Annkathrin Ahn

I am still working at Mercedes-AMG GmbH. After completing my studies, I was taken on by the company in a different department. One of my current main responsibilities is the type support and coordination of high-voltage batteries. This means that I coordinate the assembly of development batteries in the development workshop and ensure that a sufficient number of batteries are available for various testing activities. These batteries are part of the future hybrid vehicles of Mercedes-AMG GmbH. My role involves coordinating the necessary resources and ensuring that battery availability supports the ongoing development and validation processes. Currently, this is one of my most important projects.

In addition, I am also involved in testing the batteries. Therefore, I myself conduct tests that can provide insights about batteries. In the team of test engineers, I offer support to my colleagues to relieve them of this task.

Before SIBE, I studied mechanical engineering with a specialization in vehicle systems engineering. My first degree was already dual, and I also worked at AMG during that period. A year before graduating, I started to think about what to do next. By that time, it was already clear to me that I definitely wanted to pursue a master’s degree to further my education. During my conversation with my supervisor, the SIBE study program was offered to me. Since I am someone who likes to take on coordinating tasks, a master’s degree in mechanical engineering would only have given me some benefit in this area. Management and project methods seemed more important to me, which is why I wanted to invest more in this area. The SIBE study program offered me a very good opportunity here.

In the last two years, I have mainly been responsible for my project. In this context, I implemented an IT system for AMG for Daimler AG. This was a collaborative project between employees of AMG and Daimler, in which we examined how the existing Daimler IT system could be adapted to AMG, which changes needed to be made and what the process around the system should look like. The changes were necessary because AMG is significantly smaller than Daimler and therefore the working methods differ significantly.

Beyond the project, I was involved in change management. In vehicle development, all changes made to components must be tracked from a certain point onwards. These changes are collected using a system where change managers are involved. Within this system, I therefore made sure that the changes were clearly formulated, that specifications were adhered to, and that everything generally worked smoothly so that development could continue smoothly.

Personally, what particularly influenced me was the contact with many and different people. Through the work, I became more open and direct and learned to assert myself. Professionally, the various project management methods from my studies and their application to my project were particularly beneficial. With their help, I was able to successfully launch my project.

During the two years, I benefited most from being able to immediately apply the theoretical content to practice. Of course, this varied from time to time. Not everything can always be transferred directly to the project or daily work.

Today I still benefit from the network I built over the years during my studies. In addition, I know the structures and working methods within the company. I no longer have to worry about the rest; I can really focus on the content. This way, I was able to get into my role after my studies very quickly.

Actually, I would recommend the study to everyone, at least to all the dual bachelor's degree students. I can't judge anything else because I never studied „regularly“.

My network is extremely important to me. Without a network, it is very difficult to find a job, or rather, I think it is more difficult. The network is also important for obtaining information that you might not have gotten otherwise. Before the SIBE study, I already had SIBE students in my network who could help me at the beginning, and now I can help new students at AMG and share my experiences. The whole networking topic is a give and take.

I still have some contact with my former classmates, of course also with those who studied at AMG and and were hired.

I like to think back to the seminars where we were able to exchange ideas with one another and also get different perspectives. It was always just fun in our course. That was enormously important for getting through the theoretical parts of the long seminar days.

What was also incredibly great was the study abroad program in Brazil. Both what we learned in the seminars there and how the content was presented impressed me. There was an extremely open atmosphere where we were able to learn a lot.

Basically, I would say that everyone has to decide for themselves how much they take with them. There are always topics that you can use more of and those that you can use less of. However, you should always re-engage with the seminars and gain a comprehensive understanding of the different content.