I successfully completed my training as an engineer for automation technology and air conditioning equipment in Spain. Here, the courses of further training to become an engineer last two years respectively. Unfortunately, the system is different from the one in Germany as training in Spain is very technical with little practical application. You only switch from theory to practice after you’ve completed about 80% of the course. In Spain the automation engineer course ends with an internship. In Germany I think training to become a mechatronics engineer is more interesting as this is run as a dual program with the company. At the moment I’m working at KHS Corpoplast as a commissioning engineer.
I find the combination of mechanical engineering and technology extremely interesting. The challenges facing commissioning engineers make it all very exciting for me. There’s no time to be bored as you’re constantly presented with new challenges. In our day and age things can change in a matter of seconds, making it important to constantly educate yourself further through courses of training, for instance. This means that you’re always learning something new.
“At KHS challenges are always discussed with colleagues and solved together in a team.”
There are new challenges to be met every single day. As a commissioning engineer for KHS Corpoplast I’m responsible for commissioning the machines at the factory and on the customer's premises. Here, I deal with the electrical parts of the machine.
It’s my job to inspect the assembled machine at both the factory and the customer site, load the software and make any necessary adaptations to the program. I then test the machine and look for any faults. Each machine is different and you always come across different challenges. As soon as the machine has been accepted at the factory, it’s dispatched to the customer. What’s special about my job is that most of our machines are installed outside Germany and that as commissioning engineers we therefore travel a lot. I usually travel to customers with my ‘mechanical’ colleague and we ensure that the machine is installed on the customer’s production line. This is especially great fun as each installation site is different. My last trip was to Los Angeles in the USA to work on an exciting customer project. The feeling of having solved a complex technical challenge and finally finished the job pleases me every single time.
At KHS Corpoplast I find it particularly good that any problems and difficulties that occur during commissioning are always discussed and solved with colleagues in a team.
I’d advise anyone interested in technology and mechanical engineering to train or work as a commissioning engineer as the job’s extremely interesting and diverse. The challenges, hurdles and milestones you hit upon along the way are what make it all so exciting so that you always look forward to the next project. Today especially automation plays a big role, meaning that this job offers good perspectives.
The biggest challenge at the moment is our new machine series which was recently launched to market. There’s still a lot to learn here. We’re inundated with new components and guidelines almost every day which we have to study so that we keep up to date. Once you’ve finally finished, however, and can look back on all your hard work, you can be proud of what you’ve achieved. Always spending time at different installation sites outside Germany is also a challenge. You constantly have to adapt to the new situation and deal with the specific conditions on site.
My greatest joy was the birth of my daughter a few months ago. I’m therefore fully occupied with my family after work. The time I spend with them helps me to relax. As soon as I come home and can magic a smile onto my daughter’s face, I can completely switch off after a long day at work.
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“I want to provide my workforce with an environment in which they can personally develop with confidence and are free to indulge their passion for the job.”
“I’ve learned to master challenging tasks with lots of commitment and to combine my job with a functioning family life.”
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