An unforgettable practical phase: Gühring student travels Birmingham

Jonas Burth is studying industrial engineering at Gühring and Ravensburg Cooperative State University (DHBW). But that’s not all: During his fifth practical placement, he had the opportunity to spend five weeks working at our British office in Birmingham. He has a few tales to tell from his placement abroad in the second largest city in the United Kingdom.

5 questions to Gühring student Jonas Burth

Why did you decide to do a placement abroad in the UK?

I had never been to England before and thought it would be a good opportunity to improve my English.

What was your experience of the Gühring branch in Birmingham?

The plant in Birmingham is still relatively new and feels cutting-edge. In addition to an open-plan office, it has a large pool of machines on which a large part of the Gühring product range can be manufactured. My many helpful colleagues took a lot of time to show me the conditions and how they work.

What jobs were you expecting to do in Birmingham?

While I was there, I investigated how the hourly machine rates for Birmingham came about and how they are maintained in the ERP system there. I was also tasked with working out the exact effects of not adjusting these machine hourly rates to the local price level over the long term. In addition, I had the opportunity to accompany some employees during their day-to-day work and learn from them.

What did you learn from this experience, both for your studies and your work in Germany?

Over the five weeks, I was involved in an internal project for production controlling, which enabled me to apply a lot of the theoretical content I have learned – and my English has also improved.

And what did you experience outside of work in England?

In my leisure time, I was often out exploring. In addition to the mandatory short trip to London, I also did a few laps on one of the best-known motocross tracks in Birmingham. At the end of my trip, I rented a camper van and spent a week in Scotland’s wild but beautiful nature, visiting a new place every day. I had a lot of wonderful experiences and exciting encounters with various people, which means that I will never forget the time I spent in England.