Hybrid joining in lightweight construction is considered a key factor and elementary part of the automotive industry. The demands placed on these materials go hand in hand with the challenges facing the engineers in joining these materials with sufficiently effective methods. One technique that is currently making significant advances in the automotive industry is adhesive joining. To meet the demands faced by engineers, SCA Schucker GmbH & Co. KG has been working with the School of Management and Technology at Steinbeis University Berlin on a Master of Engineering. This is tailored to the needs of the company and includes a specialization in adhesive joining technology.
SCA Schucker is well known internationally as a specialist in adhesive systems and dosing technology, offering a variety of premium products, especially in the automotive industry. The company has been part of the Atlas Copco Group since 2011 and has enjoyed accelerated growth as a global player ever since. This has made it all the more important for the company to plan its HR development program in detail to keep pace with the rapid rate of development. To address this aim, SCA Schucker has been working with the School of Management and Technology on a corporate development program that is tailored specifically to company requirements. This provides engineers and business engineers with a chance to study toward a Master of Engineering degree in parallel to their projects at SCA Schucker and this can include a major in adhesive joining technology. “The degree offered by Steinbeis University places a strong emphasis on business practice, and, at the same time, it delivers added value for the students and the company. It was important for us to expand and intensify the knowledge-sharing processes at SCA in the long term and I couldn’t have imagined a better partner to work with. Another aim with the specialization is to offer managers on-site training and this will be reflected in future on a technical level in management corridors,” explains Olaf Leonhardt, managing director of SCA, who also completed a project competence degree (PCD) at Steinbeis University Berlin (SHB).
Close collaboration with the School of Management and Technology made it possible to react to the specific nature of engineering training in adhesive technology. This field is of particular importance in the Baden- Wurttemberg region, especially in the automotive sector. SCA Schucker has a training center in Bretten (east of Karlsruhe), which offers an ideal location for providing expert tuition on the business’s premises and ensures management has long-term access to specialist technological know-how. SCA will also work with Steinbeis to organize on-site theory modules with a focus on adhesive joining technology. “Being close to Steinbeis University allows us to offer a customized corporate training program that matches the company’s requirements. So we’re particularly pleased that we’re working in partnership with SCA and that our expertise will also be able to play a part in this promising area in the future. The Master of Engineering, with its specialization in adhesive joining technology, is an individually developed product based on the contributions of each cooperation partner. Everyone involved is adding the maximum possible know-how,” says Dr. Walter Beck, director of the School of Management and Technology. Working together, Steinbeis and SCA Schucker can now prepare young managers for a safe long-term career in a field that is both exciting and challenging.