“Our broad technological spectrum is a springboard to the best career opportunities”

AEROREPORT: Dr. Maurer, you’ve been MTU’s Chief Operating Officer since the beginning of February. Before that, your career path hadn’t had any crossover with the aviation industry. Now it’s all about engines for you.

Silke Maurer: Yes, my enthusiasm for engines as a product took root very quickly. Once you join MTU, it becomes a part of life. Sometimes I’ll meet employees in the factories and offices who have been working here for 30 years, and they’re still excited to talk about their job. This is thanks to their fascination with flying, the motivating work environment at MTU, but also our technically sophisticated product, which is durable but never dull.

AEROREPORT: What makes production at MTU so exceptional?

Maurer: At MTU, we’re a state-of-the-art industrial company, but also a highly specialized manufacturer—so we combine the best of both worlds. We don’t have the kind of fast-paced, large-scale production setup found in the automotive industry. We manufacture extremely sophisticated components and assemble engines in very small quantities, sometimes even producing one-offs.

AEROREPORT: So the skills of well-qualified experts are in particular demand in highly specialized engine production?

Maurer: Yes, especially since our products are very complex. Our parts and components must meet stringent requirements for safety, durability, accuracy and quality. This calls for a very high level of vertical integration compared to other industries. We manufacture in the micrometer range. It’s this precision work that’s one of our strengths, not mass production. And that is exactly why MTU depends on the excellent skills and know-how of every single specialist. We need their skill in handling precision tools, their expert eye for detail, their extremely intricate handiwork. The skills it takes to deliver that kind of perfect manual work are timeless. At the same time, we’ve built up highly automated, state-of-the-art production areas that offer exciting tasks for automation and programming specialists.

AEROREPORT: Do advanced production methods open up entirely new career opportunities?

Maurer: Definitely. Anyone who joins our production team will find out that we supply many components that are one hundred percent made by MTU across all production steps and all along the value chain. We develop many pioneering processes in-house; one example is precise electrochemical machining: a patented high-precision, high-tech manufacturing process. Our broad technological spectrum is a springboard to the best career opportunities. People making a lateral move into aviation also have very good prospects with us. I recently met someone who used to work as a dental technician before coming to us. His precision work is also appreciated at MTU, which is why we provided him with training to apply those talents to new tasks.

AEROREPORT: What should future engine makers ideally bring along with them?

Maurer: As an engine maker, it’s best to bring curiosity and a willingness to create and to change, because the aviation industry is on the cusp of a huge transformation. With us, you can play a major part every day in making aviation sustainable. We’re also keen to get more women interested in careers in technical fields. I’m an engineer myself, and I’d especially like to encourage girls who are interested but still undecided: talk to women in those kinds of professions, and hear them tell you how fascinating their jobs are and what great development opportunities they offer.