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KILIAN KNICKENBERG

Service Technician with a sunny disposition

After twelve years working as a service technician for household appliances, Kilian made the leap to MEIKO in 2022. Much of his previous work had been on off-the-shelf machines, but his very first field assignment at MEIKO made him realise this was a whole different ballgame. Our projects not only involve different machine sizes and scopes, but also customer requirements that differ from one job to the next. Read on to discover how Kilian came to thrive in his new role.

KILIAN WILL NEVER FORGET HIS FIRST DAY AT MEIKO.

First stop for the friendly service technician from the Rhineland was a visit to the sales back office in Offenburg. After the usual introductions, he was handed a product brochure so he could learn more about the company. Kilian found it so fascinating that he read through the entire brochure that same evening – postponing the movie night he had planned with his girlfriend.

WHAT LED YOU TO JOIN MEIKO?

Kilian: "It was actually through a friend of mine who worked at MEIKO and is still with the company today. He was full of praise for MEIKO, and I was looking for a change. So, I applied and received a job offer shortly after. I was happy with the terms, and that’s how it all began!"

WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE COMPANY?

Kilian: "I like how flat the hierarchies are here. You quickly find yourself on first-name terms with a lot of your colleagues, which I appreciated right from the start. I could sense that special kind of family feeling from the moment I first visited Offenburg – and it’s stayed with me ever since."

WHAT'S THE TYPICAL DAY IN THE LIFE OF A SERVICE TECHNICIAN?

Kilian: "It’s actually quite hard to generalise because every day is different. One day I might be servicing an undercounter dishwasher in a small supermarket, the next I could be working on combined machines in a large commercial kitchen. Most of my time is spent on maintenance and service appointments for customers that use our machines. But sometimes I might just be sent somewhere to evaluate an issue on-site or help with a minor sales-related TOPIC, like advising on the correct cleaning chemicals for a specific type of machine."

100 PERCENT COMMITTED TO MEIKO

You really get the feeling that MEIKO is one big family. In Cologne, we’d call it “Klüngel” – a strong network of mutual support. It`s not that everyone knows each other personally, but there’s these shared core values that unite us. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it!

WHAT'S THE MOST EXCITING PROJECT YOU'VE WORKED ON?

Kilian: "The one that immediately springs to mind is the installation of an M-iQ rack conveyor dishwasher in the University of Essen's student canteen. The entire system was some eleven metres long and three metres high, complete with vertical conveyor towers, bi-cord conveyors for trays, elevators and two integrated dishwashers. It was all on a totally different scale to the household appliances I worked with in my previous job."

WHAT'S THE TYPICAL DAY IN THE LIFE OF A SERVICE TECHNICIAN?

Kilian: "Apart from hospital disinfection applicances, I handle pretty much every MEIKO product category when I'm out in the field. That means everything from standard undercounter and hood type dishwashing machines to large-scale rack conveyor dishwashers and even machines for disinfecting respiratory protection equipment.

TECHNICALLY SKILLED IN ALL AREAS OF LIFE

Kilian doesn't just face technical challenges on his service call-outs for MEIKO – he also spends many of his weekends working as an event technician.

HOW DO YOU UNWIND FROM WORK?

Kilian: "I absolutely love listening to music, and I'm also actively involved with the local fire brigade. And obviously my Rhineland roots mean that carnival time is a firm fixture in my calendar – it is our "fifth season" after all!"

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO POTENTIAL APPLICANTS?

Kilian: "Tackle your work with enthusiasm and curiosity. If you enjoy what you're doing, then you're in the right career. On Friday afternoons, I sometimes find myself looking forward to Monday already! It could just be my cheerful Rhineland nature – but the truth is that I simply love my job."

CAREER TO DATE

2009-2021

Service technician for household appliances

Since 2022

Service technician at the MEIKO Service Centre in Langenfeld