Harun Kuz - Experience report

My job: Giving the bearing its shape

Man with black hair, dark blue shirt, leaning against a large roller bearing — Production design employee

A diversified and challenging entry into the profession was the circulation through the various departments, especially the so-called "boiler suit phase" in production. I was able to walk through the entire production chain of a slewing bearing and experience the complete production process first-hand. This helped me to work out the production documents later on, because you get a feeling for which aspects and details in the construction are important for the technical production realization.

After that, we started in our own department: As the demands increased, I was introduced to my own field of work. Of course, the wealth of experience of our colleagues in dealing with problems was extraordinarily important. Exchange with experienced colleagues is the be-all and end-all, especially during the induction period. A central component of my trainee program is also 3D CAD training. In a small group, we were able to acquire the necessary methods and work on our first tasks together. All in all, it was an absolutely precious introductory period, which provided me with a lot of experience!

At an early stage of my studies I realized that my interest and strengths lie in the area of development and design. For this reason, after completing my master's degree in mechanical engineering, I decided on the subject-specific trainee program at thyssenkrupp rothe erde in the Manufacturing Design department.

My challenges

A major challenge is that many technical details are already defined and fixed in the design. The overview of individual components must be maintained at all times, because anything that is not taken into account in the design – and thus in the technical drawing – will not be manufactured later in production.

The cost aspect also plays an important role. In this case, communication and coordination with the other departments in the process chain is important. As a design engineer, I also have to develop a feel for details, because even if we manufacture anti-friction bearings in large dimensions, a lot of things take place on the scale of millimeters.

My typical working day

At the beginning of the day, I check my e-mails and get an overview of the orders relevant to deadlines. Afterwards, the worldwide customer orders are processed. This includes the preparation of 3D CAD models, production drawings and parts lists for production. Depending on the application and bearing type, there are different criteria to consider. At the same time, customer specifications must be observed and implemented. For this reason, it is essential to inspect the customer's files and prepare a profile for each bearing.

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

…meshing like gears as part of a big whole, mastering the tasks of the future. In line with our mission statement "we are thyssenkrupp".

Realizing your potential, having fun, being happy

In addition to the fun of technology, a collegial and friendly working atmosphere is important to me. I really appreciate that at thyssenkrupp rothe erde and in our team. Before I started working as a trainee, I never really knew how many machines and plants (our) slewing bearings would be used. When I drive home from work and see a wind turbine or an excavator and think that our bearings may be built into it, this idea makes me proud.