That moment
when lives
are saved
starts with you.

Kerstin, what are you working on right now?

I’m checking the PANTHER at Station 6, just before it’s taken to Quality Assurance. My current task is to identify possible defects. And if anyone needs help configuring it, I can step in.

What does looking for defects involve?

For example, if I switch on the emergency warning lights, they should actually light up. If they don’t, I have to start looking for the cuase. I check whether the connections are working, whether the button configuration is correct, whether all the components are hooked up to the power supply, and so on. My workstation consists of a tool cart and a laptop.

When did you decide to pursue a career in engineering?

There was never any question that this was my goal. I love working with my hands. Lots of people advised me not to choose a mechanical trade, claiming that it would be much harder than everything else. I think you should always choose the career that you’re passionate about. You’re the only person who can decide what that is. Now I’m also studying to become a certified foreperson in mechatronics. It’s back to school for me—three nights a week. I’m really doing this extra training for me. I think it’s great that Rosenbauer is supporting me financially and will be covering my second year.

How did you hear about Rosenbauer?

My brother told me about Rosenbauer; he works here as well. I also took advantage of some of my days off from school to get a taste of what working here was like. I wanted to be sure that I’d enjoy what I was going to learn here.

Do you think much about the impact of your work while you are working, the fact that you help save lives?

Not all the time, but whenever I see a PANTHER completing a successful mission on TV, I do say to myself: Okay, you work on those every day. It’s pretty awesome to be able to help people like that. The vehicle worked the way it was supposed to—that feels good.

What was your Rosenbauer moment?

The month I spent in America, right after my final apprenticeship exam. It gave me a look at how people work there and I got to help set up the PANTHER production facility. I got to pass on my own knowledge, which was very motivating.

You are one of the people responsible for coordinating the supply chain. What does your job entail?

We map the entire production planning process in a separate program. I am mainly responsible for designing the program and how processes run in it. Being a good listener is important so that we can identify problems, develop solutions, and thus improve our processes.

Your job at Rosenbauer helps save lives. Do you think about this often in your daily work routine?

This aspect already played a key role in my decision to apply for a job here. Even if I’m not directly involved in assembling a vehicle, I’m still helping to ensure that everything at Rosenbauer turns out the way it should.

What is your Rosenbauer moment?

The moment when you hear sirens blaring outside and you almost immediately hear our Rosenbauer firefighters running down the corridors to provide protection and assistance, and maybe even save lives—it gives me goosebumps every time.

When it comes to new ideas, Rosenbauer is always at the cutting edge. How do these innovations come about?

New ideas are always welcome at Rosenbauer, no matter where they come from! We are constantly innovating, not just products, but also organizational aspects and processes. Our open corporate culture encourages us to think about how we can improve on a daily basis. This is a key success factor.

Women are unfortunately still a minority in technology. Do you think that’s a problem?

There are plenty of women who are very talented in mathematics, computer science, and mechanics, although many people might not believe it at first. However, more and more women are entering the technical field—the transformation has begun. It is a slow process, but there is no stopping it. And that’s a good thing.

What advice would you give young women?

The most important thing is to have confidence in your abilities. Don’t let anyone intimidate you! It also helps if you are aware of your strengths. But you also need to know your weaknesses—don’t try to hide them. If you don't know something, just ask.

Does Rosenbauer have a positive error management culture? Are people allowed to fail?

Absolutely! We all make mistakes. When we stop making mistakes, we stop working. The important thing is to admit to your mistakes and fix them.

Digitization is the topic of the day. How does it affect supply chain management?

We are currently working with a start-up on a system that explores AI and machine learning. We feed the program with all kinds of data and information, which are then used as a basis for a neural network in the system. The Artificial Intelligence can identify connections that are invisible to the human eye. We hope to use this to obtain more accurate projections for future planning.

You started out as a software engineer and are now a user experience designer—how would you describe your job?

Since the end of last year, I’ve been focusing on our customers’ perspective, their working methods, and how we can offer them the greatest added value with our products. This is a relatively new experience for our customers, because instead of doing a sales talk with someone from Sales, we work together to find and develop the best possible solution for their needs.

What are your Rosenbauer moments that keep you motivated in your daily work?

We are not bound by a rigid departmental mentality—you can be just as happy about another department’s success, because you are part of a greater whole. But above all, it’s those moments when we know we are able to support emergency organizations in their daily work.

Rosenbauer recently developed the new RT, the fire-fighting vehicle of the future. Your department was involved too, wasn’t it?

We worked on digital solutions for the vehicle. The RT is equipped with an emergency response information management system. All the data relevant to the emergency workers is provided digitally in the vehicle itself. This saves valuable time, which helps save lives.

How does innovation work from your perspective?

Making sure you always stay one step ahead, that’s what motivates us. Sometimes, this includes pursuing ideas that sound completely insane! Only a few years ago, people looked at us funny when we suggested using drones for fire protection and disaster control. Now we know we were thinking in the right direction.

Your department in particular is shaped by a certain start-up spirit. How does this manifest itself?

We work with new technologies and constantly ask ourselves, what are the potential benefits for our customers? For example, on one customer’s request, we outfitted several vehicles with an electronic system that informs the user whether or not the vehicle is fully equipped. Implementing this with RFID technology was uncharted territory for us, but within three months we had found a solution.