When I was looking for a new position as a development engineer in 2006, I was specifically aiming to work for a small to medium-sized business. I wanted a role where I could personally make a difference in the company’s success. KNF won me over not just with its long-term thinking and international orientation, but also with its position as a technology leader and its ambition to deliver high quality, backed by its own production facility in Switzerland.
 
In my position as Head of Product Development, I am responsible for developing new, expandable standard products for KNF’s modular system. We design the interfaces to be as open as possible so that the individual elements can later be easily adapted to fit the customer’s requirements. My focus is always on developing products that generate added value for the customer and on ensuring that KNF stays at the cutting edge of technology. Accompanying a product idea through every stage of development until it goes into series production is something I still find fulfilling after all these years.
 
I feel challenged and encouraged in this role, and at the same time I enjoy a great deal of support – from my team of very ambitious engineers and drafting technicians as well as KNF as a whole. For example, I’m able to work slightly less than full-time so that I can take care of my children one day a week.

A new product idea typically starts in basic development, where new functional principles are tested. In the next stage, product development, we use state-of-the-art simulation tools for strength calculations and flow simulation. This allows us to generate initial prototypes that fulfill all of the specifications within a short period of time. For the industrial production stage afterwards, my team works closely with all relevant departments within the company. Seeing everyone pulling together with the mutual goal of bringing an innovative, high-quality product to market – that’s what motivates me every day.