Highly demanded: Automation Technician at STIWA

Automation technicians optimize human-machine communication. They work highly interdisciplinary and connect knowledge from all areas of machine building. They are becoming increasingly important in the digital production of the future and therefore are also highly demanded at STIWA. We introduce one of them.  In the following interview, Klaus Gattermaier tells us how his career at STIWA began, which challenges he faces in his everyday life and what he appreciates about his job.

 

Klaus, what do you particularly appreciate about your job?

I especially appreciate the family-like, competent, and young team. We are a tight-knit team. Each of us likes the challenge of developing and learning new things and ultimately bringing them to life by start-up. We as automation technicians like to take responsibility - especially on-site with the customer. We are the ones in the value chain who carry out the start-up of the machine on-site. It is exciting to make an important contribution and to experience how a STIWA machine starts running and you immediately see the success.

 

How did you experience your first steps at STIWA?

The job interview took place in a very pleasant and relaxed atmosphere. The job commitment happened quickly and shortly after, the seven-week-long training program started. In small teams we learned all the common and relevant programs. Thanks to my education at the College of Engineering, Arts and Crafts, I already had a solid basis which helped me a lot with learning the new systems and languages, for example, Beckhoff and TwinCat3.

Already at the start of STIWA’s internal training you are involved early in projects. With this, applications are practiced, corrected, and perfected in close cooperation with the project managers. The complexity of the tasks gradually increases: from practicing module start-up, to multiple machines at different customers, up to the challenging modules with total start-ups.

 

Which qualifications do you need as an automation technician at STIWA?

Besides the technical programming skills, you must be open to new things, as already said, willing to take responsibility and master good process thinking. Team spirit, communication skills and honesty are also important. Due to assembly work abroad, a good knowledge of English is also an advantage.

 

Can you tell us about a striking experience from your professional career?

There are a lot, however, one of my first assemblies in Turkey with one of our biggest customers comes to my mind. We were four people working on the integration of a STIWA machine. After three weeks, my colleagues departed as planned and I was on-site alone. Right at this moment, an unforeseeable problem occurred that required an immediate solution. I have to admit that I was pretty nervous and felt the understandable pressure of the customer who wanted to start production punctually.

Thanks to my colleagues, who were immediately available online, we were able to solve the challenge together without time delay for the customer. I was really proud of myself and my team! I can take a lot from such stressful situations in particular and learn professionally as well as personally.

 

Are you often abroad for assembly work?

During my training, I was already able to put what I had learned into practice, earn a lot of new things, and gain experiences and work on major projects, such as with a worldwide leading car manufacturer in Germany.

After about three years, you are ready to carry out your own start-up as a project manager with the customer. So far I have been in the US, Denmark, Turkey and often Germany for assembly work.

 

This sounds like a great job! Thank you for the interview!

 

Information about the person:

Klaus Gattermaier is 26 years old and works at STIWA Automation GmbH, Department Automation Technology for five years at the headquarters in Attnang-Puchheim. He started his career at STIWA after his graduation from the College of Engineering, Arts and Crafts, in Braunau with a specialization in mechatronics in 2019.