Welcome! Could you quickly introduce yourself?

Hi, I’m Iantho. I’m 23 years old and I live in Broechem, a village near Lier. In my spare time I mainly do sports such as football, running, cycling and tennis. But, when the weather is bad, I also like to sit back on the couch and read a book about history or technology or watch a series. 

Can you tell us why you are with Evonik? What was the reason you joined the company?  

In 2018, I graduated as a “master’s in industrial engineering: Energy” at Technology Campus “De Nayer” in Sint-Katelijne Waver. During my last year, I was not sure what kind of job I wanted after my graduation. So, for this reason, I went to a job fair. There I met one of my current coworkers who told me enthusiastically about Evonik and the profession he practiced there. Right after that, I contacted Evonik and was allowed to come and talk to the head of the E&I department. After an extensive conversation about technique and technology, and the content of the job I was immediately convinced. He told me about a varied job with a focus on technology, space to develop and specialize in your field of interests, the possibility to take all kinds of trainings, responsibility for the E&I installation of one of the production plants units and career opportunities. And to top it all, coupled with interesting conditions. All this made it an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. So, in September 2018 I started working at Evonik as an E&I engineer. 

Your job is called “Adjunct EMR Engineer”. What does that mean and what do you do there?  

As “Adjunct EMR Ingenieur/Deputy E&I Engineer” I am responsible for managing and optimizing the E&I-installation of one of the silane plants. This includes developing projects for new construction and changes to the E&I-installation for example designing new loops or implement improvements. I also take part in many meetings where we discuss various projects and safety measures!  

What skills are necessary to fulfil your task? 

First and foremost, you need a considerable interest in engineering and technology. Furthermore, a sense of responsibility and enterprise is required. After all, you are responsible for managing and optimizing the E&I-installation of your plants. Good communication skills are also a plus because you’ll often have contact with various parties (such as E&I-technicians, the production staff, plant engineer, plant manager, technical coordinators and the other departments of technical services) to discuss various matters. Pre-knowledge of instrumentation, DCS-configuration and overall automation is also an advantage, even though you get enough time and space to develop these skills on the job.  

What does innovation mean to you, how do you experience innovation culture within Evonik? 

For me, innovation means introducing new ideas and constantly improving existing processes. This is something that is in full force and effect at the site. Because, although some of the plants have been around for some time now, changes are still being made continuously to optimize the process even further and to make it even more efficient. In addition, when thinking of innovation at the site, I have to mention the countless projects going on to digitize and automate all sort of processes.  

What are your perspectives, in which area do you want to develop yourself further? 

In the coming years I’d like to refine myself on a technical level. This means not only the field of E&I, but also chemistry, mechanics and process engineering in order to get a better overview of the workings of an entire production plant.  

Do you have any advice for graduates, who are interested in your field of work? 

When I started working as a graduate, I had the illusion that I’d know everything I needed to know to practice my job. This is a misconception that seems quite typical for my generation. That’s why I would like to give the advice: “Be patient!”. Give yourself the time and space to learn and make mistakes. And try to pick up as much as possible from people who have years of experience in the profession.