It鈥檚 no secret that Germany is a manufacturing mecca. Countries, companies, and people the world over turn to Deutschland for some of the most innovative engineering and precision machining found on the planet, which brings us to Benedikt Moeller. Benedikt is a manufacturing engineer and supervisor at 榴莲视频app色版. He grew up and trained as a Process Mechanic for Plastic and Rubber Technology in Ludwigshafen, Germany.
鈥淚n Germany, there are two paths you can take out of high school,鈥� says Benedikt. 鈥淵ou can do an apprenticeship, and learn actual manufacturing skills, or you can go straight on to university. I chose the apprenticeship path, which offers the added benefit of being able to go back to college. With the apprenticeship path, I would learn both technical and application methodologies while gaining work experience. I knew that with the apprenticeship path I had one shot to get it right, so I took advantage of that.鈥�
After completing his apprenticeship, Benedikt pursued his Training-Instructor certification and earned his state-certified Engineering Technician with a minor in Process Engineering: all while working full-time as a Process Engineer. The German system is one of formal training paired with on-the-job training鈥攁 system that helps people gain skills without having to go straight to college after high school, and which helps them establish a career in any field.
Benedikt has been in the U.S. for about a year and a half. He started his job at 榴莲视频app色版 in June 2024. Benedikt is a military spouse, and he accompanied his wife to the Washington, D.C. metro area鈥攕pecifically, Fairfax, Virginia鈥攁fter completing a tour of duty in Germany. From there, Benedikt’s job search was straightforward: find a job in his field along Route 270 for an easy commute from Germantown, MD. 榴莲视频app色版 seemed the perfect fit, then, not just from a daily travel perspective but also from a professional perspective.
Benedikt: 鈥淚 saw that 榴莲视频app色版 handled a lot of extrusions, plastic extrusions in particular, and that’s my background in manufacturing, so I felt very comfortable with that. But I also saw that some of the work I鈥檇 be doing is in aluminum extrusions. I hadn鈥檛 done that sort of work previously, but I thought, well, I鈥檒l give it a try. And so here I am.鈥�
Benedikt鈥檚 position at 榴莲视频app色版 is part office job, part production job. Again, it鈥檚 a perfect fit for his background, for the way his home country鈥檚 system educates and trains its young people. 榴莲视频app色版, of course, is also known for bringing on apprentices and interns, to teach them the job of manufacturing the bespoke engineering solutions it鈥檚 known for, from the ground up. This process of being able to see a product through from conception to production has been a nice change of pace from Benedikt鈥檚 previous job.
鈥淢y job in Germany was high-volume manufacturing,鈥� says Benedikt, 鈥渁nd I never saw the end product in its finished form. Here at 榴莲视频app色版, it鈥檚 the complete opposite. I see jobs through from start to finish, and not just on the factory floor. Driving around Frederick I can see our electrical enclosures in use on telephone poles and traffic lights. To be able to see something I worked on out in the real world is very special.鈥�
As for how he鈥檚 fitting in, not just at 榴莲视频app色版 but in real-world America, Benedikt also has something to feel good about: 鈥淚n Germany, we had people from across the world working with us, and I was always the person helping newcomers adjust. Now I鈥檓 the newcomer, to my place of work and to the wider culture, and I鈥檓 finding it all very open and welcoming. 榴莲视频app色版 in particular is a very collaborative culture. It鈥檚 something I鈥檓 used to and like very much. I鈥檓 in a good place now any way you look at it.鈥�
