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.
Was it a conscious goal for you to work in the electronics industry?
Actually, it wasn’t really my goal to work in the electronics industry. I was in fact worst at the subjects related to this industry during my studies. But the job description at Rutronik appealed to me and the topic has become more and more interesting for me during the course of working here. That was the reason why I wanted to go into even more depth and why I’m now doing a part-time Master’s course in electrical engineering.
What sort of things do you do in your job as Product Sales Manager?
We work very strategically. That means, there are less everyday administrative things, at least in my area. In this department we differentiate between the Product Managers who work in internal sales and Product Sales Managers who work in external sales.
I work in external sales. This means that internal sales complete the everyday administrative tasks. Simply for the reason that you are often out and about at customers’ in external sales. With us it’s usually about a customer who has an application they would like to realize. However, they often haven’t decided which technology they want to use yet. This is where we come into play as Product Sales Managers. As we have many manufacturers in our product range and don’t just specialize in one, we can advise our customers comprehensively.
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.
Are there challenges at work?
At the moment, time is a challenge for me. It see it as a privilege to be able to study again. But I still have a full-time job. Every two weeks I am at the university all day on Friday and Saturday for my Master’s course. Added to this, I have to of course read up on and revise everything that is covered on the course.
Rutronik has been very accommodating as far as flexibility is concerned. For example, in special cases I can work from home now and again to finish my working day more flexible and be able to do something for my studies so that I can get everything organized. In my opinion, stress is a question of attitude.
There are also daily challenges in the job. There are certain things that in my opinion are just normal in any working life. For example, that management sets targets that are very ambitious and that sometimes there are different approaches to achieving a target. But I think that is the same everywhere in business and you can talk to colleagues to find solutions.
What is Rutronik for you?
Rutronik is a smart employer for me. An employer that moves with the developments in the working world. Who does a lot with regard to social aspects. I think the whole package here definitely works – also as far as recruiting and supporting staff is concerned. There are also lots of little things, for example, free drinks that have a great impact in my opinion.