Time for a throwback

(by Justin Stegmaier)

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Two weeks ago my 2 month internship in LEAN Production Management at Siemens Power & Gas in Görlitz has ended - and I think that it’s time for a throwback now.

In the end I wish that it would have been longer, because there are so many more things I would like to learn more about. Anyway, it was a great time, finishing my own project successfully, getting to know the Siemens headquarter of steam turbine manufacturing worldwide and gaining a lot of knowledge in Logistics and LEAN Management.

Two months full of highlights

In my opinion “just” these two months were full of great moments and I’ll take along a lot of experiences.

After finishing this internship I am able to say that I’ve finished my first LEAN Project in the Logistics department and I’m very glad that it has ended successfully, because sometimes it was a path of trial and tribulation. In many cases the software did not do what I wanted it to do or my supervisors had different opinions on how to face upcoming challenges than I had.

Thanks to cooperative work with my colleagues and supervisors, we have solved all problems and there is an optimized tool in the logistic department to report stocks. That was the biggest challenge I’ve faced and it’s the one which makes me most proud of.

Another highlight was the 1:1 training in LEAN Methods I’ve received. One of my supervisors took a whole day off to teach me how to realize LEAN-Projects and which methods are most qualified to use for which kind of project.

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What I will take along?

It was a great opportunity and a real career adventure. I have gained lots of experiences I will never forget and which are very useful for my future career.

For instance, I think the most important thing I’ve learned during my internship at Siemens is that no mountain is too high to climb. It doesn’t matter how difficult it seems in the first moment. What I want to say: You can handle every challenge, you simply have to work hard for it and believe in oneself. 

Meet Justin, the Blind Applying champion of Siemens

Meet Justin, the Blind Applying champion of Siemens! Justin will soon be sharing his learnings from continuously improving processes, as he is doing his internship in Görlitz.

How excited are you to be starting an internship at Siemens?

As one of the biggest companies in the world Siemens is able to offer loads of
opportunities and paths to find your own way and that is what young people are
interested in.

Siemens describes its culture as “Always act as if it were your own company” and that implies in my opinion, not just a personal responsibility but rather, an open space to your personal fulfillment that makes this opportunity of starting an internship at Siemens so exciting.

You’ve stated marathon running as one of your hobbies. How has that helped you in your work?

Marathon running is like climbing a mountain. You need to be very focused to find the best way, persistent to keep sight of your goal and work hard over a long time to keep up. But when you reach the peak you feel greater than ever before. And that is exactly what is helping me in my work.

Sometimes work is very demanding too. Even so you will feel nearly as good as finishing a marathon if you reach your goals at work and that is pushing me in all kinds of situations.

Is there a person who has inspired you in life and work?

There is not one person I admire thoroughly because nobody is perfect. In my opinion it is more about admiring single features of people. For instance I admire some people for their passion for their company, others for their creativity or others for their fearless fights against injustice.

If you would mix all of these features maybe you would find the one person I would admire and I would aspire after, but as long as I don’t know this person I admire single characteristics and strive after them.