Interview with Ulrich Pichler

Nearly ten years after starting with Yokogawa Ulrich Pichler was appointed Head of Project Management and Deputy Engineering manager. Two years prior to his graduation as Mechanical Engineer he already started working with Yokogawa thanks to a little help from his brother. Both, by the way, are still working for the fast growing organization in Ratingen, Germany.





“Because of the high quality and reliability of our products and services, our portfolio can be sold with absolute faith by our employees. That is what makes working here so attractive. Because of our reputation customers around the world have a lot of confidence in Yokogawa. It also a big plus that by doing your job you get to see a lot of the world. One of my most memorable experiences up till now was a project in a gold and copper mine in Orange, Australia. Our team provided all services from configuration and Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) to start-up and commissioning."

The main reason for Ulrich to apply at Yokogawa was that the work seemed very interesting to him. Also the fact that Yokogawa is a global company played a role in his decision to send in an application. Looking back he feels that his expectations when starting with Yokogawa were definitely met and he still enjoys working with this organization.

“The culture of Yokogawa Germany is very open. Straightforward and no hidden agendas. There is a pleasant atmosphere. A perfect mix of politeness and competition. That works very well for me. It didn’t take me very long to feel at home when I started working here ten years ago.

The difference between now and then is that it was more “cosy”. We only worked with a few people at this location ten years ago. We grew substantially over the last years. In our office in Ratingen currently work around 100 employees. Typically Yokogawa is that we are very open and straightforward to our customers. We aim to be completely transparent. That contributes significantly to the very pleasant relationships we have with customers even when the pressure is on. The latter can happen regularly in our work. Fortunately I thrive under pressure and love new challenges. I learn every day, even after ten years Yokogawa!

In my previous function I enjoyed it very much that I was given the opportunity to work on international projects. Besides Australia, which I mentioned earlier, I also worked in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Hungaria, Belgium and Romania. In my current management position I expect to travel less than before. “

Ulrich Pichler