If you have the right people around you, an environment that trusts you and the desire to progress, that first step can develop into a career you could never have expected at the beginning.
This is also the story of our colleague Gregor. Gregor is a mechanical engineering technician by education. When he was looking for a company in which he could complete his compulsory internship, during his education, he chose our company because of its proximity, interesting industry and the opportunity to experience work in a real industrial environment. His mentor was David, who has also been working in our technology department since 2010.
For Gregor, the internship was not merely a formal obligation. He learned how to set up and repair forging tools and gained an insight into conventional forging technology. When an opportunity for employment in assembly arose, the knowledge he had acquired proved to be an important advantage. In 2015, it opened the door to his first permanent position.
And that was only the beginning of his journey.
He worked as a foreman in assembly for two years before taking on a new challenge as Assistant Head of Operations Maintenance. Just one year later, he was promoted to Head of Operations Maintenance and subsequently took over the management of the entire Maintenance Department. He continues to perform this role with great dedication to this day.
When you join a company as an intern, you don't know where the path will take you. What matters is that you get the opportunity to show what you can do and that you are willing to learn.
Throughout his career, Gregor has also had the opportunity to work on projects at our business units abroad, where he experienced different environments, ways of working and new challenges. Today, he sees the opportunity to carry projects through from beginning to end as one of his greatest challenges and, at the same time, one of his greatest sources of satisfaction.
As you progress in your career, you get to know the entire range of technologies that ultimately come together to create something real and tangible – a machine that manufactures useful products. Looking at that machine through the eyes of someone who knows its background, understands how it works and can see opportunities for improvement is a very special feeling and a great source of satisfaction.
The future lies in connecting knowledge
Industry is changing rapidly. The boundaries between individual technical fields are becoming less distinct. Mechanical engineering and electrical engineering are increasingly interconnected, which is why mechatronics is becoming one of the key fields of the future.
Digitalisation and automation enable easier, faster work and better process control. But technology alone is not enough. Operating and maintaining high-tech equipment requires people who understand it, know how to find solutions and are constantly looking for ways to improve it.
That is why we place great emphasis on developing young technical talent. Currently, five students are gaining their first experience in our Technology Department, while one female student is developing her knowledge in logistics. Many continue their compulsory internship with student work, gradually getting to know different areas of our company. This gives them the opportunity to explore different fields, discover their strengths and find out what they enjoy most.
An opportunity to start your journey with us
Because our company is unique, due to the specific nature of our production and technologies, we have found over the years that the best approach is to develop our talent in-house. We connect young people from relevant educational programmes with experienced mentors and give them the opportunity to put their school knowledge into practice and build on it through real-world experience.
An internship can grow into student work, student work into a first permanent position, and a first permanent position into a career.
Gregor's story is proof that the first step may be small, but the journey that follows can be very significant.
If you are interested in machinery, technology, automation, mechatronics and solving technical challenges, there may be a place for you with us.
