#WEAREBECKER – SIMON SCHAMP
After completing his master's degree in Materials Engineering at the renowned RWTH Aachen University, Simon Schamp initially started his career in the quality management department of Becker Stahl at the beginning of 2015. For the past two years, he has been working as a production manager for Becker Aluminium. In this interview, he reveals why his career path became apparent early on and what opportunities and challenges he encounters in his daily work.
Where does your interest in technical challenges come from?
Simon Schamp: "My father has always worked in the steel industry. In a way, he shaped my career by showing me the opportunities available in technical professions. So it was surely an advantage that I was always good at math, physics and chemistry.
In addition, the shortage of skilled workers was already becoming an increasingly important topic in the economy during my high school graduation. So you could guess that the career opportunities in these professional fields would look good in the long run. That's how I ended up choosing to study engineering."
What made you decide to join Becker after graduation?
"What impressed me about Becker was the successful development from a rather small company to a market leader. This, combined with the prospect of building up an aluminium division, was very appealing to me and was the decisive factor in my decision to join Becker at that time. Looking back, I can say that the prospects that were shown to me at the time have been fully realized."
What does a typical workday look like for you?
"My typical workday usually starts with greeting the entire staff. After that, there are often update calls as regular meetings to inform team members about the current situation in our production.
After that, I get down to the day's tasks that need to be completed. In the afternoon, the focus is usually on organizational issues: What's on the agenda for tomorrow? What still needs to be prepared?
In addition, there is the daily exchange with the sales department, which accounts for a total of 20% of my working day and ensures variety. Otherwise, one of my main tasks is to be there when problems arise, to tackle them, and to drive projects forward."
What excites you about your job and what challenges do you encounter?
"Above all, I like working together with the customer to successfully complete a project. This is also what attracted me most to Becker from the very beginning. I firmly believe that we also need constant contact with the customer in production in order to understand even better what the customer needs from us.
Transcribing customer requirements into corresponding production processes is what I enjoy the most. In my opinion, what sets Becker apart is that we always focus on this aspect.
The biggest challenge is certainly to keep calm even in difficult situations. We operate in an environment where our products are often delivered just in time. Of course, it is our own ambition to always live up to this responsibility. If there is a defect in a system, for example, I have to find and coordinate solutions quickly."
You started out at Becker Stahl and have now been working for Becker Aluminium for two years. Do you see any differences between our two divisions?
"I think there are small differences simply because the aluminium sector is still a little smaller than the steel sector at the moment. Therefore, it is of course easier to maintain a very good relationship with all employees and to build up friendships. But the corporate culture itself is the same in both divisions. A lot of emphasis is placed on having mature employees and maintaining a very collegial relationship with each other. As Benjamin Simon said in the last #WeAreBecker article: We're there for each other."
What distinguishes Becker as an employer from your point of view?
"There is this unpleasant cliché that staff in larger companies are just a number and that you usually only know the people with whom you have direct contact. This may be true in some companies, but it is certainly not the case here. What sets Becker apart from many others is the personal interaction and the collegiality that transcends departmental boundaries. Although we have almost 500 employees, people know each other and usually have a picture in mind when a name is mentioned. And it's not uncommon for genuine friendships to develop here that go beyond the normal working relationship. For example, I still have regular contact with former colleagues who have not been here for a few years now. That's nice proof that when we talk about the Becker family, we mean it 100%."