A woman stands next to a large industrial storage system, smiling and wearing a light blue blouse.
Home Insights Between space and the shop floor
Employees –

Between space and the shop floor
A student role as a launchpad

Inspired by space exploration, Anna-Victoria Nottrodt began studying engineering – and landed as a student intern at Geberit. Today, she channels her passion for technology and precision into production at Langenfeld (DE).

The infinite vastness of space – Anna-Victoria Nottrodt was fascinated by it as a teenager. No wonder: her hometown of Bremen (DE) is one of Europe's most important space industry hubs. This is where technologies for the next crewed mission to the moon are being developed. “A school internship in space travel reinforced my desire to become an engineer,” she says.

After finishing school, Anna-Victoria Nottrodt initially decided to do an apprenticeship as an industrial mechanic – a solid foundation for her technical ambitions. After a few years of professional experience, she went on to study industrial engineering with a specialisation in mechanical engineering. It was during her studies that she first came into contact with Geberit: in 2023, she started as a student intern at Geberit Mapress in Langenfeld. 

A woman stands in front of a large automated storage system, interacting with a control panel.
Anna-Victoria Nottrodt simplifies production at the Langenfeld plant with the “tool tower”. (all photos ©Sabrina Hübner)

Automatically the right tool

For her bachelor's thesis, Anna-Victoria Nottrodt developed the “tool tower”, a seven-and-a-half-metre-high automated storage rack that provides the right tools for laser welding Mapress fittings. Her idea: production staff type in the item number of the product they want to produce, and the rack delivers the appropriate tools ready for use at the dispensing point.

A modern industrial facility featuring machinery and workstations.
All tools for the four laser welding machines are systematically stored in the seven-and-a-half-metre-high tower (far left).

More than just an idea on paper

The idea didn’t remain on paper: the 29 year old is proud that her bachelor’s thesis didn’t just gather dust on a shelf but was actually implemented – by her own hand. Since 2024, she has held a permanent position as a project manager for plant engineering in Langenfeld. To bring her idea to life, she had to overcome several hurdles. All tools needed to be entered into SAP, and processes had to be closely coordinated with IT and production. A demanding task – and exactly her thing: “I enjoy working across interfaces and finding technical solutions for different requirements.”

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