go to engineering?
00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:18.799
Because my marks were good enough.
00:13:18.879 --> 00:13:24.960
And I had the prerequisite courses done for science in high school and mathematics.
00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:26.799
So I had done well in those.
00:13:26.960 --> 00:13:30.320
So both uh faculties were inviting me.
00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:36.080
Basically, I got the invitation, had to make a decision, had to clone yourself again.
00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:38.320
Yeah, exactly.
00:13:39.440 --> 00:13:49.200
So yeah, it wasn't easy because I thought, you know, my my strong passion was for music, although there was nothing wrong with engineering, math, or science.
00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:52.559
I like that too, and I have a technical mind all the same.
00:13:52.799 --> 00:14:03.039
Yeah, what ended up making the decision was a conversation with my parents, you know, where my my father came and he said, you know what, you're always going to have music, and you've already got your teaching certificate.
00:14:03.360 --> 00:14:14.799
Getting a music degree is nice, but if you compare that to getting an engineering degree, you've got an employable skill set, you know, for the future with an engineering degree.
00:14:15.039 --> 00:14:24.879
And he was right in the end, because when I got my engineering degree, like I mentioned, boom, I was hired, and within a week I was already working at uh Chrysler across the border.
00:14:25.200 --> 00:14:28.879
And I still yeah, so it was it was good advice.
00:14:28.960 --> 00:14:30.480
And I never gave up the music.
00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:36.480
I still still played piano, I still taught piano, and I really enjoyed doing that.
00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:48.720
I ended up giving up the teaching side of it a few years ago when I ended up spending so much time traveling, it wasn't really fair to the students anymore because I couldn't be in place, you know, in one spot to do the lessons.
00:14:48.799 --> 00:14:55.440
So I guess you can't do them virtually either with piano, you need to be in person kind of thing, right?
00:14:55.759 --> 00:15:01.600
It's helpful, yeah, if you're there in person because you want to kind of show them what they have to do on the on the keys.
00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:02.399
Yeah.
00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:04.159
Does your son play piano?
00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:05.600
Did you teach him how to play?
00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:06.480
You know what?
00:15:06.639 --> 00:15:12.720
I tried when he was younger, and I don't know, he never really had a strong liking to it.
00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:17.759
Um, he wanted to try guitar, he did a little bit of guitar lessons, but kind of fizzled out too.
00:15:17.919 --> 00:15:21.600
So yeah, he didn't uh he didn't really catch on too much to music.
00:15:21.919 --> 00:15:23.759
Uh so you still play now?
00:15:23.919 --> 00:15:28.559
Like will you just grab on the a piano and belt out a tune?
00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:33.440
Yeah, from from time to time when I get the chance, um, I do.
00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:38.879
A funny story is that I think a lot of people will know Cheng Zhang, our RD manager.
00:15:39.120 --> 00:15:45.759
So Cheng and I were at um the house of Arnt Kirchhoff, you know, one of our shareholders.
00:15:45.919 --> 00:15:49.919
It was a party and it was fall, and it was um it was a really good time.
00:15:50.080 --> 00:15:54.559
We had dinner there, it was a bit of a celebration, and then the party kind of died down.
00:15:54.720 --> 00:15:58.799
We were getting later in the evening until we were one of the last ones left.
00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:03.440
And Arnt has a piano in his main living area there.
00:16:03.919 --> 00:16:09.200
And so I just asked, I said, Hey, do you mind if I jump on the keys here and play a little bit?
00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:10.240
And that's what I did.
00:16:10.320 --> 00:16:15.360
And Shag was very excited, and he was standing beside me and saying, Can you play this one?
00:16:15.519 --> 00:16:16.000
Can you play?
00:16:16.559 --> 00:16:17.200
No way.
00:16:18.000 --> 00:16:19.519
That is amazing.
00:16:19.759 --> 00:16:22.080
Oh, I wish there was uh footage of that.
00:16:22.240 --> 00:16:24.240
That would be so fun to see.
00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:27.200
Yeah, it was a good time.
00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:34.879
That you're still tapping into it and you don't have any regrets about ever not going into music.
00:16:35.600 --> 00:16:48.000
No, um, maybe I had a few regrets in the early days, you know, when I was studying engineering and engineering was hard, the courses were hard, and you know, you get a lot of stress worrying about exams.
00:16:48.159 --> 00:16:50.639
And at times you think, man, why am I doing this?
00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:53.200
Maybe I should just drop out of this.
00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:57.200
It's so much more fun just to play music, to be in a band.
00:16:57.440 --> 00:17:02.879
And you always think, you know what, maybe I'll be famous and maybe I'll I'll be successful with my band.
