Stefan

How did you find out about Aurubis as an employer, and what made you decide to join Aurubis?

In 2015, I traveled with colleagues from the Montanuniversität Leoben (Austria) to the International Student Day of Metallurgy (ISDM), which was organized by RWTH Aachen University. On the opening night, I sat at a table with representatives from Aurubis. From then on, we stayed in constant contact, which led to me doing an internship at the North Smelter in 2016. After these very interesting two months, I first completed my studies in iron and steel metallurgy and non-ferrous metallurgy in Austria. I then applied to Aurubis in Hamburg in 2019 because I found the company's activities very interesting. Together with the idea of "wanting to leave home for a while to see something different," the move from Styria to Hamburg was welcome.

What has your career at Aurubis been like so far? Have you held different positions or perhaps even worked in different departments and locations since you started at Aurubis? If you haven't been with Aurubis for very long, what are your impressions and experiences after your first few months?

Since joining Aurubis in 2019, I have been working as a process engineer for the research and development department. As the department is a "group department," this position provides many insights into the different parts of Aurubis, as you can work on a wide variety of projects. This has given me the opportunity to visit and work at many different plants in Hamburg (RWO, RWN, lead area, TKS, wire plant) as well as at other locations such as Pirdop, Lünen, and Beerse.

What has motivated you in your career so far? What motivated you to take these career steps (at Aurubis)?

As a metallurgical company, Aurubis AG is a very exciting place to work. On the one hand, this is due to the various metallurgical issues and challenges posed by climate change, and on the other hand, it is due to the size and position that Aurubis occupies in Europe. This drives us to always want to get the best out of our processes and to continuously develop them further.

What do you do in your current role at Aurubis? Feel free to give examples of current projects, if applicable.

Among other things, I work on various optimization projects for existing plants, particularly in the primary copper sector of RWO. We are using the latest sensors to automate our processes, thereby making them more effective and economical and increasing occupational safety. 
I also work on environmental issues, such as the properties of our slag. One specific topic is investigating the elution behavior of the slag, i.e., how stable the slag is when exposed to rainwater during storage, or optimizing the control of lime injection at the side hood filters of the RWO converters to reduce SO2 emissions and lime consumption. 
I also have the opportunity to work on a number of strategic projects, in which I have been able to support and help plan large-scale pilot and industrial trials lasting several days. The results of these trials are used to implement new metallurgical concepts and processes. 

How would you explain your job to a toddler?

We turn stones into metal. 

Which five technical terms are important for your work?

• Mineral phases
• Oxygen partial pressure
• Ternary phase diagram
• Thermodynamic equilibrium
• Kinetic inhibition 

What makes Aurubis unique for you?

The complexity of the entire network of smelting works and the advantages that this brings. The very large R&D department is also something that is not often found in the industry and is a major advantage when it comes to addressing the many issues of the future.

If Aurubis were a person, what would characterize that person?

Aurubis would be a person who is very intelligent and can think "outside the box", i.e. in a complex way. Sometimes a little slow and sluggish, she solves various puzzles with flying colours once she gets going.

Is there anything, a nice anecdote or a special experience that you associate with Aurubis?

As an Austrian, the language barriers were a little greater than expected at the beginning and are therefore inextricably linked with Aurubis for me. I particularly remember a conversation with my supervisor during my internship at RWN, which in retrospect was very funny, when he asked me if I would like some fashion advice when I asked him for his bike (I probably pronounced it more like "rat") so that I could go and buy some new "clothes".

Is there a big dream that you would like to fulfill someday?

Nothing in particular.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I really enjoy sports. In addition to running and road cycling, I also enjoy hiking and climbing, and I like to play tennis. One of my newer hobbies is diving. On quieter days, I like to read or watch films.