Newsblog

Christian, when and how did you come to ek robotics? 

That was in 2020, shortly after my training as a technician. During my employment at a pharmaceutical and medical supplies company, I got to know ek robotics as an AGV manufacturer. An automated guided vehicle system has been in use there since 2004 and I quickly became familiar with the vehicles there. I came to ek robotics in search of a new challenge with a future-proof perspective and technology. 

Initially, I worked as a commissioning engineer in the field from my home town of Melsungen and later from Göttingen. In this position, I was able to get to know the systems and transport robots on numerous construction sites - including an exciting system in Egypt. After a few years, I switched to office work and moved to northern Germany with my partner. I have now been working in After Sales Operations at the Hamburg headquarters of ek robotics for one and a half years.

What are your tasks as a technical customer advisor in the After Sales Operations team?

Put simply, I support all customers who are already using an AGV from ek robotics and are planning to expand, improve or convert their system. This includes, among other things, providing on-site advice to customers in order to identify adapted routes and transport flows and to create new concepts. Our team currently consists of three experts. Together, we are the point of contact for queries relating to major challenges in an existing system or for adaptation requests in the layout. 

What skills should you have in After Sales Operations at ek robotics?

In any case, you should have stamina, the ability to coordinate and project management know-how. Professional communication with our customers is also part of our day-to-day business. Experience in logistics, technology and programming knowledge are important soft skills to be able to correctly assess the effort behind a project. Although there is no specific degree or course of study for this job, master craftsmen, technicians and industrial engineers with practical experience have a good chance of doing the job professionally. Comparable qualifications are also well suited to the job.

What fascinates you about transport robotics?

The variety of possibilities that can be implemented. This is also a great strength of ek robotics. Take a look at the company's history and over 60 years of expertise. It is impressive to see what solutions were available back then and what solutions are available today for using automated transport solutions in a wide variety of applications and environmental conditions. The development and innovation process in this industry is fascinating!

What is your favorite project?

This is the driverless transport system at a customer in the chemical industry. The variety of transport options I just mentioned is exactly what we implemented there. The automation project comprises a total of 14 transport robots, including a SMART MOVE with very long forks, several customized CUSTOM MOVE AGVs with swivel push forks for a racking application, as well as an automated tugger train. The transport solution is used to transport a wide variety of loads on a daily basis, thus efficiently optimizing the entire material flow of the customer's plant/sub-area/production.

Which AGV do you find most exciting and why? 

I find any transport solution interesting where large special vehicles are used or individual transport robots carry out load handling operations with a payload of over 5 tons. One of my favorites is the AGV at RHI Magnesita's Radenthein plant in Austria. Here, twelve transport robots carry out several hundred transports during their shifts in 24-hour operation in a hot and dusty environment. Three custom-built vehicles lift loads weighing up to 16 tons. With the dead weight of the transport robots, the total weight of the heavy transports adds up to 26 tons! 

During their continuous operation, the vehicles move along the routes in narrow course areas and even drive over rails. This is a really exciting application example of special transport robotics, which you can also watch on YouTube. I also find the vehicles that are responsible for the in-house transportation of empty pallets and wrapped glass bottles at Wiegand-Glas in Schleusingen exciting. For this application, we have equipped our transport robots with double chain conveyors and hold-down devices that hold the load in place during transportation.

What do you particularly like about working with your colleagues?

Team spirit is our top priority! We all pull together and develop solution-oriented ideas together to find the best possible result for our customers. We are also very well networked among our colleagues outside of working hours and meet up privately for sport, drinks and other activities. 

How do you find a balance to your working day?

I like to go bouldering and occasionally also rope climbing. I use the EGYM Wellpass offer for this, which is part of the benefits at ek robotics. I like to cook and often use my barbecue, especially in summer. In the summer months, we also like to go to the North Sea or the Baltic Sea. The proximity to the sea is definitely a big plus point of Hamburg.