00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:09.119
And especially when you're going through school and university and exams, it crosses your mind, right?
00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:14.720
That there's a let's say an easier, better, more fun life on the other side to go to music.
00:17:16.079 --> 00:17:23.759
It is crazy to think, though, I know in Canada anyway, like you have you're so young when you're deciding what you want to do for the rest of your life.
00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:36.240
Like, how do you let a 17-year-old choose their path at such a young age, which I always find so so odd, but it all worked out for you, which is great.
00:17:36.400 --> 00:17:44.000
And you've had a successful career, which has taken you all over the place, like Canada, US, Europe, China.
00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:53.200
And with your experience and seeing everything, how important do you think collaboration is across regions in a global company like ours?
00:17:53.519 --> 00:17:55.680
Oh, I think it's absolutely critical.
00:17:55.839 --> 00:17:57.440
It's extremely important.
00:17:57.680 --> 00:18:05.680
When you look at how connected um the world is today, number one, and then how connected the auto industry is today.
00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:15.440
You know, there's times when you'll go to a conference in China and you find people from North America that you know that are there, or the same thing in Munich, right?
00:18:15.599 --> 00:18:20.079
We go to the conferences in Munich and we see people that we know from all over the world.
00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:24.960
And as big as the industry is, it's amazing how interconnected it is.
00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:27.599
And the same goes for our company.
00:18:27.839 --> 00:18:40.720
You know, with the different regions that we have, um, I always enjoy talking to people from all around our company, from the different areas, whether that's you know, China, North America, Mexico, um, Poland.
00:18:41.200 --> 00:18:48.240
And it's amazing how similar we all are at heart, that everybody wants to do the best they can for the company.
00:18:48.480 --> 00:18:56.240
And the complexity is always the issue is how do we bring together people from so many continents and so many different regions?
00:18:56.480 --> 00:19:07.039
But I gotta say, we have a lot of extremely skilled people in our company and also able to share and able to help teach and train and learn from each other.
00:19:07.279 --> 00:19:14.079
And I'm always amazed every time we do, you know, joint workshops or global workshops and we bring everybody together.
00:19:14.240 --> 00:19:17.680
There's always things to learn from people in the other regions.
00:19:17.759 --> 00:19:21.200
And I really like that and I really appreciate that in the company.
00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:22.960
Yeah, no, it is true.
00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:29.920
Even though we are all so different, it is cool when we all come together and we all have the same goal, same vision, same values.
00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:35.279
Is there anything that you've learned from working with colleagues from different countries and cultures?
00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:37.599
You're taking uh some German lessons.
00:19:37.759 --> 00:19:38.960
How are those going?
00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:41.200
Yeah, that's going, it's going okay.
00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:46.720
I wish I could spend more time on it and uh and also I wish I could speak more during the day.
00:19:46.880 --> 00:19:55.200
So, what I'm trying to do right now is when we have meetings over here, and I'm the only, let's say, non-German speaker in the room.
00:19:55.440 --> 00:20:00.640
I usually tell the room, don't do the meeting in English, let's do the meeting in German.
00:20:00.880 --> 00:20:04.000
Gives me a chance to listen and try to learn words.
00:20:04.240 --> 00:20:11.680
Some people will see me on my computer here, feverishly typing, and they might think, hey, why isn't Mark paying attention to the meeting?
00:20:11.920 --> 00:20:13.359
But actually, I am.
00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:16.799
What I'm trying to do is I have my translator open.
00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:17.839
Oh my god.
00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:25.440
And when I hear words that I don't recognize, I'm trying to quickly type them in and then register them and try to learn the words in that way.
00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:27.920
So oh, that's so smart.
00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:32.480
So PSA, everyone who's in a meeting with Mark, he is paying attention.
00:20:32.559 --> 00:20:34.559
He's just a translator.
00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:35.279
That's right.
00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:38.960
I'm trying my best to learn the language while listening at the same time.
00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:46.400
And looking ahead at the automotive industry, what excites you the most?
00:20:46.880 --> 00:20:48.640
Oh, there's there's a lot of things.
00:20:48.720 --> 00:20:58.720
But when you look, there are changes going on in the industry right now that are going to, let's say, shape the future for the next 15, 20 years and beyond.
00:20:58.960 --> 00:21:02.480
So the big, big uh call it like macro changes that are coming.
00:21:02.640 --> 00:21:04.000
Number one, electrification.
00:21:04.160 --> 00:21:05.359
Everybody sees it, right?
00:21:05.519 --> 00:21:11.759
The cars are getting more electrified, meaning more electric vehicles on the road year after year.
