David Bohny reports

Understanding the market, identifying trends

After finishing my mechanical engineering degree at KIT, I had to decide: Which direction did I want to go? I didn’t specialize until late in my program and therefore had many doors open to me, which didn’t make the decision any easier.

The internship I did during my degree gave me some insights into design engineering, and for my thesis I had worked intensively with simulation models...and now? Should I apply for a job in development or in sales, in the automotive or the automation industry, at a listed company or a medium-sized company?

As I was searching for the right job, one thing became clear: I wanted a job that challenged me, in a company that nurtured me and offered me long-term opportunities for development. I stumbled upon a job offer for an “engineer in the function of market manager for drive mechanics,” and so I applied to SEW‑EURODRIVE. I already knew about SEW‑EURODRIVE from my time at university, although I did not yet realize how diversified the company is. The introductory meeting went well, and the acceptance from my current employer appeared in my inbox a few weeks later.

The start to my career at SEW‑EURODRIVE went without a hitch. During the orientation program that took place over the first few months, I had time to get to know the various products, departments, and contact persons within the company. In the beginning, smaller projects were assigned to me gradually so that I could work on these under the supervision of my mentor. As market manager for drive mechanics, I am responsible for the standard and servo gear units and for additional mechanical components, and I constitute the interface between Operative Sales in Germany, the business units and other central departments.

My job is to determine the requirements of the market and to formulate them as input for product planning. In additional to technical considerations, I also use market and industry analysis as well as direct communication with External Sales and customers to understand the market and identify trends early. I am also responsible for planning and steering market launches within Germany.

The opportunity to work in a team, to tackle diverse and variable tasks and the numerous opportunities for professional development were the main reasons why I applied to this family-run market leader in the area of drive automation.