Benjamin Norenburg reports

A company that’s just the right size

Even while I was studying for my degree in Electrical Engineering (with a focus on automation technology) at the University of Applied Sciences, Kaiserslautern, I was familiar with SEW‑EURODRIVE for its innovative and high-quality products. After an internship semester, I got the opportunity to complete my thesis here at the company. This allowed me to get to know the company better and my potential area of responsibility, and I quickly decided to start my career at SEW-EURODRIVE.

Like my thesis and my practical work, my first area of responsibility was in electronic development in Bruchsal in the Signal Electronics expert group. A comprehensive orientation program allowed me to quickly learn more about the company and its departments, employees and products. I was immediately welcomed into the team. This allowed me to learn a lot and quickly become comfortable in my area of responsibility. While I was doing my thesis and during my time in the signal electronics expert group, I had a lot of contact with Functional Safety. That’s why I changed to this technology group during the 2013 restructuring.

We develop products to minimize safety risks wherever machines and humans work hand in hand. I still develop hardware for signal electronics. I am currently involved in developing our new generation of inverters and am responsible for ensuring that the motor actually stops when a risk to humans is detected (STO – Safe Torque Off). In addition to working on this project, I am continuing to develop my core competency, FMEDA (Failure Modes Effects and Diagnostic Analysis). This involves assuming an error model and a failure probability for each component part of the safety wiring system and assessing the effect of these errors on the entire system. This allows us to improve the wiring system and to make a statement about the reliability of the assembly.

I feel very comfortable in my work environment, and I would recommend joining this innovative, family-run company to everyone. I also think that the size of SEW‑EURODRIVE is just perfect – big enough to provide a secure job with benefits benefits like flextime, company retirement plans, recreation programs, an in-house cafeteria and a global presence, but not too big. Our really young team is continuing to expand the field of functional safety within the company. Because this product range is becoming ever more important, I know there will continue to be a variety of stimulating positions in the future.