“Starting in the job that I studied for, feels like a really good start of my career.”

• You work as an electromechanic in the melting department: what exactly attracts you in this job?
  
  The copper scrap is recycled and made in the smelter. You could therefore safely call our department the beating heart of our copper production. We cast copper anodes there, which later go to our electrolysis department for further refining. To keep the melting and casting of the copper running, my colleagues and I are responsible for breakdowns. In fact, you can summarize our job very briefly: making everything that is defective and ensuring that production continues to run!
• That sounds like an exciting job, where no day is the same?

  Absolute! I always have a phone with me: if something goes wrong somewhere, we are called. If you don't get many calls, you can continue working on non-urgent matters in the workshop. But there are also days when the phone just doesn't seem to stand still. So in this job you have to be able to set priorities. You receive a telephone call and then discuss with colleagues and supervisors what needs to be done first.

  I work in a team of 5 electromechanics, in a larger team with maintenance people. We work in four shifts (night, late, day and early) and relieve each other. As an electromechanic you are responsible for sudden breakdowns. The maintenance colleagues are mainly responsible for preventive maintenance. The mutual briefing is very important: if you relieve a colleague, you get information about what happened in the previous shift.

• You are our youngest electromechanic. There is even a special anecdote about your start-up: tell me?

  That's right! When I applied here and got the job, I was still in school. You must be of legal age to work at Aurubis. My birthday is in mid-August and so I still had to turn eighteen. So I first enjoyed the summer holidays for a few weeks, and then started working one week after my birthday. Signing your contract before your eighteenth birthday is something special, I must admit. When I look back on it like that, it gives me a genuinely good feeling. Starting in the job that I studied for, feels like a really good start to my career.

• How did you come into contact with Aurubis Olen?

  Actually, it was my dad who came across the vacancy on Facebook and made me aware of it. I graduated in electromechanics and had known for years that I really wanted to do that job. So of course I was immediately excited!

  During my internships, I have worked in a similar industry and so I had already gained some experience there. It is a job close to home and I knew the job content from my internship and training. This is what I wanted to do. So I was very pleased that I could start right after my school period at a stable employer close to home and in the job that I had in mind.

• A challenging job for such a young guy: how do you experience that?

  When I started working here, there was of course a lot of new things. In the first period, I accompanied production colleagues to get to know the department and the managers. That way I also got to know the possible dangers. Because safety is very important at Aurubis and a lot of effort is put into this topic, amongst other in the internal training courses.

  Once you know the department, you work in shifts without night and you walk with an electromechanic. I certainly didn't have the feeling that I was just "on my own", on the contrary. It is individually assessed how far you are and what you can or cannot do. As the training evolves, you are allowed to do something independently, of course with all safety regulations in mind, and so you gradually grow in the job. I get a lot of satisfaction from making things. The colleagues are  satisfied when the line is running smoothly again. And the more you learn, the better you can do your job, so that's a triple win!

• What interests you most about Aurubis Olen?

  The good atmosphere – I am very sociable and I really like the mix of generations and mutual respect for each other. As an electromechanic, I actually get in contact with all colleagues from production teams, so I know almost everyone in our department. I love that! And also, the humor of every generation is different - it's great that there is room to laugh among colleagues. Yes, I feel like I'm really at the right place here at Aurubis Olen (laughs).

• Is there anything that you would like to see differently?

  Anyone who works in maintenance knows it: a missing spare part. I dare to swear at that! So if I could come up with a magic formula to never run out of spare parts again, I'd be happy. In our job as an electromechanic, a defect or breakdown has to be resolved quickly and I am also very result-oriented by nature, so I do everything I can to repair as quickly as possible.

• The melting department is looking for additional colleagues. Why is it worth applying for a job at Aurubis?

  I personally think there are several advantages. As a starter you immediately have a very good starting salary. And you end up in a team where there is a lot of room to learn from each other. The teams also have a nice mix of ages: you can learn from those who have been working here for a long time and thus grow in your job.

• To conclude: if you can dream out loud, where do you see yourself in ten years?

  I really want to keep doing this job. But I think it is a very great added value that you can grow within Aurubis to another job or even to another department. As an employer, Aurubis is very flexible and you really get a lot of opportunities here.

Daan works as an electromechanic in the melting department at Aurubis Olen. We are looking for additional operators for this production department!

• Interested? Apply easily and quickly online.
• We would be happy to receive you for tests and an introductory meeting. We look forward to seeing you soon!