Life in the fast lane: Andreas Lamparter stays ahead both at work with his software team and in his spare time!
It all began with an Atari 1040 ST. When a young Andreas was given a computer by his parents, he knew that he felt at home in the virtual world. Zeros and ones really are more than just numbers for the software developer now. Along with his team, he is responsible for ensuring optimum usability and programming of the systems at Rehm. But it is not just Visual Studio (C++, C#), WCF, WPF and ASP.NET that make his heart beat faster. Fitness is his second passion. His hobby is amateur cycle racing! He regularly trains for this after, or even before, work.
Keeping your finger on the pulse in the virtual world
Using computers only for studying was too boring for Andreas, even as a teenager. He preferred tinkering with hard drives and his own programmes or programming small games. Computers are his world, even outside the sphere of the internet and games. At Rehm, he develops reliable and user-friendly software concepts for the plant and system technology, at the same time ensuring that these software concepts also look good. His favourite icon? Definitely the “ON” button, because Andreas starts all over again once he’s finished work. After finishing work, Andreas loves spending time outdoors in nature. His hobby is mountain biking and he even worked as a youth cycling coach for ten years. What motivates him is preparing for his next cycling marathon!
“My software team and I find creative solutions that help us move forwards. The work is really enjoyable because we are all working towards the same goal.”
Andreas is a team player, in terms of both sports and his career. At Rehm, he manages a team of seven creative software engineers who develop innovative visualisation concepts for the systems. The most recent success story: ViCON! By completely redesigning the user interface for the Vision series, Rehm provides more traceability and improved user comfort. It is important to Andreas that he pushes himself out of his comfort zone every now and then. And that is why he cycles to the office on his mountain bike several times a week, which takes almost an hour. But he doesn’t take the easy route. He prefers to go off-road on all kinds of terrain! All respect to him, because it would only take 12 minutes to drive to work. But, as a side note: cycling is a great way of switching off. Andreas finds it is the best way for him to unwind.
What does Rehm offer you that other employers do not?
Andreas Lamparter: Rehm is a modern company with vision and a passion for innovation, as well as being down-to-earth and having short decision-making pathways. I like this combination. The software department is especially dynamic. Systems, programme requirements and technical specificities continue to develop at an unbelievable speed. As a software developer, you have to know today what people will need tomorrow. In order to achieve this, you need state-of-the-art technology, creative freedom, the space to try things out and a great team which supports new ideas. Rehm offers me just that. The future-oriented way of thinking was ideal for me from the very beginning and continues to inspire me every day. I have to keep moving all the time, whether the movement is in my head when I’m gripped by an exciting project or in my body when I’m powering through a mountain bike session after having finished work. I think sport is the best way of combatting stress and a great way to achieve a good work-life balance.
So you’re breaking the mould in terms of the computer nerd cliché and you’re more of an action junkie?
A.L.: (laughs) Well, I was never a loner! Back in the day I wanted to be one of the cool boys and saved all my pocket money to buy my first BMX when I was 15. It was so much fun that I also went on to buy a mountain bike and started training intensively with a couple of friends from the neighbourhood. We then entered various competitions at home and abroad as a team. This led me to successfully participate in various bike events in recent years, from the Swabian Alb to South Tyrol. In 2013, a huge dream of mine came true when I participated in the Ötztal Cycle Marathon. That was an amazing experience! The route is particularly challenging at 238 km in length and 5500 metres in altitude. I trained for that event for almost a year, cycling at least 80 km twice a week, doing lots of endurance sports and carefully regulating my nutrition. When I reached the finish line of the cycle marathon, I was full of adrenaline, unbelievably happy and extremely proud to have taken part!
What are the biggest challenges in the field of software at the moment and what should applicants who are interested in working at Rehm be able to offer?
A.L.: The biggest challenge is definitely the response to “Industry 4.0”, i.e. the networking of machinery to form a “smart factory”. Smart software solutions are required here too, of course, in order for the systems to be able to “communicate” with each another and be integrated into a superordinate control concept. Our focus continues to be on the development of practical user interfaces which are also visually appealing. With ViCON, we have already achieved a small milestone in this field. Our customers want the software to be simple and modern, as well as individual. In this regard, we are always tinkering with new software solutions which have a clear structure, which are easy to understand and which are a good fit for our customers’ production environments. All kinds of creative input are welcome here, both in terms of visualisation and in the field of PLC, i.e. machine control or MES interface programming. Applicants who are interested in working at Rehm definitely need to be open to innovative technologies and ideas, to actively contribute their suggestions and to enjoy working in a technical field. It doesn’t matter whether you’re already very established in your career or you’re interested in starting out in this field. If you have an analytical and abstract way of thinking, good knowledge of operating systems, databases and programming languages and are also a genuine team player, then you will be a perfect fit for Rehm.