00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:19.519
At some point in the future, I don't know when, if it's 15 years from now or 20 years from now, that's what we're gonna have, is all electric cars.
00:21:19.680 --> 00:21:26.880
So the transition is very interesting to see because it's not occurring equally in each region of the world.
00:21:27.119 --> 00:21:29.759
Some regions are slower, some are faster.
00:21:29.920 --> 00:21:36.960
Uh, and the technology coming out of different countries is also more advanced in some areas and less advanced in others.
00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:42.720
But it's amazing to see how quickly the industry is pushing for that change.
00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:44.000
Uh, that's one.
00:21:44.160 --> 00:21:52.000
And then there's a second one that just popped in my head is autonomous driving, driving where the vehicle's driving on its own.
00:21:52.240 --> 00:21:58.319
And I yeah, I think that's that's a really it's scary for a lot of people, right?
00:21:59.279 --> 00:21:59.839
I can't think of it.
00:22:00.240 --> 00:22:00.559
About it.
00:22:00.880 --> 00:22:06.799
Think about like turning the control of the car completely over to the car itself, right?
00:22:06.880 --> 00:22:10.960
Instead of you trying to to steer and to drive the vehicle.
00:22:11.200 --> 00:22:30.400
And I don't know if people will be able to take a nap in the back seat or they'll be so nervous at first that they're No, it's kind of like when I'm on an airplane, even though I am not flying the plane, I'm up, but I'm I'm looking, I'm anxious, and I feel like I'd be that way with an autonomous vehicle for sure.
00:22:30.640 --> 00:22:32.319
It's just it's a scary thought.
00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:38.079
But right now, if we listen to this podcast 20 years from now, maybe we'll be laughing at ourselves.
00:22:38.160 --> 00:22:38.480
I don't know.
00:22:38.720 --> 00:22:38.960
Yeah.
00:22:39.119 --> 00:22:46.000
Or maybe our kids or grandchildren will think, man, they were so old fashioned back then, they couldn't get over their fear.
00:22:46.720 --> 00:22:47.440
Exactly.
00:22:47.680 --> 00:22:58.319
So when you look at the younger engineers that are just starting out in the industry now, like our kids and our grandkids and down the line, what advice would you give them?
00:22:58.480 --> 00:23:02.079
Because it's a totally different world than than when you started.
00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:04.960
Yeah, uh that that's a really good question.
00:23:05.200 --> 00:23:09.039
I mean, when I came in, it was probably a lot easier.
00:23:09.119 --> 00:23:14.079
So the first thing I tell them is it's a lot harder today to come into the field.
00:23:14.240 --> 00:23:17.279
Um, I think the job market has gotten a lot harder.
00:23:17.359 --> 00:23:21.759
Uh, the competition has gotten a lot stiffer, you know, from around the world.
00:23:22.000 --> 00:23:24.640
We live in such a competitive world.
00:23:24.799 --> 00:23:30.880
Um, and I think that maybe can grind on especially the younger people when they first come in.
00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:37.039
So I think one of the things I would tell them is that we, the older people, we need to be there to support them.
00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:41.200
We have to be there to help them, to encourage them, to guide them.
00:23:41.359 --> 00:23:47.599
They're gonna go through rough patches, they're gonna feel that competitive pressure, they're gonna feel that job stress.
00:23:47.759 --> 00:23:50.559
It creeps in inevitably, right, for all of us.
00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:52.480
Um, and we need to be there for them.
00:23:52.640 --> 00:23:55.359
We've got to be there to support them and help them along.
00:23:55.519 --> 00:24:05.279
But I would say as long as they stay, you know, true and work hard, do the best that they can, there is always gonna be people to help mentor them and help them through, especially at this company.
00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:17.839
If we're talking about at Kirchhoff, we've got a great, you know, company culture, a lot of people that are there in the background with a lot of experience to help the next generation develop and make their way up and into the company.
00:24:18.079 --> 00:24:21.839
Yeah, I know, especially now it's uh the summer interns.
00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:27.119
We had a lot this season and we had a few in RD over here, which was nice.
00:24:27.359 --> 00:24:35.839
And it's it's cool to see everything come full circle when you have the youngers and the older generation coming together, like to see it.
00:24:36.240 --> 00:24:44.240
And you know, I like when you talk to the younger students too, sometimes they can think out of the box because they haven't been in our box very much, right?
00:24:44.319 --> 00:24:47.279
They're not stuck in the ways that we think about things.
00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:56.000
Sometimes uh they give you great ideas that come out of the box, other times makes me laugh because they give you something funny to think about that we never thought about before.
00:24:56.160 --> 00:25:01.920
So, all in all, that's I really enjoy the students and the younger ones because they're not molded yet, right?
