14th FVI Expert Breakfast

Topic: "Generation Z in the Engine Room" – How we inspire young talents for maintenance.

In this session, which served as a warm-up for the Maintenance Days in Hamburg, Marcel Hahn and Jens Reisenweber discussed with a high-caliber panel (VDI, professors, HR experts) about the survival of the industry.

• The Image Problem: Jean Haeffs (VDI) and Peter Vogtmann emphasized that we need to move away from the image of the "grease monkey in overalls." Modern maintenance is high-tech, diagnostics, data analysis. A technician who goes to the machine without a laptop today is lost. We need to sell this new image.
• Gen Z wants Meaning & Flexibility: Patrick Bög (Rhine-Waal University) explained that the young generation is not lazy, but seeks meaning. Maintenance is meaningful (sustainability through repair), but we communicate it incorrectly. And: If home office is not possible in production, other freedoms are needed (e.g., flexible shift schedules via app instead of paperwork).
• The "Reality Shock": Andreas Weber (opmc) poured water on the wine: "We will not solve the problem, the people were not born." We compete with the police, armed forces, and IT for the same few minds. The solution is not just "more attractiveness," but efficiency: We must make the work so simple that even less qualified people can do it (smartphone logic).
• Internal Marketing is King: Ralf (practical example) organizes an "Apprentice Day," where maintainers proudly show their work. This is more effective than any glossy brochure. Those who are not appreciated internally cannot shine externally.
• Show Career Paths: It must be clear that "maintainer" is not a dead end. One can become a technician, master, planner, or data analyst. Those who offer no perspective lose talents to administration.

Classification: Technology as an Answer to the Shortage

This episode confirms our strategy of Operational Intelligence as a response to demographic change.

• ADAM compensates for missing heads: When Andreas Weber says "The people are not there," the logical consequence is: We need tools that scale the knowledge of the few remaining experts. ADAM makes a master's knowledge available to 10 beginners.
• Attractiveness through "Coolness Factor": A young technician does not want to work with paper checklists. If he uses an app like ADAM, which is as intuitive as Instagram (take a photo, AI analyzes the error), he feels modern and appreciated. Outdated tools are a reason for resignation for Gen Z.
• Onboarding Accelerator: Karla Martins (University) spoke of the need to quickly transfer knowledge. ADAM's "Digital Colleague" drastically reduces onboarding time because the newcomer does not have to know everything by heart, but can ask the system.

Conclusion: We cannot bake skilled workers, but we can make the existing ones more productive and happier. ADAM is the tool for that.