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 generalist in a global and progressive company
Dr. Henning von Watzdorf 
Every company does well not only to promote young newcomers, but also to call on the wealth of knowledge that experienced employees possess. It is precisely these experienced professionals who for the most part bring many different skills and the necessary practical experience with them, and often represent a role model for others.
Likewise, Dr. Henning von Watzdorf, Vice President Product Group Structures at BENTELER Automotive, brings professional experience and wisdom with him that the BENTELER company can benefit from today. After studying mechanical engineering in the 1980s, he received his PhD in 1996 in the field of materials science.
That same year, he started his professional career with a multinational chemicals corporation working in applications technology. In 1999 he moved to the automotive supply industry, held positions at well-known companies in development and sales, and eventually joined BENTELER in 2012.
Why BENTELER?
The cornerstones for the over 135 years of success for the BENTELER Gruppe are continual progress through new materials, technologies, and products, as well as sustainable global growth. Both of these factors are critical for BENTELER in order to ensure entrepreneurial independence in the future as well. These were also the reasons that motivated the father of three to make a move to BENTELER Automotive.
"At the end of my 40s, I decided to look for a challenge with broad interdisciplinary responsibility and I also wanted to continue to work in a global company. BENTELER is a very progressive company that needs employees who will face the challenges of the future. Topics like lightweight construction and safety in the area of automotive technology in particular offer great potential for the future."
In addition, as the Vice President Product Group, the native of Braunschweig can ideally combine his professional passions of technology and marketing.
"In my current job, I am responsible for the strategy for the Structures Product Group. Together with my team, I analyze market trends and customer requirements and then develop the product and process portfolio for the product group. In so doing, we focus on the cost-effective use of existing resources as well as the expansion of new capacities in the growth markets. In sales, we strive to expand sustainable customer relationships. For this purpose, we place the focus on innovative products that offer added value to our customers."
Trusting in the abilities of the team
As a manager responsible for a team of about 300 employees worldwide in the product group, Dr. von Watzdorf is familiar not only with his own abilities and experience, but also that of his team.
"I don’t shy away from making decisions and I don’t hesitate to consistently implement them. But I also think that haste makes waste. I have the most fun working together with employees who use their experience and knowledge to independently develop new solutions. We will only be able to overcome the challenges of the future by working together.”
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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.