00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:09.599
They haven't formed into that closed box, and they can sometimes give you ideas that are worth looking into and worth investigating.
00:25:09.839 --> 00:25:10.240
Totally.
00:25:10.319 --> 00:25:13.680
Yeah, they have a fresh, fresh perspective, which is always good.
00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:18.559
They're always evolving, always adapting, even with AI and stuff now.
00:25:18.720 --> 00:25:24.559
I feel everything is moving so quickly, which is good and bad.
00:25:24.880 --> 00:25:25.839
That's true, yeah.
00:25:25.920 --> 00:25:28.559
It's getting getting faster and faster all the time.
00:25:28.799 --> 00:25:29.039
Yeah.
00:25:29.279 --> 00:25:34.720
So when you're not working and you have some downtime, what do you like to do?
00:25:34.799 --> 00:25:38.720
Like, what are you doing in Germany right now when you're you're not at work?
00:25:39.119 --> 00:25:47.440
Well, I like to read books and more and more now I like to listen to podcasts online, whether it's on YouTube or some of the other sites that are out there.
00:25:47.680 --> 00:25:50.079
And you know, if people say, Well, what are your interests?
00:25:50.160 --> 00:25:51.359
What are you interested in?
00:25:51.599 --> 00:26:04.400
A lot of the time I'm following politics, I like to follow music, I like to follow astronomy, things like that, you know, or astronomical discoveries, sometimes history as well and archaeology.
00:26:04.640 --> 00:26:09.440
Yeah, today I would say we have so much access that we never had when we were younger.
00:26:09.519 --> 00:26:15.680
We used to have to go to the library, you remember, and open up a book, and we would have to read that book today.
00:26:16.160 --> 00:26:17.359
Encyclopedia.
00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:23.599
Yeah, and today, I mean, you just search on Google or you go onto these podcast sites, and the topics are endless.
00:26:23.759 --> 00:26:27.839
You can find anything that you might be interested in about learning.
00:26:27.920 --> 00:26:28.559
And I love that.
00:26:28.640 --> 00:26:35.759
I like learning more either with his history, astronomy, um, archaeology, all of those different topics.
00:26:36.079 --> 00:26:37.599
Yeah, no, there's so many.
00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:42.799
There was actually a a lunar eclipse here in Canada the other night.
00:26:43.039 --> 00:26:44.799
It was kind of cool to see.
00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:46.400
Did they have that in Germany?
00:26:46.559 --> 00:26:47.599
Was it the same thing?
00:26:47.920 --> 00:26:53.759
I don't know if it was over here, but uh I remember, was it a solar eclipse that was a couple of years ago?
00:26:53.920 --> 00:26:56.079
Yeah, over in in Canada.
00:26:56.400 --> 00:27:01.440
And my wife and I actually I was working from home that day, and it was somewhere around lunchtime, if I remember.
00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:02.880
And we went outside.
00:27:03.200 --> 00:27:12.960
Man, was it eerie because the the sky got so dark and the birds and the all the call wildlife that was around, everything got quiet.
00:27:13.119 --> 00:27:18.559
It was extremely eerie because it just comes and then a few minutes later it kind of gets back bright again.
00:27:18.720 --> 00:27:20.559
So really cool experience.
00:27:21.119 --> 00:27:21.680
Yeah, yeah.
00:27:21.839 --> 00:27:22.720
No, that's cool.
00:27:22.880 --> 00:27:31.200
But my last question for you, which is what I ask everybody on the show what is your dream car and why?
00:27:32.480 --> 00:27:34.400
Oh, my dream car.
00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:45.440
I'd have to think there are so many cars that I that I really like, but if money wasn't an object, I probably would go for a Porsche 911.
00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:48.000
Um, but it would need to be red.
00:27:48.400 --> 00:27:48.640
Oh.
00:27:48.960 --> 00:27:52.640
And it would need to have the the bright, shiny aluminum wheels.
00:27:52.720 --> 00:27:56.319
I don't really like blacked-out, you know, a lot of guys like the blacked out look.
00:27:56.559 --> 00:27:59.759
Yeah, still a little bit old school, but oh, I I love it.
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:05.440
Um, when I was younger, the reason I I can give a little backstory, why would I choose the the 9-11?
00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:06.400
Why?
00:28:06.720 --> 00:28:22.480
Yeah, when I was younger, a teenager, um my father had a guy who was a friend of his who bought an old, I think it was a 1972 Porsche 9-11 uh Carrera or Targa.
00:28:22.559 --> 00:28:24.559
I think it was a Targa was the name of it.
