State-of-the-art career training for a green future: Dillinger opens its new training center

At today’s opening ceremony, Joerg Disteldorf, Managing Director of SHS – Stahl-Holding-Saar and Chief Human Resources Officer for Dillinger, told the guests: “With this new workshop we are demonstrating our commitment to Saarland steel. We are investing in the future of our company. We also need highly qualified employees for the transformation megaproject. The new facilities offer our new recruits the ideal learning conditions for this.”

Michael Fischer, works council member at Dillinger, adds: "The opening of the new training workshop is an important signal for all employees and for the Dillingen site."

Jürgen Barke, Saarland’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs and Energy, expressed his confidence in the project: “Steel has a future and offers many young people in Saarland promising career prospects. The new training center is an investment in both the future of the company and in the future of our state. With the in-depth training offered at Dillinger, employees can actively help shape the industry’s transformation toward climate-neutral steel production.”

Up to 100 apprentices can receive instruction at the same time in the new 1,300 m² training center. Courses include metalworking, maintenance and machining. There are also multiple training and project rooms for activities such as additive manufacturing and technical drawing. This puts the training workshop on the leading technological edge in terms of digitalization as well. “The trainees work here with the latest software and can acquire additional qualifications, including in the area of Industry 4.0,” said Cornelis Wendler, Head of Training and HR Development, during a tour of the new facility.

Trainees learn how steel products are really made on highly advanced machinery in the new training workshop. The machines are used to teach young people what they need to know to work under real-world conditions, since only professional training on professional equipment can guarantee the high quality standards Dillinger demands of its products.

The quality of training at Dillinger is also recognized by other companies. Many companies in the region therefore already send their employees to Dillinger for complete inter-company training or for individual training modules in the metal and electrical trades. Around 70 external trainees are currently being trained at Dillinger and Saarstahl, either permanently or in individual modules and courses. The new training center will enable even more young people from other companies to take advantage of Dillinger’s highly qualified training opportunities in the future.

Together with Saarstahl, Dillinger is the largest training workplace in Saarland, and with over 500 young people currently undergoing initial career training, the number of trainees has remained consistently high for years. The new, advanced training center is an essential part of Dillinger’s successful training concept, which the company and its trainees are pursuing together as they move into the future. The color scheme of the new center symbolizes precisely that: based on the Pure Steel+ design, it stands for the strong focus on the future and the transformation of Saarland’s steel industry.

Highlights of the new Metal Training Center:
• The total area of the training center covers approx. 2,000 square meters
• 5 training rooms with the latest multimedia technology cover 750 square meters
• Equipment includes 26 highly advanced industrial machining centers
• Up to 100 workstations at machines, workbenches and in training rooms
• Project room for the latest bonding processes and rolling bearing technology
• State-of-the-art 3D coordinate measuring machine
• Twelve 3D printers for rapid prototyping
• 15 up-to-date CAD/CAM training workstations

About our career training:

The company has invested around EUR 7 million in the new workshop building, thus demonstrating its commitment to its employees and the Dillingen site. The new training center offers over 1,300 square meters of workshop space on one level and is open for training of employees from other companies in the region.

Saarstahl and Dillinger provide needs-based training and generally hire their own trainees after they have successfully completed their training. Pupils can start their careers here in around 18 technical and commercial professions.

The tools for a successful career at Dillinger and Saarstahl also include soft skills such as teamwork and camaraderie. In addition to imparting a high level of technical expertise, the focus of the training is on promoting individual talent. This is also the motto for our training campaign: Boost your talent… with steel!

A wealth of information about training opportunities can be found on the website www.boost-your-talent.com and on the Boost Your Talent Facebook page.