From Thuringia to Vancouver and Okanagan Falls: A chat with Jacob Stephan about his Canadian adventure

Careers and training at Mercer International

The training, development, and advancement of our employees are a high priority at Mercer. In the past, we have reported on success stories such as that of Nils Kayatz, who began his career at Mercer with an internship and has now completed his training as a master craftsman in automation. We firmly believe that it is extremely important to promote young talent and give them the opportunity to think outside the box. The global Mercer network offers the perfect platform for gaining valuable experience. In this interview, we talk to Jacob Stephan, who began his training with us and has now fulfilled his dream of spending a semester abroad in Canada.

Question: Jacob, you started your training as an agricultural and construction machinery mechatronics engineer at Mercer Timber Products in August 2019. Did you know from the outset that you wanted to stay at Mercer after completing your training?

Jacob Stephan: Absolutely! My career at Mercer began in the traditional way with an apprenticeship at our plant in Friesau. Even then, it was clear to me that Mercer is much more than just an employer. It is a global company with enormous potential, and that’s exactly what I wanted to experience firsthand.

Question: After your apprenticeship, you began studying automation technology and robotics. Was it already your plan to spend a semester abroad?

Jacob Stephan: Yes, it was. My fascination with technology and my desire to broaden my horizons motivated me to pursue this degree. Early on, I talked to our HR department about my dream: to spend a practical semester at one of the international locations. I am incredibly grateful that this dream came true and that I had the opportunity to travel to Canada for 16 weeks. It was truly an honor to be able to build this bridge between our German roots and Canadian innovation.

Question: Your Canadian adventure began in Vancouver. How did you get started there, and what were your main responsibilities at Mercer Mass Timber?

Jacob Stephan: I spent the first half of my adventure in Vancouver. I received an incredibly warm welcome from day one. In this office, which is something like the planning center for modern timber construction in America, everything revolves around the application of our products, such as cross-laminated timber and glued laminated timber. My main task was to familiarize myself with North American standards. That meant analyzing countless technical documents, performing material calculations, and delving into the details of North American construction methods. I supported the team with customer projects, updated the internal knowledge database, and even had the opportunity to introduce our plant in Friesau to my Canadian colleagues.

Question: You and your team found a remarkable solution to a software problem there. Can you tell us more about it?

Jacob Stephan: One special project was the integration of our product data into the North American design software “WoodWorks Sizer.” The big hurdle was that the software does not allow simple data imports. Instead of manually entering thousands of values over several weeks, I used my programming skills to develop an automated solution with Python. This allowed me to complete an extremely time-consuming and error-prone task efficiently and accurately in just a few days. Soon, the entire MMT product portfolio will be available directly in the software for thousands of users in North America – a big step for our market presence.

Question: After Vancouver, you moved on to the production site in Okanagan Falls. What were your impressions of the practical work there?

Jacob Stephan: After the planning phase in Vancouver, I spent another eight weeks at MMT Okanagan, our only production site in Canada. There, too, the welcome from my colleagues was overwhelmingly warm. I was able to get a taste of all departments and thus gained a comprehensive insight into the practical work. It was particularly impressive to see Hundegger’s modern CNC machines in action, processing our CLT and glulam elements with incredible precision. At the same time, there are still many older machines there. You can see that the wood is often still moved by hand, which highlights the enormous potential for automation to save time and costs. There is also a strong focus on quality assurance. A remnant of each part produced is thoroughly inspected, with a particular focus on the adhesive joints.

Question: You also spent time with the maintenance team. Were there any differences compared to the processes in Germany?

Jacob Stephan: A week with the maintenance team gave me a completely different perspective. I found the insight into the Canadian safety culture very interesting. Unlike in Germany, there are hardly any protective fences. Instead, each employee secures the equipment with a personal lock before working on it. I was told that the emphasis here is on constant attention and respect for the equipment on the part of each individual. Nevertheless, safety is of course the top priority: safety goggles, high-visibility vests, safety shoes, and ear protection are mandatory in the hall.