Lukas, Trainee Engineering Component Systems in Vilsbiburg, Germany has been working at DRÄXLMAIER since 2020
Summiteer
Passion? Mountains!
“I love the mountains,” says Lukas. “Up there, you can see so far. And there’s always something going on.” Lukas put on his first pair of skis at the age of four. Ever since then, the mountain experience has captivated the Regensburg native. Skiing, mountain biking, mountaineering: Whenever possible, he heads out into the great outdoors with his family or friends. “In alpine outdoor sports, everything comes together: respect and humility towards the mountains and laws of nature, demanding moves and physical peak performance, high-tech sports equipment, as well as team spirit and mutual reliability within a group,” explains Lukas. “It feels good and right – and it does something to you, in the best way.”
As a mountain enthusiast, Lukas has also been guided by determination, prudence, foresight and team spirit through his education and career. For his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering with a focus on automotive engineering, he moved from Munich to Landshut, where he later completed his master’s degree in electrical engineering. This is also where he got to know DRÄXLMAIER. At the DRÄXLMAIER campus in Garching near Munich, Lukas gained his first practical experience in pre-development as a working student in 2020. “I wasn’t a technology freak and had only ever tinkered with motorbikes and bicycles. In the development departments, a whole new horizon suddenly opened up before me,” he recalls. “And we got to know and appreciate each other: DRÄXLMAIER and me.”
Lukas also wrote his master’s thesis on the DRÄXLMAIER campus. The topic: “Classification, clustering and standardization of wire harness connectors for automated wire harness production.” After that, he knew he wanted to apply for the Engineering Components trainee program at the DRÄXLMAIER headquarters in Vilsbiburg.
Shaping the future
“The trainee program is an incredibly intense 18 months,” reports Lukas, “I get to see the most diverse aspects of the company from the most diverse perspectives.” He also got to spend time abroad at the software development center in Belgrade, Serbia. “No two days are the same there; I have to keep adapting to the new challenges that show up in the trainee program.” So far, he hasn’t spent a single second regretting his decision to train in the automotive sector: “I’m fascinated by the dynamics and disruptive nature of the transformation to e-mobility that’s currently taking place. The future is being written here, and I get to be a part of it at DRÄXLMAIER,” says Lukas.
Eventually, he would like to work as a project manager in development, “at the interface between the engineers, the customers and the main project.” To do this, he says, you need solid overall understanding and a holistic approach. And that’s exactly what the trainee is currently learning. “In order to understand the technical and organizational interrelationships and to be able to shape them for successful further development,” he explains, “you have to take a step back and look at the project from a certain distance.” In his trainee program, he’s learning how to bring together different levels of expertise and different skills by understanding communication. Prioritizing tasks is also part of the training. Experienced managers guide the trainees through this process. Lukas was particularly impressed by the training he received from a former fighter pilot. “He talked about goal orientation, leadership, crisis management and decision-making under extreme stress,” he recalls. “And how mutual trust and reliability are very important keys to success.” A school of life.
Achieving long-term goals with optimism and confidence
Lukas has no shortage of positive thinking. His first days as a working student came just before the pandemic began. “I didn't really think about the fact that my time at DRÄXLMAIER might be over before it even started. I just wanted to put the pedal to the metal and experience new things,” he recalls. After a short break, he says, things really took off – albeit under the more difficult COVID conditions. “During the COVID crisis, I always had the feeling that even in stressful times, DRÄXLMAIER was primarily concerned with long-term goals and actively shaping the future. I felt that I was in good hands with them.”
Lukas thinks it’s great that now that the pandemic has subsided, working from home and hybrid work arrangements have become normal in many areas of the company. “The company has provided us with the necessary technical equipment. This gives everyone in the team a high level of flexibility, increases the degree of networking among the players, and contributes to achieving a significantly higher level of agility within the project. “It’s a bit like climbing a mountain,” he says, “If you want to climb to the summit, you need to be physically fit, have solid equipment and be part of a team that communicates openly and honestly – and that sticks together. Then anything is possible – and there’s a lot of fun to be had as well!” With so much entrepreneurial and athletic spirit, it comes as no surprise that Lukas has already been offered a job as a project manager at DRÄXLMAIER for when he completes his trainee program.
