Having a coffee with …Stephan Menze

Stephan Menze has been at Rutronik since mid-2015. He is the Product Sales Manager in the Analog & Sensors Department. Having started in the analog sector, he is responsible for sensor technologies today, which is also what personally interests him.


Mr Menze, how did you end up being a Product Sales Manager at Rutronik?

After my apprenticeship as a forwarding agent I chose to complete my “Abitur” and then studied industrial engineering in Karlsruhe. Afterwards I applied to Rutronik and went through the normal application process. I had got to know Rutronik at the Kontakta graduate careers fair in Karlsruhe. The job as Product Sales Manager is therefore my first job at Rutronik.


You are responsible for optical and MEMS sensors. Which areas are these sensors used in?

Optical sensors are, for example, proximity sensors. Or they are installed in applications that are controlled by gestures. With a car radio, for example, a menu pops up when I move my hand towards the radio. Optical sensors can also be used with knobs. Another example are forked photoelectric sensors on lift doors – you don’t often see these components from the outside. Movement sensors are also installed in every cell phone. They are used, for example, when the cell phone is rotated and the display automatically rotates too. There are acceleration sensors in airbags. In the event of negative acceleration, i.e. when you hit something, the airbag opens. I am also responsible for these types of sensors.


Do you like being out and about?

Yes, I like being on the road. You can arrange your visits independently to a certain extent. Rutronik gives me the freedom to plan the trips so that they can be reconciled with my social life too. For example, the tour to customers starts on Mondays. This then continues for half a week or a whole week. As we don’t just travel in Germany but also in the surrounding European countries, it makes the whole thing exciting and interesting as you see different countries and get around quite a bit.

 

What motivates you at work? What is your passion?

The technological aspect definitely motivates me. I am also privately interested in sensors and have hobbies to do with this. As a result, my interests can of course be perfectly combined with my work.


What are your hobbies?

Mainly assembling electronics. There are various systems for amateurs, for example, a kind of mini computer. You can play around with sensors with this. You can for example automate your home with such sensors – it’s all about the smart home.