We are seeking for strong individuals
If you think that you are different, then you are exactly right to choose BENTELER. Are you looking for success? Do you have multi-tasking skills and team spirit, or do you tackle problems gladly? Are you trustworthy and can you convince your counterpart easily and effortlessly? What are your strengths and what makes up your personality?
BENTELER is an attractive employer with a great variety of opportunities for newcomers and newly promoted employees in the entire group. We want you to contribute your individuality and personality, irrespective of whether you are pursuing a career in a specialized subject, management or projects, since we are seeking strong individuals who are ready to contribute actively to the firm's progress and success.
Do you want to find out more about the opportunities for individuals at BENTELER?
Feel free to pick a country and read the interviews of every individual for a better insight about BENTELER.
A Logician with Leadership Qualities
Hao Chen 
There is hardly another game on this planet that has a history as rich and a philosophy as deep as the board game ‘Go’, invented in China. The game, which is several thousand years old, seems easy at first glance, however, the game's true complexity quickly becomes clear, which is why some players spend a lifetime honing their playing style. In addition to strategic and logical thinking, a fundamental reason that many people play is that it encourages you to meditate, as well as analyze yourself and your personality. Hao Chen, Manufacturing Manager at BENTELER Automotive in the Chinese city of Shanghai, has been playing this game since he was six years old. He sees many parallels to his job.
“My father taught me how to play this game. ‘Go’ teaches you to think about solutions. It encourages logical and tactical thinking. In my job, this is particularly useful in situations where I have to find the root causes and finally solutions for current problems. I think about the surrounding circumstances, too, that have led to this situation and that are linked to the problem.”
It was also Hao Chen's father who awakened a great passion for technology in his child, in a simple way. As a young boy, Hao occasionally spent time in the company kindergarten at his father's place of work, which allowed him to see where his father worked. His interest in machines was born there, and later led him to study automation at the University of Shanghai. He completed his degree in 2004. He then joined a Joint-Venture (Chinese-English) automotive supplier.
Why BENTELER?
When Hao Chen decided to join BENTELER in 2007, the company had just begun to establish itself on the Chinese market with its own plant. In this proverbial green field, he was able to play an active part in the future of the site. As an originally German company, BENTELER already had a reputation for quality and technological innovation.
“I saw a great deal of potential for my professional development at BENTELER. I started as a Project Manager and worked my way up to Manufacturing Manager be in charge of Production, Engineering and Maintenance for the Chassis Product Group. BENTELER works closely with international standards and processes. This creates a lot of opportunities to work with other international locations. This is one of the great things about the company, which means we worked as multinational team.”
Positive thinking and taking responsibility
For this man in his mid-thirties, the glass is always half-full rather than half-empty. He prefers positive thinking when it comes to mastering challenges and overcoming difficulties. He is also a family man who is always open to suggestions and has no problems communicating with his colleagues. Incurably inquisitive, he is always interested in learning something new.
“I am responsible for approximately 200 people at my plant. We have to meet high standards and expectations, which means we all have to sing from the same song sheet. That is what I expect and really try to develop the people internally. Of course, mistakes happen – because we're all only human – but it's important to me that I know the employees are enthusiastic and always try their best.”
Our German apprentices and dual students during their stay abroad in America
Lea and Manuel, our dual students in International Business, gained valuable professional and personal experience during their three-month stay abroad in Houston, USA, from July until September 2024.
They were actively involved in the creation of a marketing video for our site in Shreveport, which documents the entire process from the construction to the commissioning of the new threading machine. They were also responsible for preparing outgoing invoices for the Shreveport plant on a daily basis. Another highlight of their job was helping to relaunch the website for oil and gas extraction products in North America.
In their free time, the two have taken numerous city trips, including visits to Austin, San Antonio, San Marcos, New Orleans and Los Angeles. They also explored the beaches on the Gulf of Mexico in Galveston, Freeport and Port Aransas. Houston itself offered them many attractions, including the NASA Space Center, various museums and parks such as Memorial Park, Hermann Park and Buffalo Bayou Park. A particular highlight was a visit to NRG Stadium for the Copa America quarter-final, where they had the opportunity to see Lionel Messi live as Argentina against Ecuador played. But they also enjoyed the culinary diversity of the local cuisine, from Mexican dishes to typical Texan BBQ.
Lea and Manuel not only expanded their professional skills during their stay abroad, but also gained unforgettable cultural and personal experiences.
Our apprentices Nico and Erik were at our plant in Shreveport, USA, from July to September 2024 as part of their stay abroad. After their arrival, Nico and Erik got straight to work. First there was an introduction with safety rules and a tour.
Nico was assigned to the local IT department. His contact person quickly noticed his interest in programming and introduced him to the MES team. There, Nico was given his own project “Mobile Applications” and was asked to create a basic framework with a homepage for the scanners in the plant. After completing this project, Nico created a meeting attendance application that could be used to create, edit and manage meetings and record attendance by scanning. He really enjoyed these projects as he was able to contribute his own ideas and had a great team on site to help and support him at all times. Nico also had to give a presentation about his project in English, which was a big challenge for him, but he mastered it with flying colors.
Erik worked in Shreveport at the Hot Mill as an electrician in maintenance. His tasks included maintaining and repairing systems as well as troubleshooting. He also worked in programming and configured and tested a training station for the PLC with various components in the tech room. This station was intended to help new team members familiarize themselves with the PLC.
In their free time, Nico and Erik visited many exciting places, e.g. the Hot Springs National Park. They also visited Lea & Manuel, our two dual students in International Business, who were spending time abroad in Houston at the same time. Together they went to a Copa America soccer match. Another highlight was a tour through a swamp in New Orleans, where the four of them were able to observe alligators in the wild. At the end of his stay abroad, Nico went on a two-week vacation on the West Coast. This included trips to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
During their stay abroad, Nico and Erik were able to expand their professional skills, implement new projects and get to know American culture. Both are very happy to have embarked on this adventure and agree that they would repeat this experience at any time.
In July 2024, our dual IT students Joel-Maurice and Felix went to Grand Rapids for three months as part of their stay abroad.
Joel-Maurice learned about the local IT infrastructure, including the key card system, server cabling and server disposal. He was also involved in the migration of old systems and brought new ideas and cost savings to the plant. Felix has trained supply chain employees in the production planning tool as well as the sales and production planning process. He supported the implementation of MProCs Outbound at the plant, worked on SAP application development and visited the BENTELER plant in Holland.
In addition to work, they participated in a taco festival with goal wall shooting and throwing, celebrated four accident-free years at the Shreveport plant and socialized with colleagues from various departments, with whom they also enjoyed regular restaurant visits. They were also part of a joint baseball game with colleagues from Hagen. Every week they explored new cities and took trips to Toronto and Niagara Falls. On top of that, they spent beach days in Grand Haven, Holland and South Haven, attended Nascar races, went for walks and hikes on trails and in nearby forests. Numerous cultural activities were also on the agenda, including art museums and the Ford Museum in Detroit.
Joel-Maurice and Felix enjoyed their stay abroad to the full and are now returning to their dual study program in Paderborn with many new impressions under their belts.