Tobias Butscheid is a new member of the IHK Regional Committee Eifel

Last Thursday, four new members were admitted to the IHK Regional Committee for the Eifel and the district of Euskirchen. Among them was ID Managing Director and Authorized Signatory Tobias Butscheid: “Voluntary membership in the IHK Regional Committee has a long tradition in our company. I am pleased to be able to continue it and contribute my own ideas to the development of the Eifel as an economic region.”

Butscheid succeeds former ID Managing Director Christoph Werner, who remains with the Eifel Committee in his new role as Managing Director of NE.W Nordeifel.Werkstätten non-profit GmbH.

The specific task of the committee is described on the IHK homepage as follows: “The regional committees are tasked with directly utilizing the expertise of the affected member companies in local economic structural policy matters and establishing a broad consensus on these local issues.” Simply put: The IHK Aachen wants to hear the practical assessment of the now 27 committee members regarding the current and future economic situation.

Part of the meeting was the presentation of the current economic situation in the sectors represented by the respective committee members, including logistics and transport, packaging industry, print and media, construction, and mechanical engineering. All committee members agreed that less bureaucracy, more planning certainty, and a competitive infrastructure are needed for a transformation towards greater sustainability in the Eifel economic region. IHK Vice President Stefan Hillers (see photo: 6th from right) emphasized during the committee meeting in the new “Sustainable Economy” ideas factory in Euskirchen that the issue of planning certainty, in particular, is highly relevant for regional businesses following the Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling on the supplementary budget.

More on this in this press release from December 8, 2023.

Preliminary explanation: There is no education or study program that concludes with the official designation “design engineer”.

In my understanding, it is more of a job title for which one brings certain prerequisites, i.e. a completed degree in the fields of mechanical engineering, mechatronics or electrical engineering. In my case, it was a degree in industrial engineering.

In my training and studies, technical and commercial basics were taught, but also in-depth content on the corresponding subjects and areas, including construction, CAD, mathematics, electrical engineering, physics, chemistry, project management, cost and profitability calculation, business informatics, business administration and economics.

The range of teaching content is very large, diverse and demanding.

Practical tasks, such as experiments in physics or electrical engineering, are also part of the curriculum. As a rule, several-week internships in technical as well as commercial companies are a prerequisite for completing the course. In addition, we had to develop and present project work, alone or in a team.

My main task is to support a major key account. This includes activities in project management, development and data integration.

At the beginning of the project, I have an initial meeting with the customer in order to understand the starting position and the concrete goal of his project request. For this I need all information on the background, the structural conditions and the functionality. If all the necessary information is available, the actual constructive work begins:

• Planning work
• Inspection / visit of the construction site
• Measuring work on site
• Creation of design concepts, layouts, feasibility studies and proposals
• Construction of components and assemblies (3D CAD)
• Creation of manufacturing drawings and diagrams (2D CAD)
• Creation of technical documents, such as conversion instructions and checklists
• Performing calculations
• Processing, administration and support of technical documents in a PLM system of the customer
• Version Management (Machine Versions)
• Communication with the customer or external companies

In short, I support the customer together with my team on a technical level.

From the idea to the manufacturing and assembly, and with the smoothest possible transition.

PLM system means Product Lifecycle Management System. It can be used to centrally manage and control product data and processes, including 3D designs, electronics, software and documentation. And it can be used jointly by different departments.

My team and I work daily within this system. Whether it’s creating new data, importing external data, transmitting processes, or as part of support. All of this helps the customer to advance and realize his projects.

Dealing with the PLM system is an example of how you can acquire additional knowledge as a specialist in the company, which in turn can be a unique selling point in the profession.

Even if you might not think so (laughs), I have been with the company for over 20 years. My work is varied, challenging and simply fun. I also have a good and relaxed relationship with my customers, colleagues and superiors.

What is particularly appealing to me is the flexibility. I basically manage my working hours, my workplace and my appointments myself. Whether it’s in the office, mobile working or at the customer’s site. This flexibility enables me to reconcile work and private life. In addition, ID offers all employees additional benefits such as a company pension scheme and job bike leasing.

Finally, I can say: “The overall package at ID is right.”