00:28:24.720 --> 00:28:26.160
And man, it was beautiful.
00:28:26.319 --> 00:28:27.519
So he fixed it all up.
00:28:27.680 --> 00:28:30.240
It started out, it was kind of a little bit ugly and rusted.
00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:33.759
But by the time he was done, that thing was beautiful.
00:28:33.920 --> 00:28:37.119
And he came over to our house and he asked, Do you want to come for a ride in it?
00:28:37.279 --> 00:28:40.240
And we did, and he took me out on some back roads.
00:28:40.480 --> 00:28:44.400
And, you know, I had never been call it like sport driving like that before.
00:28:44.480 --> 00:28:49.279
And yeah, that was the first time I was a young teenager, and I fell in love with that car.
00:28:49.359 --> 00:28:52.400
I mean, he showed me the engine, they were air-cooled back then, right?
00:28:52.480 --> 00:28:58.559
The cars were weren't cooled with liquid, and he showed me the motor, he showed me the drivetrain.
00:28:58.799 --> 00:29:03.920
Um, I couldn't drive it because I was too young at the time, but I just fell in love with those cars.
00:29:04.079 --> 00:29:10.319
And you know, even when I was coming up through university, I used to keep posters of 9-11s up on the wall in my room there.
00:29:11.519 --> 00:29:12.720
Oh my gosh.
00:29:12.880 --> 00:29:14.559
Have you ever driven one?
00:29:14.880 --> 00:29:16.640
Uh yes, yes, I did.
00:29:16.799 --> 00:29:25.599
Uh, I had a chance when I worked at Chrysler, we had competitor cars that were kept in uh a certain area in Auburn Hills.
00:29:25.839 --> 00:29:30.640
Um and I had the chance to take one of these Porsche 911s out on the track.
00:29:30.799 --> 00:29:37.839
Now I don't know which Chrysler car was competing with the 11, but for some reason we had one.
00:29:38.079 --> 00:29:41.359
And I got it, I got a chance to take it on the Chrysler track.
00:29:41.440 --> 00:29:43.599
There's a track there in Auburn Hills and take it around.
00:29:43.759 --> 00:29:45.519
And man, that was so much fun.
00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:48.559
Um's Auburn Hills.
00:29:48.799 --> 00:29:52.160
Uh Auburn Hills is about 15 minutes north of Troy.
00:29:52.400 --> 00:29:52.960
Oh, okay.
00:29:53.200 --> 00:29:56.960
So still in that vicinity of motor city.
00:29:57.359 --> 00:30:00.160
Yeah, it's in that in the local area there.
00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:01.359
It was so great.
00:30:01.440 --> 00:30:13.359
And you know, one day, if I ever have enough money saved up, maybe by the time I retire, and if I can convince my wife that we can use a second car, then yeah, uh, that'll be the first purchase.
00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:19.440
Maybe there's always something she says, which is more important than buying a Porsche 9-11.
00:30:19.519 --> 00:30:21.039
So we haven't managed to get one.
00:30:21.599 --> 00:30:23.119
There's always something to do, right?
00:30:23.359 --> 00:30:23.599
That's right.
00:30:23.759 --> 00:30:24.079
Down the road.
00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:28.319
Yes.
00:30:28.559 --> 00:30:29.759
Well, I hope so.
00:30:30.160 --> 00:30:37.119
Um, Mark, uh, before we wrap up, is there anything that you would like to share with our colleagues?
00:30:37.440 --> 00:30:46.799
The first thing that comes into my mind is, you know, we're going through a lot of, you know, tough, tough times right now, especially with all these trade tariffs and everything going on.
00:30:46.960 --> 00:30:49.839
And I think a lot of people are worried about the future.
00:30:50.079 --> 00:31:03.759
And the thing that I would say is that if we all stick together and and we all work together as a team, I don't think any other supplier will stop us or compete with us and our future remains strong.
00:31:04.000 --> 00:31:07.279
You know, we stay focused on the task ahead and the goals.
00:31:07.440 --> 00:31:10.079
I think we have a great chance for for the future.
00:31:10.799 --> 00:31:11.920
Yeah, I love that.
00:31:12.079 --> 00:31:13.119
That is great advice.
00:31:13.279 --> 00:31:15.119
Very positive and uplifting.
00:31:15.279 --> 00:31:19.599
Mark, thank you so much for joining me today and for sharing your story.
00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:23.519
And to everyone listening, thank you for tuning in to K Voices.
00:31:23.680 --> 00:31:30.720
If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to follow along for future conversations with colleagues from across our global organization.
00:31:31.119 --> 00:31:34.960
Until next time, I'm Natasha Philpot, and this has been K Voices.
