The Rulanders

What is particularly important to you as a head of process engineering at Ruland?
As a group leader, it is particularly important to me to have a motivated team that can master the projects with their constantly growing challenges. We definitely have that team! In addition, I would like to give the the necessary frame and the freedom to my team to successfully complete their tasks and projects on their own.

You have been with Ruland for a relatively long time. Why?
At Ruland, you get the opportunity to really make a difference as an engineer. The individual is individually supported and challenged and can continuously develop personally. The team does really great, innovative projects from start to finish. On top of that, there’s the great personal interaction.

Your most formative/funniest or memorable experience at Ruland?
There are so many. Perhaps the most important for everything else was my job interview. It was a very sympathetic interview that made me immediately enthusiastic about Ruland and its field of activity. It was immediately clear to me that “this is the right place“ for me!

Did you have any contact with your current job when you were a child?
Absolutely, yes! My family has a long tradition in the dairy business. My enthusiasm for process plants began when I was a child and often looked over the shoulder of my father, who was the technical manager in a dairy at the time. During my school years, I was able to gain further insights into the field through various internships and holiday jobs in the dairy. That’s why it was clear quite early that I wanted to plan such plants later on.

What are your favourite travel destinations?
I’m quite open when it comes to travelling, as long as it’s individual. I spent more than a year in South Tyrol on business and always like to come back to the region, also for private holidays.

Your guiding principle?
Always think positive!

What’s the best way to relax in your free time?
At the gym. Put headphones in the ears and really work out hard.

Keyword Palatinate! Favourite sight, favourite Palatine food and favourite word in Palatine dialect?
As a “Palatine by choice”, I feel particularly at home with the remarkably friendly and open nature of the Palatine people. Favourite sight: the landscape with its mix of wine-growing cultural landscape and the Palatinate Forest.

What do you like most about your work and at Ruland?
I felt right at home in the team right from the start and was very well received. I like organising a construction site from scratch and then seeing how everything slowly “grows”. In the area of mechanical assembly, we are involved in a project from start to finish. Coordinating with the customer, organising the materials plus all the “stuff around” for the construction site and finally supervising the assembly are a big part of my job, which I enjoy doing every day.

What are the special requirements in project management?
Of course, project management and installation management even more require a certain degree of flexibility. A phone call or an e-mail can completely disrupt the day’s planning. Then again, there are days that you spend planning a certain assembly step or an installation down to the last detail, so that everything works out on site and all preparations are made. It’s precisely these different facets that bring variety into everyday working life, which I personally like very much.

Did you have any contact with your current job when you were a child?
I have always been quite organised in what I did. Besides, I was able to pick up a little bit of handicraft when I was a child. That helps me now, of course. However, when people asked me as a child what I wanted to be, it was always something to do with animals. I definitely didn’t answer that I wanted to do something along the lines of pipeline construction 🙂

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
The planning of assemblies and now and then the organisation of lunch.

At Ruland I can’t do without:
Coffee, laptop, telephone and my colleagues

My most important work utensils:
Laptop, telephone and the occasional isometrics block.

My motto:
The construction site must run.

What’s the best way to relax in your free time?
Definitely with my family. Preferably a walk/hike, a bike ride or free time with my daughter and husband. I’m also pretty good at relaxing when I’m doing sports. I like to go jogging, mountain biking or horseback riding. Apart from that, I still quite enjoy reading or sewing and gardening.

What do you like most about your work and at Ruland?
The complexity of the systems teaches you a lot.

Your most formative/funniest or memorable experience at Ruland?
Very funny things always happen on sites, and usually someone gets wet. I also found out that it is very unpleasant to stand in a huge puddle of concentrate for energy drinks.

Did you have any contact with your current job when you were a child?
When I was a child, I took apart all kinds of devices to find out how they worked. My parents were not particularly enthusiastic.

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
My colleagues always come to my office with strange questions about TIA or WinCC, sometimes they leave with an answer.

My most important work utensil:
Nothing works without a laptop. On sites you also need a small slotted screwdriver.

What is the best way to relax in your free time?
I find the best relaxation when I’m out and about with my dog and my wife in the vastness of the Palatinate Forest.

Keyword Palatinate! Favourite sight, favourite Palatinate food and favourite word in the Palatinate dialect?
For me, who grew up near Cologne, the whole Palatine dialect is very funny. Even if I don’t understand much. I’m enthusiastic about Saumagen.

What do you like most about your work and at Ruland?
The variety of work and the interaction with colleagues.

