What links us together is how everyone is so interested in the details; everyone wants to see a successful product on the market and is motivated by that aim. You are one person, yes, but your actions can really impact the future and help our company, so that’s very exciting.

I joined JT Group in November 2020 as a Mechanical Engineer, with a focus on our e-vapor devices. Now, as Group Manager for Mechanical Engineering, I work alongside the members within my team whilst ensuring we are working with a clear process and design guidelines.

I originally joined the company in November 2020 as a Mechanical Engineer within the RRP* R&D Group in Vienna, with a focus on our e-vapor devices. I was also tasked with developing products for market launch in 2022. As our entire department was new at the time, I also worked on key workflow processes such as establishing design guidelines, drawing templates and building supplier networks for material requirements and prototyping tasks.

In my ninth month, I was promoted to my current role as Group Manager for Mechanical Engineering, where I now work alongside the members within my team whilst ensuring we are working with a clear process and design guidelines in place. Where there aren’t pre-existing templates, I have been focused on implementing new workflow guidelines. I also ensure that I maintain an overview of all ongoing projects so that as a team we are setting out achievable tasks with the resources we have, that we are making necessary progress on each project and that we have the required expertise to complete each task in order for the members of the Mechanical Team to have the necessary information and resources to complete their work, and thus feel supported, motivated and fulfilled.

*Reduced-Risk Products: Products with the potential to reduce the health risks associated with smoking

The amazing thing about this product area (RRP*) is that there is so much to learn and the technology is continuously developing. Maybe we’re the first to do something, and it’s not always easy to innovate, but we learn along the way.

When I first joined JT International, I had previous experience with consumer electronics in the dental industry; I have always enjoyed mathematics and learning how products fit together, and I’ve also studied art and design. At one stage I’ve even worked with architects on lighting designs, but a key goal for me was to work in a situation where the end product is something that someone is actually holding and using on a day-to-day basis. However, the RRP* sector was brand new to me, so I spent a lot of time learning the intricacies of an e-vapor device. I love to learn and that’s my motivation, and what I seek to create is something that pushes the edge of technology, utilizing the latest materials and processes. The amazing thing about this product area is that there is so much to learn and the technology is continuously developing. Maybe we’re the first to do something, and it’s not always easy to innovate, but we learn along the way.

We were also a brand new department in Vienna, so it was very rewarding to have a key role in implementing new processes and essentially setting things up for the future. I have learned much from my successes and failures in these situations and have grown as a result. Of course, my new role as Group Manager has also meant that I am learning how to provide my team members with the support they require, as well as what it takes to be a good manager. I am also looking forward to developing further in these areas in the future.

Working together with like-minded people is rewarding. What links us together is how everyone is so interested in the details; everyone wants to see a successful product on the market and is motivated by that aim. You are one person, yes, but your actions can really impact the future and help our company, so that’s very exciting. We rely on that need to learn and progress in order to deliver innovative products that our consumers want.

*Reduced-Risk Products: Products with the potential to reduce the health risks associated with smoking

Our company feels like a family where you can rely on each other, everyone leans on everyone else and that support structure is reciprocated and that’s a very nice feeling.

In the future, I am looking forward to working closer with the Product Design team, ensuring that we are delivering products that not only fulfill our consumers’ wants and requirements, but also their wishes. I want to deliver products to the market that are comfortable, intuitive and delightful to use. “Consumer-centric” thinking is a key focus area for me and I believe through these measures we will secure an even stronger market position.

I also want to help our team learn and grow as engineers by taking more control over the product development process, retaining knowledge and experience gained through these processes, while working in close cooperation with our global manufacturing partners. The goal is to build on the knowledge we gain from previous products and develop continuously improving devices. I see this as a necessary step in order to achieve our goal to be market leaders.

It feels like a family where you can rely on each other, everyone leans on everyone else and that support structure is reciprocated and that’s a very nice feeling. The team spirit and feelings of success are really exciting and we have a great team and network to rely upon. At the heart of it, I’m still an engineer and so I’m very happy to be managing a mechanical team. In the future we want to feel even more like one team achieving the same goal and being close.