Career

Audi employees around the world – the road of e-mobility from Győr to Kassel

2024. 07. 22.

István Schmidt is an engineer with long-standing relationships, since he has been closely involved in the technical areas of our company since 2013 and has been working with electric motors for 10 years, of which he is very proud.

He has reached many milestones in his career. The challenges he has faced during this period have encouraged him to broaden his horizons even further with a posting abroad.


Read about his professional successes, exciting challenges and details of his posting to Kassel in our article.

Tell us about your role at Audi Hungaria to date.

István Schmidt: I joined the Technical Development at Audi Hungaria as an intern in the summer of 2013. Shortly afterwards, I had the opportunity to study at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology for six months on a scholarship. After returning home I was again accepted as an intern at the MAC (Experimental Powertrain Manufacturing Centre) in the field of electric drives, where I wrote my thesis. I have been working as a full-time employee at the company since January 2015, and at the same time I started my MSc studies in Mechatronics Engineering at the Széchenyi István University of Győr.

From 2015 to 2019, I worked as a process engineer in MAC, where I was responsible for the supervision and development of stator manufacturing processes at the Experimental Electric Motor Manufacturing Centre (FTZ-E). I then joined the Powertrain Factory production planning team, where I worked as a Production Technology Design Engineer from 2019 to 2023. My task was to introduce new processes related to stator manufacturing.

What are you most proud of in your career with Audi?

I.S.: I am proud to have been working with electric motors for 10 years. Following the production and development of the C-BEV and PPE stator, I am now involved in the design and prototyping of the 3rd and 4th generation (MEB eco, SSP) e-motor stator production processes. During this time, I have also carried out several machine purchases, product optimisation and process adjustments.

I am also the founder of the Plan@Tech Challenge engineering student competition, which was first held in autumn 2021 at Audi Hungaria. I was also the leader of the pilot project "Coffreetime", which resulted in the introduction of a management consultation hour in several areas and this good practice is still in use in the company today, after 5 years.

Currently, I have been entrusted with one of the most important tasks in stator production in Kassel, the purchase of a machine for the prototyping of the Hairpin bending, which shows the confidence my colleagues have in me, so I am very proud of that too.

Why were you attracted by the opportunity of a posting abroad and how did it come to the fore in your career?

I.S.: During my university years and my time abroad I learned a lot and broadened my horizons. I wanted to experience this again, so I looked for a posting. I also saw it as a challenge and a potential for development and finding new perspectives.

Within the field of production planning, it is not at all strange for colleagues to put their knowledge to good use on a foreign site. Both the host and the sending site benefit from such a secondment, as the secondee brings with him/her professional knowledge, and on his/her return home, a broader horizon and an expanded network of contacts make him/her even more effective in work.

The Győr and Kassel sites will share more and more in the future, so good contact and fast communication are essential. My manager raised the possibility of closer cooperation after seeing my ambition. This was followed by several rounds of discussions, during which I proved to be a good choice for the host area, so they were open and very welcoming.

Where do you currently work and what are your daily tasks?

I.S.: Since February 2023, I have been working in Kassel in the Technical Development department, in particular in the E-motor Process Development team. Currently, my main task is to prepare the manufacturing processes of the stator as a product for large-scale production.

What is your relationship like with your colleagues there?

I.S.: Fortunately, we quickly found common ground with our colleagues here. They were very welcoming. They even organised a breakfast in honour of my arrival. Since then, we have often organised family activities together outside working hours.

Who did you travel to Germany with and how do you spend your free time?

I.S.: I moved out eighteen months ago with my wife and our 8-month-old son, and our daughter was born here in February this year. We live in a very nice place, ideal for a family. Children can learn German language through a variety of activities, which opens up the world to them.

On weekdays, when the weather in Germany allows, we go on a trip with the children. Usually, we target nearby cities: we've been to Fritzlar, Marburg, Melsungen, Hannoversch Münden, and on long weekends we've visited Erfurt and Weimar, and with friends we've also explored Nuremberg and Bamberg. And last year we visited my German godparents in Leer in the far north.

In addition, Bergpark in Kassel is one of my favourite places to visit, both for its natural beauty and the Biergarten with its great views.

What do you miss most about being here and how often do you visit home?

I.S.: What I miss most is family and friends and the Hungarian weather. It rains a lot here and it is generally 5–6 degrees colder, which we haven't quite come to terms with yet. For all these reasons, we try to visit home every quarter.

What difficulties did you face during the removal? What do you think are the personal/professional qualities that are essential for someone to succeed in a foreign assignment?

I.S.: Flexibility and openness are essential, especially in the first few months. The move took the whole family out of their comfort zone. Their support is essential at this time, so I am grateful to my wife for standing by me.

Without my family, I couldn't imagine being here. Fortunately, company rules allow for family members to come along on long-term assignments. Moving out with a young child is more challenging than you might think. There are many questions and my colleagues at HR both at home and here were very helpful in clarifying these questions. Perhaps the biggest difficulty was finding a new home, as it is not at all common in Kassel, unlike in Ingolstadt or Wolfsburg, for expats to come and rent a furnished apartment for 1 or 2 years, so the market is not prepared for it. Also, it was not possible to ask for advice from colleagues previously posted to Kassel, as this is a new, fledgling relationship between the two sites, so I think we are pioneers in this respect.

Professionally, you need to be able to deal with new and unexpected situations, to build new relationships, and to do this you also need to be flexible and open. I feel that I was able to integrate quickly and easily into the team, thanks to my German language skills and my professional capabilities.

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