Fischertechnik and the German engineer | Economy | '
On my last home leave, I met a Chinese entrepreneur, who wanted to know from me, where the German engineer spirit comes from. Germany lives off its innovation for lack of raw materials, and world leaders are in rural areas, so engineers spend all day long tinkering for lack of other activities. That did not convince him. So I promised him to go in search of answers.
The symbiosis between technology and science
Back in Germany, I immediately called the well-known economics historian Werner Abelshauser. He knew an answer to all my questions. "The engineer is a product of the German research university, and the research university is an integral part of the Prussian educational reforms that took place between 1807 and 1820," said Abelshauser. The German engineer was born in the second half of the 19th century as a symbiosis of economy and science. The company BASF founded in 1865 was the prototype of this symbiosis. The innovations in synthetic colors, which were born in the test tube of the research university, were taken over by the engineers of BASF and brought to market. New industries – industries of intangible value creation – were created in this way: chemistry, engineering or electronics. "The Germans have managed to get past the First Industrial Nation UK without catching up," said Abelshauser.
Werner Abelshauser, emeritus professor at the University of Bielefeld
Clever as the Prussians were, a few years after the unification of Germany in 1871, more precisely in 1887, they had suggested that companies set up training facilities so that apprentices could acquire not only general, academic knowledge but also operational and technical knowledge. This was the birth of the dual education system, which was even legally anchored in the 1930s.
"It was then made possible by the skilled labor culture that the engineer in the companies of these new industries could take over the command to bring the test tube into the dimension that the market needs," explained Abelshauser. From the test tube to the market – for the historian that's the definition of engineering.
The long tradition of craftsmanship
The interaction between the engineer and skilled workers would not be so fruitful had it not been for the long tradition of craftsmanship, which, according to Abelshauser, goes back to the Hanseatic period of the eleventh century: "Guilds formed by craftsmen and which have defined a large economic area: From Flanders to Russia, from Scandinavia to Westphalia, with Lübeck as the speaker city in the middle, this urban craft was an extremely successful form of business and has been deeply engraved in Germany's economy because of its many centers. "
That sounds very conclusive. But I wanted to subject the theory to a practical test and most of all, I finally wanted to get to know a true engineer. Does he grow up with fishing technique and then break down all the machines that come into his hands during his adolescence? Is he working only during work or at night when he can not sleep?
Fischertechnik – a toy still preferred by boys
In the land of inventors and inventors
When choosing the location, I did not have to think long: I drive to Hohenlohe in Baden-Württemberg, the region with the highest density of world market leaders. The only problem: The distance of about 350 kilometers for German conditions I had to drive myself by car. Because these pearls of the German economy are like Snow White hidden behind the seven mountains, there flies no plane, as well as the Deutsche Bahn does not stop. I drove and drove and as soon as I left the highway, the traffic dropped from a hundred to zero. I found myself in the middle of a lush green mountain and hilly landscape and always had the feeling to drive directly into the idyll.
Ralf Sturm, personnel manager and shareholder at ebm-papst
In Mulfingen I first met Ralf Sturm, personnel manager at the fan manufacturer ebm-papst and son of the company founder Gerhard Sturm. He can not easily confirm the thesis with the research university. "My father was a machinist and has built everything from a sound education, as well as many top managers here in the house, the majority at the time (1960s) did not study., They were metal and electrical workers." Due to his personal experience, he would have a different picture. "These mid-sized companies and world market leaders have been born out of craftsmanship, and this centuries-old foundation of crafting in breadth and depth has produced many inventors." Since I was glad that he could substantiate at least the second part of the theory of the historian with his company history.
But craft has also taken root in other European countries and other parts of the world. Ralf Sturm explains why it bears the most beautiful flowers in Germany: "What has developed differently in this country is the preservation of the deeply permeated, small-cell structure of the craftsmanship, which is still the case in Germany is that not possible anymore? "
The symbiosis between nature and technology
In Baden-Württemberg, the land of inventors and inventors, another symbiosis is added. "This great rural region, nature and landscape in connection with one of the strongest economic regions in Germany, this symbiosis of nature and technology, nature and economy, this is Hohenlohe, which we live here", so Ralf storm.
Company headquarters of ebm-papst in Mulfingen
The fact that nature stimulates the spirit of invention is fully supported by Thomas Heli, Head of the Development Department at ebm-papst. When jogging in the countryside, for example, he would have his head clear: "So during running lots of product ideas were created, which I then bring in the company, and then worked with the team, with the colleagues and implement." A dream for every boss!
An engineer to touch
Thomas Heli is exactly the German engineer that I imagined, only more sympathetic. Like most engineers, he also made and played with fishing technique as a child. Then he started training as a toolmaker. "During this training, I realized that this is not all I want to do, I want to do things like fishing." So after completing his education he went to Karlsruhe to study mechanical engineering – with a focus on construction.
In other words: Thomas Heli himself has gone the dual path of education. "The dual system offers the possibility that, no matter what level of education you start, you have the permeability and can achieve what you want to achieve." And the combination of operational and scientific aspects enables engineers to think complexly and develop complex products. For Thomas Heli, this way of thinking is what makes up the German engineering spirit.
Thomas Heli explains the intelligent fan to me
Over the past 25 years, the chief engineer has developed a number of fans and fans for his company, and made countless optimizations. When he talks about his products, one can almost feel a tenderness in his voice: "We have added additional sensors, a humidity sensor and a temperature sensor, so that the fan can adjust its volume flow to the needs, depending on the ambient humidity and temperature." A smart fan so. When Thomas Heli is not working on an even smarter fan, he likes to hear AC / DC or shoot bows – needless to say he builds the bows himself.
Merging two worlds
On the way back I think about the difference between German and Chinese corporate culture. While in China some corporate bosses such as Alibaba founder Jack Ma boast the 996 working time model (from nine to nine, six days a week), personnel manager and shareholder Ralf Sturm already dreams of six hours of work a day. While it is common practice for German engineers to devote their entire working lives to a single company, the average duration of young Chinese (under 30) in an employer is one year. The German engineer waits until he finds the perfect solution; The Chinese often start with an unfinished solution and adjust. Therefore, my interlocutors are convinced that China can catch up with Germany from the technical side, but the German engineering spirit can not be copied like that.
Ma Mingze, CEO of blockchain start-up CRYSTO, which goes public in July 2019, asked me questions about German engineering. Good luck!
ليست هناك تعليقات