Simon Böhmer

Trainee as a cutting machine operator

My job: Programming of impressive machines

At the recommendation of friends I applied for a job at thyssenkrupp rothe erde directly after finishing secondary school. My childhood dream was to work as a train driver. That's why I did my first internship at a railway company. But the internship developed in a completely different direction: Rather than getting to know the work of the train driver, the work of the machining mechanic in the company appealed to me and I had found my training profession. Even at school I had some technical lessons and often tinkered with my model railway in my spare time. At the beginning of my training I worked on a large machine for the first time. Operation and writing my own programs for CNC machines was something completely new for me. Even during the training phase, we take on a great deal of responsibility for trainees and are independently responsible for production on our machines.

My challenges

In the training workshop we experience new challenges every day, and it never gets boring. Only recently, together with a university, we carried out a project for which we manufactured parts made of aluminum for a propeller aircraft. The model aircraft is now being used in seminars at the university and students can apply their theoretical knowledge directly to the model. The cooperation between research and practice is not only varied and exciting for us trainees, but also underlines the innovative orientation of thyssenkrupp rothe erde. The focus is on safety at work and we trainees get to know the high standards from the very beginning. Prior to the use of a new machine, safety instruction is given and we take part in regular training courses. The safety and well-being of our employees are of paramount importance here.

My typical working day

Every morning starts when I switch on my machine. In the training workshop, we change the machines at intervals of several weeks. When I have the drawings for the current order, I get the material from the magazine. After the raw material has been clamped into the machine, I write the program. As soon as the processing is completed, I carry out the final inspection on my own. My daily companion is my book of tables with which I determine the cutting data for the respective part. I have to calculate the speed and feed rate independently and check the cutting depth in the tables. I find the testing procedures in quality assurance extremely fascinating. The material is tested before and after processing in order to meet the high quality standards. In order to detect cracks in the product, we carry out an ultrasonic inspection or measure the roughness of the surface, for example. It is important to continuously document the work steps so that customers can trace individual processes. The focus is on learning and the further development of trainees. In a workshop on the corporate mission statement we got to know the goals and strategy of thyssenkrupp rothe erde and as a team we solved a puzzle about the guiding principles.

Our slogan is "engineering. tomorrow. together." Together means for me …

… being together! Each of us works on his or her own machine, but only together can we successfully complete complex orders. I am a private friend of many trainees and we do some activities together in our free time. Even during the introductory week, we will make sure that we grow together as a team. During a trip to an open-air museum we got to know each other. One highlight is the annual Christmas party of the training, at which all trainees and their team of instructors end the year. We not only work on the machines alone, we also teach new trainees or show student interns how the systems work. The trainers are always responsive and have an open ear for questions and problems. I am happy to be able to complete my training in such a pleasant environment.

Sense of community and acceptance

I enjoy a great deal of freedom and take responsibility for planning and production. The team of trainees supports each other and we have grown into a strong community. The "feeling of togetherness" can be clearly felt in the training workshop.