Interview: Torsten, hardware development engineer
Hello Torsten, can you please briefly introduce yourself and your work?
My name is Torsten, I am 38 years old and have been working in the hardware development department at SysTec for almost 16 years now. My scope of work includes various tasks, from project planning, the actual development of hardware, mechanical designs, the support for approvals, and beyond that also the ongoing product management and maintenance-of-line for various devices. It is a very wide-ranging and interesting area of responsibility that is incredibly diverse.
How was your start at SysTec as hardware development engineer?
That was quite a while ago and the company only had half as many employees back then as it does today. During my studies, I had the opportunity to acquire practical experience in hardware development, which contributed a lot compared with the rather dry and theoretical studies at the RWTH Aachen University. After graduation, the transition to my current job was almost seamless. This was largely due to the fact that I was entrusted with the management of projects after only a short period of time, which I could then realize according to my own ideas.
What motivates you?
First and foremost, it's clearly the team around me. It's simply fun and all my colleagues do get on extremely well, which makes working together a real pleasure. In addition, I appreciate the independence in how and where I can do my job. This trust-based freedom gives me the necessary flexibility between successful results at work and my private family life. Especially in this tense and difficult situation at Corona times, this was again a great help.
What was your most exciting project so far?
The question is difficult to answer. Basically, every project, large or small, has its individual challenges and merits. It's not the project itself that matters. The exciting thing is actually how an initial idea or requirement is turned into a finished product that can be sold successfully in large quantities around the world. If you are also responsible for this project as a product manager and accompany the product from start to finish, and see it making it's way, that's extremely exciting for me.
How would you describe SysTec in one word and what is important in the project work?
I think the most appropriate term is 'future-oriented'. Of course, a single word cannot offer an all-encompassing description, however, I think this is most accurate one. All projects are designed for long-term success, which results from technological innovation and total commitment to quality. It is important to plan large projects especially well and to coordinate closely with the participating departments and – most of all – the requirements of our customers. In the end, there is always a team behind every successful project.
