An exciting journey
Even as a young boy, Severin Heeb knew that his career would lead him into a technical profession. Thanks to his determination, diligence and open mind, he went from his apprenticeship in Appenzell via Uzwil to dozens of countries for installation and commissioning projects for various milling processes. A dream job that he can only recommend to talented young people at Bühler.
Lukas Hofstetter, March 2025
Severin’s answer to the question of where he will move to next comes without a second of hesitation: “Anywhere. I feel comfortable wherever I am needed and can help our projects to a successful conclusion.” The facts speak for themselves: during his time at Bühler, the 30-year-old from Appenzell has traveled to 23 countries, some of them several times, and built and commissioned many mills. Anyone who faces new challenges on a regular basis – often in completely new cultures and language areas with different working methods – must above all like people.
“Of course, the technical component is very important. But in my opinion, the interpersonal aspect counts just as much. Depending on the region, people work and communicate completely differently. That’s what I find most exciting about my work, because it always results in new solutions and I learn a lot of new things with every installation project,” he says.
When he started his apprenticeship, he could never have imagined that his career would one day take him to countries such as Bangladesh, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa or Cameroon. “For me as a local guy from the tiny canton of Appenzell, crossing the cantonal border was already like going abroad,” he smiles.
“During my apprenticeship, I then had the incredibly cool opportunity to spend two months working abroad at Bühler Johannesburg. I learned to appreciate the openness to other cultures and enjoyed gaining insights ‘behind the scenes’ together with the locals, which you often don't have as a normal traveler,” says Severin.
There was no question for Severin that he would continue his career at Bühler after his apprenticeship. “It was clear to me – I wanted to go out into the world after my apprenticeship. I asked myself: ‘What opportunities are there’ and then immediately applied for a position with the international assembly pool after my apprenticeship. That worked out well, but I had never seen a mill until I arrived at my first job as a young fitter in Durban, South Africa. ‘This looks interesting’ was my first thought – and so I just went with the flow on my first few construction sites,” he recalls.
For outsiders, it may seem a little too early to send employees abroad straight after their apprenticeship. For Severin, however, age does not play a role, on the contrary – the ability and willingness to learn is crucial. “The new responsibility and the many assignments abroad straight after completing my apprenticeship were a very exciting time. Fortunately, Bühler prepares its employees ideally for their next career steps and assignments abroad. We also have so many great employees at Bühler from whom you can learn an incredible amount,” explains Severin.
One of them is Albrecht Sterner, who by chance has repeatedly been on the same commissioning jobs as Severin – and today sits right next to Severin in the office. “I was interested in what he was doing, and at every commissioning I asked him how everything worked and wanted to help. I probably annoyed him from time to time with my questions. I thought the tasks were great, it was always a good balance between organizing with lots of people involved and actually picking up tools and doing something myself. I also immediately felt right at home in the role of the 'specialist',” recalls Severin.
At some point, he seized the opportunity to switch to specialty milling and was then able to enjoy further training as a master miller in Stuttgart and as a milling technician at the Swiss School of Milling.
Severin has been working as a Process Technologist in the oats team since 2019 and looks back on almost six years of priceless experiences. “We are a rather small, well-coordinated team and everyone pulls together. With our solutions for oat processing, we help our customers to make this healthy and sustainable product even more popular. It is the gratitude of our local customers that drives us to constantly develop new solutions and technologies to remain the market leader and help them get the most out of every grain of oats,” explains Severin.
What does a classic workflow look like for Severin in the oat business? “If there are specific inquiries for an oat processing plant (e.g. rolled oats, oatmeal, or porridge) anywhere in the world, I support the sales staff from the region with technical knowledge to serve the customer as specifically as possible and develop the best solution. For commissioning, plant optimization, customer training, and sales support, I visit customers and gather knowledge about local and international market developments in the oat world. Process technologists are also involved in new or further developments of machines and processes,” explains Severin.
With so many foreign assignments and new friendships, it is almost impossible to choose a favorite place or a favorite project. Nevertheless, one place has left a lasting impression on Severin. “Having already seen several places in the world, Mexico still stands out. After my first visit, I fell in love with the beautiful places, the delicious (spicy) food, the hospitality, and the vibe. Working there has also always been a success, and it is a pleasure to work with the competent team from Bühler Mexico. The two start-ups in Mexico are definitely some of my favorite assignments for Bühler and Guadalajara is probably my favorite city in the world so far,” he says.
When you travel so much, you enjoy your time at home even more. How does Severin switch off after sometimes strenuous, sometimes turbulent assignments abroad? “In my free time, I prefer to be active. I love being out in nature – especially paragliding, my absolute favorite hobby, where I usually hike up the mountain myself and am rewarded for the shift I put in with a breathtaking flight. Hiking up the mountain and flying into the sunset is the absolute highlight for me after a day at work or an assignment abroad,” says Severin.
Sometimes there are really ‘tough’ commissioning projects that demand all of Severin’s specialist knowledge and project management skills. “The biggest challenge for me was probably the commissioning of one of the largest oat mills Bühler has ever built. For this project, I traveled to Winnipeg in Canada for 3.5 months and worked with the great team on the construction site to satisfy the customer and get the plant up and running,” he says.
“The circumstances on the construction site were quite difficult and many problems took a lot of time and research to find a solution. In the end, the recipe for success was my great team in the background who supported me, the project manager who really looked after his ‘baby’ and, last but not least, a lot of patience and interest in solving problems that were often not my area of expertise,” recalls Severin.
Severin concludes with an appeal to the many talented people at Bühler who are thinking about working as an Installation Engineer. “Do it. Bühler offers you everything you need to grow personally and professionally. You gain so much more than just specialist knowledge during your assignments abroad. You will make new friends, you will internalize new cultures and ways of working, and you will take away priceless memories from each place that will stay with you for a lifetime.”
And where does Severin see his future? “I would like to take my specialist knowledge to the next level through more experience and exchange and take on more of a ‘Technical Sales Advisor’ role in the future,” says Severin. Anyone who knows the smart Appenzeller knows that he will definitely achieve this goal, too.
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