Sybille Jacinto: Head of Administration and Human Resources

Sybille Jacinto, responsible for administration, human resources, and IT organisation, has been an integral part of MCS for 30 years. Here, she explains how she came to MCS, what has changed over time and which projects she has found most exciting.

How and why did you come to MCS in October 1994?

Through an acquaintance. At the time, I wasn’t too happy in my job. MCS was looking for office support, and I took a look at it. It was love at first sight: with my then boss, the employees, the projects and, above all, the location at Tempelhof Airport.

What did you do at MCS back then?

Typical secretarial work, i.e. management support, order processing, contract documentation, event organisation, just everything that comes up in the administrative area.

What was it like working in the early 90s?

Well, 30 years ago, almost everything was still analogue. Mountains of paper were processed, folders were pored over, and all written correspondence went in and out by post or fax. Everything had to be copied. Computers and monitors were large and clunky, and there were no smartphones yet—all unthinkable today. (Laughs.)

And there were no coffee machines with all those many options! (Laughs.)

How have your work and responsibilities changed over time?

With the digital development, new challenges arose for us in all areas. We introduced ERP programs and I was already handling order processing and invoicing automatically.

At the end of the 90s, I did further professional training in the human resources sector and then took over all tasks related to personnel administration and payroll accounting.

I also got a teaching certificate at the beginning of the 2000s and have been training office management assistants at MCS ever since.

In 2009, we moved from Tempelhof Airport to the Ullsteinhaus and, after a change of ownership, to our current location at Südkreuz in 2014/2015. The expansion plans and relocations were mammoth tasks for my team and me, but they were great fun, and I acquired new know-how in previously unknown areas.

At Südkreuz, we then invested heavily in our IT and pushed ahead with the digitalisation of business processes, which – let me jump ahead a bit – really benefited us during the coronavirus pandemic. From the outset, our Berlin colleagues could work from home and communicate via video calls without any problems.

Although you were never directly involved in development, were there any customer projects that were particularly exciting for you and that you remember?

Absolutely. Shortly after I joined MCS in the mid-1990s, we started working with a customer in the Upper Palatinate on a project involving parking ticket machines in the United Arab Emirates. Parking ticket machines were set up in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with MCS supplying the “inner workings” and networking with the respective city councils. That was really exciting. MCS controllers had to withstand desert conditions (heat, sand), and I am very proud that we are still working successfully with the UAE in this area today.

Another great project was the development of controllers for paper-folding machines for large formats. Hier haben meine Kollegen aus der Entwicklung Steuerungen für einen Berliner Kunden entwickelt, die dafür sorgen, dass großformatige Zeichnungen längs und quer gefaltet werden, um zum Beispiel einen CAD-Airbusplan so zu drucken und zu falten, dass die Zeichnung in einen DINA4-Ordner passt. Wir entwickeln bis heute die Steuerungen weiter und produzieren die Hardware für unseren Kunden, der weltweit seine Faltmaschinen mit „MCS inside“ verkauft.

And now, our latest project is fascinating and future-oriented: CAPOS – the flexible payment terminal for charging stations for electric vehicles. With CAPOS, any number of charging points can be operated centrally and billed by card payment. Finally! Since I also drive an electric car and want to pay for charging flexibly, I am pleased that “my” company has developed CAPOS and that payments with a wide range of payment options are finally possible. Of course, CAPOS is also of great interest to charging park operators, as it allows them to plan and retrofit their charging infrastructure flexibly, centrally and easily, making it future-proof.

And, of course, there are many other MCS development projects, such as developing an access control system with an integrated payment system for service and gas stations. When I use these access controls at highway service stations, I’m happy that even a tiny part of my work is involved here. (Laughs.)

What do you enjoy most about your job, and what do you like best about MCS?

Despite all the complexity, I love the variety of my work. Whether it’s HR, administration, IT organisation or event design: it never gets boring! The rapid technical development in all business processes in recent years is a challenge – but it’s fun and never feels like a chore. You just can’t get bogged down! (Laughs.)

And what do I like best about MCS in general? (Thinks.) My great and creative MCS colleagues in Berlin and Wernberg: we are a family, we work very well together and have fun.

Interview: Nisrin Moussa, Sales & Marketing at MCS