Visiting Playmobil – Malta study tour, day two
20/04/2017

Hey, I am back again!
Here’s my experience of DAY 2 of our study tour in Malta!
We had a nice breakfast at the hotel before getting a brief introduction to Playmobil from Andrew, a lecturer at the University of Malta who worked for Playmobil for more than 10 years after graduating from Cranfield University 12 years ago.
Andrew gave us some interesting information about Malta. He said that Malta is getting popular among Europeans, many of whom come to Malta to run businesses and live. The value of property in Malta has doubled in the last 5 years, although this is still a good time to invest in property in Malta. How I wish I can afford to buy a flat in Malta ?.
After Andrew’s presentation, we went to Playmobil’s manufacturing centre! I was really excited about visiting the centre because I used to play Playmobil when I was young. Plus my cousin still collects Playmobil toys, so I wanted to buy some for her at the centre.
Playmobil is a German company. I wondered why they have a centre in Malta. If it were an Italian company, it would make more sense to me because Italian is widely spoken in Malta. But Germany?
Our lovely Dutch fellow asked Andrew why they have a centre in Malta! (That’s exactly what I wanted to know! Well done John!)
He explained that; firstly, the CEO married a Maltese man (so she loved Malta and set about opening a manufacturing centre in Malta); and secondly because Maltese labours are relatively flexible and very hard workers.
Playmobil also have manufacturing centres in Germany but they product more SKUs in Malta than Germany, surprisingly! Large products are manufactured in Germany while the small products are manufactured in Malta. Another interesting point.
Although the conversation was short, we got a clear understanding of Playmobil, and the centre was impressive. Imagine discovering how your favorite toys were produced!
How cool is that?!
Please keep checking my blog, I’ll be sharing more about our study tour in the next one.

Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
From classroom to cockpit: What’s next after Cranfield
The Air Transport Management MSc isn’t just about learning theory — it’s about preparing for a career in the aviation industry. Adit shares his dream job, insights from classmates, and advice for prospective students. ...
Setting up a shared group folder in a reference manager
Many of our students are now busy working on their group projects. One easy way to share references amongst a group is to set up group folders in a reference manager like Mendeley or Zotero. ...
Company codes – CUSIP, SEDOL, ISIN…. What do they mean and how can you use them in our Library resources?
As you use our many finance resources, you will probably notice unique company identifiers which may be codes or symbols. It is worth spending some time getting to know what these are and which resources ...
Supporting careers in defence through specialist education
As a materials engineer by background, I have always been drawn to fields where technical expertise directly shapes real‑world outcomes. Few sectors exemplify this better than defence. Engineering careers in defence sit at the ...
What being a woman in STEM means to me
STEM is both a way of thinking and a practical toolkit. It sharpens reasoning and equips us to turn ideas into solutions with measurable impact. For me, STEM has never been only about acquiring ...
A woman’s experience in environmental science within defence
When I stepped into the gates of the Defence Academy it was the 30th September 2019. I did not know at the time that this would be the beginning of a long journey as ...
