Two Year-8 classes from Marktoberdorf's secondary school learnt about the career of a Technical Product Designer when they visited the company over the summer.
What does a Technical Product Designer do? High school students from Marktoberdorf visit Fendt
Two Year-8 classes from Marktoberdorf's secondary school learnt about the career of a Technical Product Designer when they visited the company over the summer.
As part of the school partnership with Marktoberdorf Secondary School, the Year-8s came to Fendt on July 17 and 19 to learn about being a Technical Product Designer – which used to be known as a Technical Draftsman. In Year 7, the students already learnt some basic technical drawing skills in the classroom and were now curious to see how they were used in practice.
The day started at 8:15 am sharp at the Fendt Forum – without any sign of a school bell. After a short introduction to Fendt, the 30 students enjoyed a tour of the factory. Seeing how tractors are made up-close was a new and fascinating experience for everyone in the group.
They then took the factory shuttle to the Research & Development division, where Bettina Tschauner and Rainer Pachonik talked about becoming a Technical Product Designer and the training involved.
"Does a Technical Product Designer decide how a tractor looks?" – came the first question. It quickly became clear that there is more to this job than 'just drawing', with tractor designs, skills in using different materials, various production methods and creating precise technical drawings, all making this an exciting profession.
A guided tour through the otherwise top-secret area of prototyping with the Head of Testing, Dr. Josef Mayer, added to the students' adventure. They saw first-hand how new tractors evolve from the drafted ideas. All new components and parts are manufactured, assembled and tested here based the finished drawings.
Finally, the students were allowed to visit Development's virtual reality room. The highlight of the day was a noisy affair. A tractor being dismantled or zooming into the room using 3D technology was met by a resounding "Cool!" or a "Wow!".
"We hope the students now have a more comprehensive idea of being a Technical Product Designer and we're looking forward to plenty of applications for 2020," said Rainer Pachonik, delighted by the enthusiasm of the high school students.
Fendt has been offering Technical Product Designer apprenticeships since September 2018, as well as Industrial Sales, Industrial Mechanic, Mechatronics Technician, IT Specialist, IT System Electronics Technician and Warehouse Logistics Specialist apprenticeships.
