Automation technology offers prospects

Industry is increasingly automated. However, it will not operate entirely without people. Electronics technicians for automation technology are responsible for the production systems.

You might imagine a chemicals factory as a huge tower with funnels in which there is something happening at every level: some mixing, then stirring, boiling, pressing - until the substance required comes out at the bottom. Daniel Mosch, 26, works in a chemicals factory. It has four floors and on each floor various production systems are driven by computers. This is the job of the chemical technicians. Mosch's job is to connect the measurement, control and regulation technology to the system. This is used to measure, control and regulate the volumes, temperatures and pressures.

He also undertakes repairs if the technology isn't working - for example if a valve is no longer opening or the pressure in a reactor is not being correctly displayed. He frequently has to deal with hazardous substances. "In my job it is all about reliability and care," he says. Mosch is an electronics technician for automation technology.

This is a dual training occupation. According to the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training, approximately 1,600 individuals - predominantly young men - completed their training over the past year. Most had an intermediate level training qualification, but many students with the higher level school leaving certificate are also taking up the occupation. There are lots of jobs - mainly in companies which develop, manufacture or use automation solutions.

Mosch completed his vocational education and training about two years ago. "To start with, I learnt the basics of the electrical engineering trade in the company and in the vocational school, then it moved onto automation technology such as how sensors function and how to work with programmable logic controllers," he explains.

These are devices which he has to deal with very frequently. The controllers are used to control or regulate machines and systems and are programmed for this purpose. Mosch did his training where he works today: Saltigo has approximately 1300 employees; Lanxess has a total of around 16,700. They produced flu remedies and plant protection products.

Most recently, Mosch set up a fill level measurement indicator on a reaction vessel for a new order. This measures how much of a substance there is in the large vessel and how much needs to be added from others so that the correct mixture comes out at the end. "We make the measurements using radar technology and when selecting the sensors I have to check both the material they are made from so that they are resistant to the chemicals, as well as the properties of the substance."

The radar measurement principle involves the reflection of beams. However, because there are stirrers in the reactor, Mosch has to mask their interference signals. "I set up all the necessary parameters for the measurement on the laptop, supervise the initial filling and check whether there is a match between theory and practice," he explains. He corrects the settings if necessary.

In another project Mosch installed around 100 measuring stations on a steam system for heating reactors. The measuring stations are battery-powered and create a wireless network. "The stations measure whether the pipe condensate separators are functioning correctly," he explains. Water in the pipes would prevent heat transfer. "Installing cables for measuring stations such as these has previously taken a month" The set-up can be completed wirelessly within a few days.

"The chemical sector has invested billions in automation and information technology and this will continue in the future," comments Ursula Weißhaupt. At Lanxess, she has responsibility in the personnel department for training in technical and commercial occupations. "The next level of productivity increases, in relation to Industry 4.0, will also present the chemicals industry with major challenges in the future. These challenges must increasingly be overcome with personnel qualified for the job." She explains that the occupation of electronics technician for automation technology is therefore one with a future and very good prospects regardless of the sector.

Mosch enjoys the fact that his work is interdisciplinary and therefore varied. "I have to know about electrical engineering, IT and chemistry." He enjoys searching for complex technical solutions - and in most cases has a sense of achievement at the end. "What I don't really like are routine inspections and unpleasant working conditions, for example on hot pipe systems." You get hot there very quickly.