Thomas Katl about his enthusiasm for agricultural technology and his training as an agricultural and construction machine mechatronics technician at ROPA
My training as an agricultural and construction machine mechatronics technician at ROPA - report by Thomas Kastl
I was always enthusiastic about manual labor. Working on my uncle's farm and his training in agricultural machine technology enabled me to start on my own small projects early on.
Thus it was quickly clear to me that after finishing school, I would first learn a manual trade, preferably one involving metalworking.It was also clear to me that working as an agricultural and construction machine mechatronics technician was what I wanted to do. I was familiar with ROPA Fahrzeug- und Maschinenbau GmbH and its self-propelled sugar beet harvesters from attending its open houses. The many and varied activities in repair, assembly, and development that I could discover in the course of a traineeship convinced me to apply.
Start of training 2021
On September 1, 2021, I began my training in Sittelsdorf. (Thomas Kastl, 3rd from the L) Because of my diploma, I was able to advance immediately into the second year of training. Together with the industrial mechanics and technical drawing trainees, I spent the first 4 months in the basic metalworking course in the training facility, where I learned sawing, drilling, turning, filing, riveting, etc.
Thanks to my practical experience on my uncle's farm and helping out with repairs in the service workshop, I was able to catch up on anything I'd missed in the vocational school.
Service assignments in Germany and other countries
At the end of 2021, I changed to customer service, where I worked on potato harvesters for the first 4 months. After that, I worked mostly on sugar beet harvesting and loading equipment.Even if these are always the "same" machines, the technical problems and repairs vary. The electrical and hydraulic elements ensure this, including the installed state-of-the-art sensors and drive technology (primarily hydraulic).
During my time on service deployments in Germany and abroad, I gained a lot of experience, also with the practical deployment of ROPA self-propelled sugar beet harvesters. I was on the road with colleagues from Slovakia to East Germany, all the way to Sweden in the north. A spontaneous deployment in Egypt was a special experience.
I was there when customers put new Panthers, Tigers, and Mauses into service for the first time and the personnel was trained. We also had to handle repairs in the field under difficult conditions. A visit to a prototype machine in practice and helping out at Agritechnica in Hannover, as well as at the open houses, were also part of my duties.
Impressions of service deployments
Final exam with distinction
After 2 ½ years, I completed my training as an agricultural and construction machine mechatronics technician in February 2024. On February 23, 2024, I was honored for my outstanding grades (a 1.0 average) at the Staatliche Berufsschule in Landshut.
I am ever more fascinated by agricultural technology. I would like to intensify my knowledge with studies in mechanical engineering or some related field.
Picture: Dr. Thomas Haslinger 2nd Mayor of Landshut), Anton Beck (workshop supervisor and trainer at ROPA), Thomas Kastl, Fritz Wittmann (Landshut Deputy District Administrator), Reinhold Ostermaier (Director of Studies and Principle, BS1 Landshut)