Experience report Sven Langner

My activity

Middle-aged man, with beard, smiling, looking at the camera, in the background are raw rings — Plant manager ring rolling mills

In 1989 I started to learn the profession of process mechanic for forming technology. After my graduation I went through several stations in the company, which enabled me to take a comprehensive look at the production process. Due to the wide variety of options available to me in my profession, I decided to graduate as a production technician for mechanical engineering and then to complete a business training alongside my job. Thanks to the support of my employer, I have been able to gain an additional insight into work preparation and, at the same time, the sales channel. There was also training as a Six Sigma black belt.

Today as plant manager, I have the following tasks:

Planning the production process
Analyzing processes, identifying problems and eliminating them
Integrating systematic approaches such as 6S, Six Sigma into the company
Providing help in production, working on solutions
Participating in developing new products
Participating in developing new production lines
Working together with people

The film "Lord of the Rings" takes on a different meaning when you see how we can produce seamlessly rolled rings up to an outside diameter of 8,000 millimeters and a unit weight of 30 metric tons. Every day new challenges await me, which keep the job exciting and interesting.

My challenge

Our product is versatile. The different requirements keep the daily routine exciting. It is a great challenge for me to put theory into practice. It is a daily challenge to reconcile barriers, opinions and expectations with colleagues and superiors so that the customer is satisfied. We are currently planning a new production cell (6,000 tone press with heating/reheating ovens), which will require technical discussions with the relevant companies.

My typical working day

After the morning greeting, I check whether there have been any deviations in the productive planning. Information is exchanged between the cutting shop and the RAW (rolling mill) for this purpose. There is no typical procedure. Depending on the task or problem definition, my activities are in the office or on the shop floor. The machines have to be planned weekly, sometimes daily. As a result, the exchange with the production control system is important for orders to be completed on time. Information is also exchanged with other departments. Meetings are held for this purpose. In addition, I accompany trainees to the examination and extend their knowledge.

"engineering. tomorrow. together." Together means for me …

… that we all share our experience in the factory, so that everyone can benefit from each other's knowledge. What is important is the exchange of ideas and innovations so that everyone can experience something new every time.

Realizing your potential, having fun, being happy

It is important for me that what I do continues to bring me joy. Cooperation with the local team is very important to me. We work together with different people and cultures, which cannot function without a feeling of belonging together. Respect for each other is very important. It is important for me to see how my own trainees develop.