Sebastian Pommerening, Product Safety Engineer & Fire Investigator at John Deere Zweibrücken, Germany

Which programme/s did you attend at JIBS?
Master’s program Engineering Management at JIBS.

Which years did you study at JIBS?
I studied at JIBS from August 2016 to August 2017.

Do you have any additional higher education? If yes, please specify
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management, and since 2018 I am a Certified Fire & Explosion Investigator.

What is your current position and which tasks do the position involve?
Currently, I am working as Product Safety Engineer & Fire Investigator at John Deere Zweibrücken, Germany, where we produce Combines and Self-Propelled Forage Harvesters.

Additionally, I am VDMA/CEMA Representative working as an expert and project leader on revising and creating ISO standards for the agricultural machinery industry.

In my position as Product Safety Engineer I support that our products, new and current ones, are designed and build in a way that they do not pose an unreasonable risk of personal injury. Furthermore, I’m responsible that our products are compliant to the overall and regional regulations and standards that affect our product portfolio.

In my role as Fire Investigator I am in charge for onside Fire Inspections on our machinery within Europe, in case of a fire. In this role I’m also accountable to address design changes that reduce the risk of a fire on our machinery.

How did you get the job you have today?
Before I got the job that I have today, I started to work for John Deere in 2013. From 2013-2016 I was a cooperative student working at John Deere. During this time, I changed departments every few months what led to a broad understanding of the processes, the different responsibilities and the huge product portfolio within the company.

When I came to Sweden for my Master’s program, John Deere offered me a trainee contract for the time I was doing my Master´s.

Right after I finished my Master thesis, I got invited to our Zweibrücken facility in Germany where I received the job I’m working in today.

What motivates you to perform at work?
My motivation is to maintain and to improve our customers satisfaction and to have the ability to make reasonable changes when it comes to product development. I love working for John Deere and to support the agricultural sector and those linked to the land to keep on track with the worldwide challenges e.g. a growing population.

What is your next career goal?
First, I want to proceed on gaining more and more expertise. In my opinion, this will automatically open doors to new chances. I’m quite open in this manner. To say it in Deere words, feet on the ground, eyes on the horizon.

Which career advice would you like to share with JIBS alumni members?
My career advice would be first of all, always trust in yourself. Don’t be afraid of new challenges. Always look for challenges and start building (or improving) your business network. This will open doors you haven’t even seen before.

Can you name on great thing you remember from your studies at JIBS?
What I loved about JIBS, and JU, was the high internationalization. I’ve met so many interesting and lovely people from all around the world. JIBS is a perfect place to get you started with your career. We had a lot of practical exercises, the chance to network with Swedish companies and a great support to open your mind and your way of thinking.

Thanks JIBS, thanks JU and thanks Sweden for this awesome experience!

To connect with Sebastian:
Linkedin: Sebastian Pommerening
Instagram: seba_2991

Read the stories of other Alumni: 

Sebastian Pommerening

Erica Salonius

Sara Ekberg

Sara Törnros

Nicolas Waern

Simon Werner-Zankl

Lukas Charitonovas

Tim Nilsson

Veronica Fossa