What comes after traineeship, Max?

Experience report: After graduating in mechatronics and mechanical engineering, Max Döring became a trainee at Körber. Today, he is Technical Product Manager at our Körber Business Area Pharma.

Why did you choose the industrial sector? 

At the end of the process chain, you have a physical product. You know what you are working for and what the result will ultimately look like. At Körber, that means high-performance machines for the pharma and biotech industries. Together with our customers, we find innovative solutions for the high demands placed on inspection machines in this industry. 

For example, the new Switch75 inspection machine from Körber Pharma Inspection, which is used to inspect syringes and vials, fascinates me. I was involved in the product launch and preparation right from the start – seeing the machine running now naturally shows that everyone has done a very good job.

What training or studies did you do for this? 

I completed a two-year trainee program in the Körber Group after graduating in mechatronics and mechanical engineering.

I started as a trainee at Körber in October 2018 after completing my studies and worked in all business areas for five months each, gaining insights. This also included two locations abroad – in Italy and Portugal. Thanks to this start, I now have a large network and know many different departments and business areas at Körber.

What exactly is your professional activity, your area of responsibility and duties? 

My main focus is technical product management. In a way, it is an interface between sales and the specialist departments (design, automation, software, electrical design or the vision department). It includes technical clarification, cost calculations and configuration management, as well as creating sales items.

I am also involved in various projects where we speed up the turnaround time of projects or improve internal communication.

What skills should applicants in your field have?

Professionally, in addition to a (business) engineering degree, you should also have technical understanding and enthusiasm. In cooperation with sales and due to Körber’s international collaborations, speaking English fluently is also necessary. There are many touchpoints with other departments; for example, I often present results and technical innovations in larger meetings. Therefore, good communication skills and a confident manner are also part of the job.

What makes your daily work at Körber special for you?

You're incredibly close to the product: I only have to go downstairs and can look at the machine directly myself. I get an insight into the big picture and see exactly how a new product is created from paper to delivery.

And finally: What would you like to tell young applicants?

Körber offers many entry-level opportunities and the chance to get involved in projects outside your own department. Especially when you start out, you learn how all the departments and business areas work together. You can build up your own network within the Group. Networking helped me right from the start and I can only recommend it to every newcomer.

Interested? Learn more about current programs on our careers page or reach out to our recruiting team: jobs@koerber.com