"Here, anyone can be a hero. Our customers present us with plenty of challenges."

Marcel Einert is a project manager. For him, there is a customer's vision behind every project. With his project team, he does all he can to develop innovative products to achieve such objectives as greater precision and comfort in medicine.

How did you end up at First Sensor and why did you choose it?

I studied microsystems technology and wanted an opportunity for personal development as well as to put what I had learned into practice. I found myself managing projects in Asia and living out of a suitcase. At some point, I was seized by homesickness. I first got in contact with First Sensor during a project that we were both working on. At the time, the Dresden site wanted to build up its packaging expertise for optical sensors. That sounded fascinating and was a good reason to get on a plane.

What were your first impressions?

I arrived amid a spirit of optimism. The crisis that had befallen the semiconductor industry in 2008 was over and the Development department was bursting at the seams. There were orders in urgent need of being handed over to Production. That called for project managers with specialist knowledge. It was a great introduction, with plenty of freedom and the space to come up with new ideas and solutions.

In your view, what makes First Sensor special?

This creative freedom still exists. Here, anyone can be a hero by coming up with a solution that works. Our customers present us with plenty of challenges – and that's not going to slow down. Scarcely have we found a solution for a project than the next customer calls with a new idea. That is due partly to the fact that we are developing and producing sensors for high-growth markets, which means for forward-looking applications such as autonomous driving, e-health and Industry 4.0. Many of our customers want to be involved.

What do you think are the most important aspects of your work?

My teams have people from various disciplines working together: developers, buyers, operators, material testers, sales staff. It is important to me for everyone to be listened to and to have a voice. That takes time, but makes an enormous contribution to the success of a project. Therefore, we make sure to take the time for it.

What advice would you give to graduates and young professionals?

It's good when your role is not yet quite so defined, because you can test yourself. When I joined First Sensor, I wanted to go into process technology, but the company urgently needed project managers. So I became a project manager and remain one to this day, because I enjoy the job.