Your funniest or most memorable experience at Ruland?
I’ll keep that to myself 🙂

Did you have any contact with your current job when you were a child?
I was already interested in many things in the past, especially how most of the devices work.

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
Electrical engineering

My most important work utensil:
Laptop

What’s the best way to relax in your free time?
With my family or I build things in my workshop.

What do you like best about your work and Ruland?
The work is varied, it never gets boring. I also like the contact with colleagues, suppliers and customers.

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
The punctual payment of supplier invoices.

I can’t do without at Ruland:  
The delicious, freshly prepared meals in our canteen.

My most important work utensil:
My adding machine.

Did your childhood provide any touch points to your present job?
In fact, I can remember very well that as I liked playing “office and school”.

My guiding principle:
Happiness is in the small things that make life a big sum.

How do you like to relax in your leisure time?
I play theatre, do sports, like to be outdoor with my family and I am active in the community as a volunteer.

Catchword Palatinate! The favourite Palatinate sight, the favourite Palatinate food and the favourite word in Palatinate dialect?
I love to walk along the almond tree avenue in my village. My favourite palatine food are liver dumplings with bacon sauce and sauerkraut.

What do you like most about your work at Ruland?
Each project starts with an idea, goes via the consulting and engineering up to the commissioning. The after sales service rounds out the expertise of Ruland. In short: Ruland offers „All in one“.

Your most formative/funniest or memorable experience at Ruland?
The know-how-transfer of Ruland is special. Right from the beginning, each new employee has always a contact person and is perfectly integrated into the team thanks to the mentor-system.

Did your childhood provide any touch points to your present job?
I was fascinated by the construction of wire rope toys.

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
3D-drafts, planning, interpretation, simulation up to the standard design for the production as well as the assembly.

At Ruland I can’t do without:
My colleagues.

My most important work utensil:
My high-speed-computer with the corresponding software (PDM: Cadison, ERP: AMS, SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Inventor, Smap3D).

My motto:
Always be open for changes that lead to better quality.

How do you like to relax in your leisure time?
Skating and cycling together with my family.

Catchword Palatinate! The favourite Palatinate sight and the favourite Palatinate food?
Favourite sight: Technik-Museum (Technical museum) in Speyer. Favourite Palatinate food: Liver dumplings.

What do you like most about your work at Ruland?
The fact that a friendly atmosphere is important. Also that all areas of electrical engineering from planning, construction, programming to commissioning are covered by Ruland. This means that our work is not just theory, but that it is also related to practice.

Your most formative/funniest or memorable experience at Ruland?
There is no ONE experience, but there is always something funny or interesting during a short conversation with colleagues from the construction site and the ET workshop.

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
I am a specialist in circuit diagram creation with Eplan and WSCad.

At Ruland I can’t do without:
My colleagues from ET-CAD and the workshop.

My most important work utensil:
PC

My motto:
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade out of them.

What’s the best way to relax in your free time?
Riding my motorbike through the Palatinate Forest.

What do you like best about your work and Ruland?
There is no or nearly no usage of the word „impossible”. Ruland has the courage to tackle both, previously unknown and tricky technologies and problems. In case of a problem, there is always someone to ask or count on.

What about your most funny experience at Ruland?
Due to a “small” operating error, I was showered with about 50 liters of banana juice concentrate. As there were no suitable spare clothes for my size, I wore an orange plastic overall afterwards.

At Ruland I can’t do without:
The very collegial environment.

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
Lets say: firefighting operations. If anywhere occurs a problem I am often the lucky one to stand in.

My most important job equipment:
The coffee machine and the candy cupboard. After all, a balanced nutrition is important to me.

What my colleagues say about me:
“Christian is a great colleague but the only silent part of him is the water on his table.”
“Christian is a friendly and helpful colleague with a wealth of experience.“

My guiding principle:
Don’t try, just do it.

How do you like to relax in your leisure time?
I am on the move with the caravan.

Catchword Palatinate! The favourite Palatine food?
Since I am half Italian, I like both – a good pig’s stomach and a good lasagne.

What do you like best about your work and Ruland?
As the tasks and costumers vary, it’s never boring. The customs, traditions and circumstances waiting for me in other countries to them is very exiting for me, and to see how quickly I can adapt to them.

What about your funniest experience at Ruland?
The most funny event happened during the beginning. For a pilot project, I went to at a costumer in the UK with one of the managing directors. In order to clean the plant, we were in need of a powerful high pressure cleaner which we built out of several plant components. This was quite tricky. After a short shower it finally worked.

