Careers at Rheinmetall in Weeze

After the first few weeks, I feel very comfortable at Rheinmetall. I have the feeling that a positive working environment is very important here.

I really appreciate being part of something new, being able and allowed to help shape it. Building a new plant is always something special. But in terms of the production of centre fuselage parts for the F-35, it's also unique.

I also really enjoy the intercultural exchange with our US partners. At the moment, my main task is to absorb the knowledge and working methods that have been successfully practised in the plants in the USA for years in the best possible way and to prepare them for our production facility in Weeze.

Travelling abroad to the United States is also part of this as we can exchange ideas directly on site at the stations, ask questions and get personally involved. A successful transfer is only possible through impressions from the shop floor.

Experiencing different ways of working and approaches as well as a different culture also enriches me personally.

We will set up the stations in Weeze at the beginning of next year. Then we will have to actively establish and stabilise the processes.

In the long term, of course, my goal is to optimise the processes and make them as error-free and efficient as possible. To achieve this, I will validate the production system, analyse the production-relevant processes and monitor and control them using suitable key figures, for example.

I will also be the contact person for the employees on the production line and provide them with the best possible support, which is something I particularly like about my future tasks.

New colleagues can expect an international environment with exciting projects and development opportunities in an innovative and stable workplace. You should therefore be open and flexible for projects and intercultural co-operation.

You should also have a hands-on mentality so that you can bring your own strengths and experience to the project in the best possible way. Only if we all give it our all, we will be able to successfully realise this project together.

I am Chief Operating Officer and responsible for the entire operational area. This includes the construction of the production facility in Weeze with all the necessary basic technical equipment and the development of the 400-strong team. In addition, the role also includes setting up the knowledge transfer in order to efficiently transfer the expertise in centre fuselage production from the USA to Germany. 

In addition to regular business trips to the USA, where the focus lies on knowledge transfer, I am involved in setting up our standardised processes and our operations team on a daily basis. All in all, the aim is to pull together the threads of process engineering, infrastructure, quality and logistics in such a way that efficient work is possible.

For me, it is the "green field approach": We can start everything from a blank sheet of paper without entrenched processes. In addition, it is the high technical standard of the F-35 programme, which is very interesting from an engineering perspective due to its precision.

Engineers should have the will to act as a kind of "leader" in order to help and develop employees in production with their technical expertise. Of course, a broad range of knowledge of manufacturing processes in day-to-day business is very helpful.

I have been with Rheinmetall for 16 years now and started as a process engineer myself. Rheinmetall offers a wide range of great development opportunities combined with a contemporary corporate culture.