Is Germany a resource-poor country? Definitely not!

The mining of raw materials in Germany nowadays happens so inconspicuously in many places that one can hardly perceive it anymore. Or did you know that about 700 million tons of mineral raw materials are mined annually in Germany? About 1,300 tons of those resources are needed for the foundation of a 3 MW wind turbine, and each kilometer of motorway even requires about 216,000 tons! All of those raw materials must be mined and processed to the highest quality and environmental standards.

Engineers for processing machines and plants furthermore are a sought-after contact for a large variety of operators, e.g. when it comes to the processing of potash salts, energy resources, raw materials in the cement manufacturing, chemical products, food, and agricultural commodities. In all of those industrial areas, they ensure a reliable plant operation, as well as the optimization of processes!

In addition, there are a large number of service providers and engineering firms close to those industries which also need excellently trained engineers with a background in processing machines.

The following interview (in German) provides an insight into the career outlook offered by operators of processing machines (link to Youtube-video):

Dipl.-Ing. Bernd Ziethmann

• 1974 ‑ 1978: Studies in mining and processing machines
• 1983 ‑ 2013: Converter steel works Eisenhüttenstadt, most recently head of department
• Since 2015: Managing director of the Erich Friedrich Handel GmbH, Salzgitter