Story

Who are you and what do you do at RI?

My name is Yannic. I'm in my early 40s and have been with RI since 2011. I started out in project work, and after a few detours, I’ve now become head of Section T1, which is mechanical manufacturing..

What exactly is your job?

At the moment, I have more than one job at RI. I plan, manage, and coordinate tasks within production. I was also primarily responsible for the construction of our new production site in Obereschbach. In addition, I’m part of the quality initiative that’s just starting and co-founder of the "OC", our Operations Control. With the OC, we want to keep management—and all of us—even better informed about where we currently stand in terms of achieving our revenue targets. And it should help us further improve our production processes—knowing when which components or projects need to be completed to keep everything on schedule.

How did you come to join RI?

Through a job posting on the internet. At the time, I was really excited about the idea of working in project business. Back then, RI was building prototypes of accelerator cavities for European XFEL (the European Free-Electron Laser), and I had the chance to write my diploma thesis there.

What was the topic of your diploma thesis?

I analyzed and simulated the preparation process for the XFEL cavities production at the company.

XFEL was quite a cool project and a major one for RI.

Exactly. When I started, we were about 90 people. The entire infrastructure was being built, cleanrooms were set up, and processes established. It was a big project for RI, and it really helped us grow a lot in production—also in terms of serial manufacturing.

What are you currently working on?

Order and cleanliness in the new halls (laughs). Establishing processes so that we can produce across multiple sites without long downtimes. And most importantly, our quality initiative. We need it because of the rapid growth we’ve experienced over the past two years. We have to make sure we continue to deliver the high quality our customers expect.

Can you give an example of this growth? Where has the company grown?

Primarily in the supply chain business, which didn’t exist at all before. But we’ve also grown significantly in engineering and other production areas. Years ago, someone once told me—we’ll call this a little gem—"We’re not a milling operation." Since then, we’ve bought five milling machines. Our milling operations have grown because many components are moving in that direction. Actually, we've grown across the board. Just in my area, I’ve hired about 60 employees in the past five years. And that’s a challenge because every new person has to embrace the RI credo.

What would you say is the RI credo?

For me personally? That quality ALWAYS comes first. We’d rather leave components on the machine for an extra day to ensure quality than be a day faster and accept lower quality.

Do you enjoy working at RI?

Yes, I do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t put up with the long commute. It’s a very independent working environment—but you have to like that. Of course, I’ve earned that freedom over time, it comes with my role. There’s always a respectful tone here. From employees to management, everyone is respected. No one yells here. There are discussions, even tough and long ones (laughs), but it's always about the issue at hand. And even when the debates get intense, we still grab a coffee afterward and everything’s fine. I really appreciate that. It’s not like that everywhere.

How would you describe RI to someone from the outside who doesn’t know it at all?

We’re a high-tech company working on the coolest projects in the world. We contributed to the biggest machine ever built—at CERN. And now we’re helping build machines that are among the most complex in the world—lithography machines for computer chips...

If you’re passionate about technology, this is the right place for you, because we cover the entire value chain ourselves. That’s incredibly interesting for anyone who’s into or curious about technology.

To me, RI also stands out for its diversity. Here, you’ll find everything—from people who don’t need formal training for their job, to physicists with PhDs. That human diversity is very enriching. At RI we have People from 24 different nations and each contributing their unique skills where they’re strongest—that’s pretty cool.