Did your childhood provide any touch points to your present job?
Since my childhood and early youth I am interested in technology which changed to a real enthusiasm for technics. My father has been an engineer as well and supported me on my way to a technical career.

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
All questions regarding automation, problems with computers and mobile phones as well as sound and light for events.

At Ruland I can’t do without:
The great colleagues and the canteen.

My most important job equipment:
The telephone.

Most exciting holiday destinations for Ruland projects:
So far, Florida and Abu Dhabi have been the most interesting place where I worked for Ruland.

What my colleagues say about me:
“Jürgen is a very creative, diverse and reliable colleague. He works in a very structured way and always sees where a need for structure and adaption is.”
“A very engaged and helpful colleague who thinks the “Ruland-way“, and who always focuses on the company welfare.”
”Already during his training he was extremely successful in supervising a Ruland-project and showed what he is made of.”

How do you like to relax in your leisure time?
I play piano, I love to cook and I really enjoy being in nature.

What do you like best about your work and Ruland?
I really enjoy the varied and independent work and the great confidence put into the employees.

What was your funniest experience at Ruland?
After the air conditioning in the data center went down, we collected all fans availabe in the company to cool down the servers until the air conditioning was running again. Now 10 years passed, and we have done a lot for a highly available and redundant data center.

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
All questions regarding IT technology, pictures and videos.

Did your childhood provide any touch points to your present job?
I’ve always been interested in technology and started to experiment early with building kits. I started programming on my first computer and implemented first home- and company networks. Probably this influenced my decision to choose an IT-job. My passed training as a Technician for Business Informatics showed me the business-oriented aspects that interest me increasingly. Today the mixture of technical background and business workflows is my real dream job.

My most important job equipment:
“If you have no Iphone, you have no IPhone“

What my colleagues say about me:
“Kai is an ambitious colleague, and even if he always wants the best for the IT and follows projects with maximum of energy, he is never using his elbows or leaves colleagues behind him.”
“I like working together with Kai as you can always discuss about the best solution for Ruland even if there are different opinions or ideas how to achieve it.”

My guiding principle:
Do or die.

How do you like to relax in your leisure time?
On the road and on the move. Either on the water with a wakeboard, by bike trough the Palatinate Forrest or with my team on the handball field. Photography plays a big role as creative balance towards my analytic and structured job.

Catchword Rhineland-Palatinate. Which palatine sight and palatine food do you like most?
The Kalmit is beautiful and Bratwurst is my favourite Food.

What do you like best about your work and Ruland?
The varied work and the good cooperation with colleagues.

Your funniest experience at Ruland?
Rainwater dripped through the ceiling onto my workplace. The problem was quickly solved by three men.

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
Party organization, like the summer and Christmas parties.

At Ruland I can’t do without:
My colleagues.

My most important job equipment:
Gummy bears as goody for the colleagues and me.

Did your childhood provide any touch points to your present job:
As a child I liked to “play office”, but actually I wanted to become a forensic doctor for a long time.

What my colleagues say about me:
“Nicole knows the company inside and out. She knows intuitively where she has to get involved and is always ready to support wherever there is a need to.”
“I can’t imagine Ruland without Nicole, no matter what it is about, she is always involved with heart and soul and tries to make everything possible.”
“Nicole is a very experienced and technically skilled colleague who is always ready to help. In addition, she always listens to the worries and needs of her colleagues.”

My guiding principle:
Live your life and love what you do.

How do you like to relax in your free time?
I like to sit on the balcony with a nice book or go swimming.

Catchword Palatinate! The favourite Palatinate sight and the favourite Palatinate Food?
My favourite Palatinate food is onion cake in combination with new wine. The Kalmit is definitely my favourite sight because of the unique view.

What do you like best about your work and Ruland?
I really like that the work varies very much. The tasks and customers change which keeps it interesting.

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
Electrical installations and cablings.

At Ruland I can´t do without:
My colleagues and contact persons e. g. in the warehouse, ET-CAD and project management.

My most important job equipment:
Mobile phone, notebook and my toolbox.

What my colleagues say about me:
“Bernd carries his heart on his tongue, but everybody who asks friendly for his help will get his support.“
“Bernd is a colleague who also assumes tedious tasks and get them done.“
“Bernd is an open and honest person who takes his own position but is always open-minded towards solid argumentation.”

How do you like to relax in your leisure time?
Going out and meet some friends and just enjoy life.

Catchword Palatinate? The favourite Palatine sight, the favourite food?
Palatine sausage or pig’s stomach with Sauerkraut.

