ebm-papst, part of Germany’s renowned "Mittelstand," is a global leader in engineering high-quality ventilation devices, small electric motors, and specialized transmissions. Based in Mulfingen, this company is one of those "hidden champions" you don’t hear about much but that’s creating serious innovation behind the scenes in the middle of the German countryside.
ebm-papst (or just "ebm") was my very first employer — I joined the company right after turning 16 to begin an apprenticeship as software engineer. I stayed with the company roughly 4 years, learning an incredible amount about solid engineering practices, data management, stakeholder management, process design, and the SAP Enterprise software in the process.
With a manufacturing and warehouse network that was growing fast, logistics was a major topic for ebm-papst at the time. Logistical processes were still largely analog and paper-based, unstandardized and prone to errors. To tackle this, the company launched an ambitious project to build a cutting-edge cross-docking warehouse, aimed at speeding up deliveries and keeping inventory low. Part of this upgrade involved rolling out SAP’s Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) system, which was customized to fit ebm-papst’s unique needs.
As I gained experience, I transitioned from being a learner to taking on more responsibility. Eventually, I started working closely with experienced logistics and SAP experts as an Inhouse Consultant, helping to implement new logistics processes like Scheduling Agreements within EWM. Stakeholder management was incredibly important — truck drivers, warehouse employees, leadership, regulatory requirements, ISO norms and more all had to be considered when implementing a new process. I learnt not only how to manage conflicting interests, but also how to design lean, efficient and fault-tolerant supply chain processes and systems — something which would help me immensely in my future roles, as a lot of my learnings translated into the realm of application and systems design.
Even though I eventually moved away from logistics, the experience gathered at ebm-papst has stayed with me. Those early years ignited my passion for systems design and gave me the ability to see the big picture — taking into account different perspectives, data points, and real-world constraints to figure out the best solution. It was at ebm-papst that I realized software engineering isn’t just about the code; it’s about how that code fits into the bigger business picture.
This realization led me to make a big decision in 2020 — I left ebm-papst to go to business school to learn more about the other side of the coin. Looking back, my time at ebm-papst wasn’t just the start of my career; it was the launchpad that set the stage for everything that’s come since.
