The sensor and measurement technology sector offers numerous career opportunities and interesting jobs for engineers and technicians. From the development and qualification of measuring devices and sensors, through project management, to the sales and marketing of finished products. The number of sensors installed will continue to rise in the future, and the AMA Association for Sensors and Measurement predicts golden times for the industry. Turnover and investment have been rising for years, which goes hand in hand with an increased need for personnel and new jobs.

According to the latest figures from Joblift, the job market for sensor and measurement technology has grown by 119,171 new jobs in the past twelve months - an increase of 5%. Most jobs were advertised in Baden-Württemberg (25%) and Bavaria (24%), both of which cover around a quarter of the total labor market, followed at some distance by North Rhine-Westphalia with 11%.

The top locations for jobs related to sensor technology are Munich, Stuttgart and Berlin, with job advertisements being online for an average of 46 days. A Master's degree is required in almost half of the job advertisements, while a Bachelor's degree is only required in 13%. Vocational training is sufficient for the companies in 29%.

The analysis shows the areas in which sensor specialists are sought after, namely by far the most frequently in the automotive and automotive supply industry, with autonomous driving and electric drive systems being the main drivers. However, sensor specialists are also sought after for medical technology or mechatronics, such as robotics. The big players such as Continental, Bosch, Sick or Valeo are ahead in terms of engineers and specialists, as they are not only better known, pay better and are often bound by collective agreements, but are also located in metropolitan areas and not in the northern Black Forest or north-eastern Bavaria.

However, the sensor technology sector is largely characterized by small and medium-sized companies: 23% of the companies placing tenders have fewer than 50 employees, 16% up to 200 and a further 15% up to 1000 employees. The other almost half of the applications (46%) come from companies with over 1000 employees. This is shown by a current evaluation of the Joblift meta search engine.

Promising future field of application: 'Predictive maintenance'

One promising field of application for sensor specialists is predictive maintenance: the sensor-based continuous fitness check for machines and systems in order to detect faults at an early stage and avoid expensive production downtime. Sensor systems keep a constant eye on the condition of machines, make diagnoses and indicate when a spare part needs to be replaced.

A team of researchers from Saarland University presented the early detection program at Hannover Messe 2017. The principle: intelligent sensors constantly collect a wide range of measurement data from inside the devices and compare the data patterns with standard values. If the patterns deviate, the system informs the user immediately and reports what needs to be done about it. Even the smallest changes are detected by the sensors and automatically assigned to damage processes.

This works because signal patterns - such as the frequency of vibrations - change in typical damage and fault conditions. The researchers have examined and categorized the patterns of thousands of measurement data in order to detect damage or wear in the form of deviations themselves. An external evaluation unit is no longer required; the system evaluates itself.

Saarland University has worked together with Bosch Rexroth and Festo, among others, on this project. At Bosch Rexroth, the sensors are used to monitor the condition of machine tools, while at Festo, linear drives such as electromechanical spindle axes or electric cylinders are tested.

Employers in rural areas at a disadvantage

Bosch and Festo have made a name for themselves as employers, not least because of such innovations. For competing hidden champions, however, the attraction for applicants dwindles with every kilometer away from the big cities.

Young professionals only discover the advantages of medium-sized employers when topics such as starting a family and building a house are on the agenda, because then they are attracted by the good air and the lower property prices for a house in the countryside.

It is therefore a step in the right direction that some mechanical engineers have joined forces with the district of Freudenstadt and the Northern Black Forest Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK): They founded an association with the aim of establishing a university and research facility as an external campus of the University of Stuttgart.

The new Black Forest campus recently began offering its first lectures for mechanical engineering master's degree courses, covering topics relating to the digitalization of production: Knowledge about data accumulation, data levels and the economic use of data in relation to production is explained using examples from the companies involved in the campus, including Homag, Arburg, Schmalz and Fischer.

An excursion to the member company gives students an insight into the practical work of the university partners and potential employers. A side effect: where students have already enjoyed student life and got to know employers from the inside, the decision to stay is easier.

Renate Keinath, the Managing Partner responsible for HR at mechanical engineering company Arburg, is satisfied: "Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done on the details: but if the Black Forest Campus gets it right, the heart of digitalization in mechanical engineering will beat here in the future." The aim of everyone involved is to show that the Northern Black Forest vacation region is not only a worthwhile destination for students, but also for the skilled workers of tomorrow.