What do you like best about your work and Ruland?
The varied work and the good cooperation with the colleagues.

Your greatest experience at Ruland?
The return to Ruland after my break. I recognized quickly that Ruland is my home and the place I belong to.

At Ruland I’m a specialist for:
Recruiting and everything that belongs to.

At Ruland I can’t do without:
My colleagues.

My most important job equipment:
My mobile phone and d.vinci, our online tool for applicant management.

What my colleagues say about me:
“Iris is a very engaged person who always tries to find the optimal solution for everybody.“
“A very motivated and enthusiastic colleague who is always in good mood.”
“Warmly and lovely, but in need she can also be very strict.”

My guiding principle:
Find the job you love and you never have to work again.

Catchword Palatinate! The favourite Palatine food?
“Dirty potatoes and ox shred“, it needs to be hefty.

What do you like best about your work and Ruland?
The work and tasks offer a rich variety and each project presents new challenges which makes it exciting. If problems arise there is always a person in charge to contact.

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
Plastic pipelines. If plastic pipelines are subject to offers and orders I am always involved.

What my colleagues say about me:
“A dependable and helpful colleague who always takes time for technical questions.“
“Our expert for plastic material work.“
“Andreas, our longterm project manager, always in good mood and good for a laugh.“

My guiding principle:
There are no problems, only solutions.

How do you like to relax in your leisure time?
I like being surrounded by nature, go for a hike or ride my bike. Apart from that, I am in the gym for some workout.

Which sight do you like most in East Westphalia-Lippe?
I really like the Emperor William monument. It is considered to be one of the major national monuments.

What do you like best about your work and Ruland?
Diversified and exciting projects are part of my daily work. The colleagues are very nice and the teams stick together out of the ordinary.

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
Wonderware products (InTouch, System Platform, Historian)

At Ruland I can’t do without:
My colleagues.

My most important job equipment:
My notebook.

What my colleagues say about me:
“Both on a private and a professional level, Florian is very helpful. Even in stressful times, Florian stays calm.“
“Florian is friendly, flexible and supportive. He likes to laugh and makes other laugh as well.“

How do you like to relax in your leisure time?
Being active in nature, preferably by riding a bike or trekking.

Catchword Palatinate! The favourite Palatine sight?
The Palatinate Forest is beautiful. My dearest sight is the Hambach Castle.

What do you like best about your work and Ruland?
The combination of a great workplace with a great atmosphere and good equipment.

Your best experience at Ruland?
Due to my long time at Ruland it is difficult to focus on one experience. There were many wonderful moments and experiences at trips, parties or even during a normal working day.

At Ruland I can’t do without:
My colleagues.

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
Allround talent

My most important job equipment:
Definitely the telephone.

Did your childhood provide any touch points to your present job?
Well, at least, I can’t remember about that.

What my colleagues say about me:
“Steffi is a real all-rounder and a good contact person for pretty everything. The chance that she can answer a question is very high.
“A true Ruland veteran. Her first words after returning from parental leave: “It’s like coming home.”
“Steffi always tries to remain objective, helps everyone, does not judge hastily and attaches great importance to harmonious interaction and collegial cohesion.

My guiding principle:
„As much as you need.“

How do you relax best in your leisure time?
Music and a lot of fresh air.

Catchword Palatinate! The favourite Palatinate sight and the favourite Palatinate food?
The Rietburgbahn near Villa Ludwigshöhe and the Kuckucksbähnl. I love steam noodles.

What do you like best about your work and Ruland?
The diversity and the interesting projects. During my whole time in the company no project replayed. Themes and challenges change constantly. As Ruland operates internationally I can provide my language skills and get to know other countries and cultures in a way tourists never could.

What about your most defining experience at Ruland?
From the beginning Ruland encouraged coachings and team building porcesses. I had the advantage to take part at some of these events and trainings and had the chance to develop myself and discover my strengths. This was very formative.

Did your childhood provide any touch points to your present job?
Not really, originally I intended to become a medical doctor.

At Ruland I am a specialist for:
The organisation of complicated construction sites abroad.

At Ruland I can’t do without:  
My team.

My most important job equipment:
Computer and telephone.

My guiding principle:
Things are never what they are. They are always what you make out of it. (Jean Anouilh)

How do you like to relax in your leisure time?
E-bike tours through the Weser mountains region, walking, gardening work, reading, voluntary refugee work.

Which sight do you like most in East Westphalia-Lippe?
Weser cycling path, Open Air Museum in Detmold.