Winning over and inspiring tomorrow’s managers!

The shortage of skilled professionals has now become an issue in just about every industry. Graduates today can often choose in what company they want to start their career. Besides considering opportunities for professional development and salary, prospective managers often see the fulfilment of personal needs, like possibilities for childcare and part-time working, as especially important. Particularly in the machine engineering sector, the clay brick and tile industry, its suppliers and plant engineers have to compete with large and well-known companies.

How can our industry stand its ground and win over young professionals?

As a trade journal for the industry, we have asked ourselves this question, and in response we have established a student field trip. Focus of this event will be to give the students insights into industrial practice. With students from various universities, we shall be visiting a modern brickworks and give them an introduction to the production of heavy clay products. Experienced professionals from the plant engineering and supplier industry will speak on the different process steps in the clay brick and tile industry – from preparation and shaping through to drying and firing. These talks will be combined with an extensive plant tour during which the students will get to experience the processes from the practical side. In individual talks the speakers will report from their wealth of professional experience and point out future areas of work to the students. An evening gathering will provide the opportunity for individual contacts between the students and the industry and perhaps even to discuss the first steps toward working within the industry.

Our field trip will take us on 28/29 October to Gross-Ammensleben and the Nibra roofing tile factory owned by Dachziegelwerke Nelskamp GmbH. The field trip is supported by the following companies: Händle GmbH Maschinen und Anlagenbau, Keller HCW GmbH, Dr. Krakow Rohstoffconsult, Hans Lingl Anlagenbau und Verfahrenstechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Opavsky Emailleschmelze & Glasurfabrikation and Refratechnik Ceramics GmbH.

We are looking forward to the trip and will report on it a further issue. If you are interested in becoming a partner for next year’s event, please contact us!

Yours

Anett Fischer

Editor of Zi Brick and Tile Industry International