Julia Maas, production & calibration lab

How long have you been working for ASC?

It will be seven years in 2024. I cannot believe just how fast time went by!

What core tasks do you perform?

I have been trained as an electronics engineer in semiconductor manufacturing and assembly. At ASC, I work in the production to build highly sensitive sensors according to specification, bit by bit. In addition, I also work in our calibration lab where each sensor undergoes final quality control before delivery.

How do you cater to individual customer preferences?

First, I receive the exact specs and customer needs with a work order from our customer service team. My initial step is to check that work order, the box holding all individual components required in the assembly of this product, and the sensor labelling. After that, I start fitting together the device. Our customers can choose from literally thousands of possible options and combinations of our product portfolio. Therefore, my job is very varied yet fairly sophisticated, too.

That doesn’t sound like mass production. What volumes are we talking?

You’re right, we definitely don’t mass produce – not in the sense of huge, automated numbers running off of assembly lines, uncontrolled. We typically produce between one and around one thousand sensors of a given model, manually. This means, we can also configure true prototypes and even individual sensors.

How long does the assembly on a sensor take?

Assembly time varies a lot depending on the desired configuration details. There is a broad range of possibilities. For instance, whether I install a cable switch or a plug in the sensor will impact its manufacturing time.

Many of your sensors perform highly sensitive tasks, e.g. in bridge or railway monitoring. How does ASC ensure its products are safe?

Quality control is our top priority. In every step of our work we apply a four-eyes principle. That’s also true for our suppliers, as even the slightest impurity could bear a major impact on functionality down the line. To that end, at ASC we constantly test and monitor throughout the manufacturing phase.

How should we picture your role in the calibration lab?

Part of our calibration system is a so-called shaker that properly jogs and tosses around the ready sensors, up to 10,000 times per second. Not only does this test and analyse their dynamic frequency behavior, but we also determine the transfer coefficient, document deviations and issue a final certificate. With this certificate, our customers receive documented proof of quality with each individual sensor. This means that every sensor manufactured by ASC is calibrated at least once. Certain models including those that are cast or welded are calibrated multiple times.

What aspects of your work do you enjoy best?

I know many people who enjoy doing anonymous work in large corporations. However, every morning I arrive at my workplace happily, as ASC operates like a little family: short distances, everybody knows each other, instant access to everyone – therefore, one automatically gleans everything going on and can contribute ideas; for example, in product development. Not only is this appreciated, it can also lead to surprising new approaches and outcomes. That’s also why my work is exciting and keeps offering interesting new challenges.