Constant perspective change at Grenzebach: Miriam Steinhöfer

Savannah. Los Angeles. Chicago. Nashville. Charleston. During her 6 months internship in Newnan, Georgia, where Miriam Steinhöfer shared a house owned by Grenzebach with her fellow interns, they would often go on weekend trips together. The United States, the land of boundless opportunities; together the interns would venture out to explore the country and its people. At the end of her internship, Miriam did a final three week road trip during which she also traveled along the Florida coast: "My impression was that people in the United States seemed much more relaxed and less worried."

Miriam enjoyed the many different activities that took place at work like the lunch and learn meetings with different suppliers and cook outs organized by the company. Looking back on her time in Newnan, it was everything she was hoping for and more.  Just recently the mechanical engineer had the chance to go back to support her US colleagues in the engineering department: "It is very interesting to see how our engineers in Newnan work. Their approach is completely different from ours here in Germany”.

Sport as relaxation and change of perspective; Miriam stopped playing soccer when she moved to Newnan for her internship and took up beach volleyball during her time in the United States. Running is also an essential part of the 25 year old’s life. On either side of the Atlantic, several times a week she puts on her running shoes and within a 30 to 45 minute run she gains new perspectives. For Grenzebach she participated at the Augsburg Firmenlauf, a 6.7 kilometer run and is now also joining the Gettoworkout in Augsburg, a combination of personal fitness and team sport outside of the gym.

Here today, tomorrow there; Miriam does not mind moving around a lot. No matter if it’s an internship in the US or a 4 week trip to support her co-workers. At home, she spends half the week with her boyfriend in Augsburg and the other half with her parents in Nördlingen. Miriam comes from a family of tax law experts and is the first one to choose a technical profession. In school, physics was one of her majors and during a field trip to Grenzebach Miriam discovered her interest in engineering. 

She then decided to enroll in a dual curriculum completing an apprenticeship in industrial mechanics and her engineering studies: office, production shop, vocational training, and auditorium, perfectly suited for Miriam: “In construction it’s about how different components make up a solution and how those components need to be build. The industrial mechanic reads drawings and manufactures and installs the components. It’s good to know both.” The 25 year old enjoys facing new challenges while developing different perspectives on her way to the perfect solution: “One time we had a system that transported wet work pieces and our job was to incorporate a roller conveyor. I had to come up with a solution to integrate a collecting tray and a design for a corrosion-resistant roller conveyor”.

An industrial mechanic and mechanical engineer who commutes between Augsburg and Nördlingen and flies from Germany to the United States; her motto in life was put to the test on a domestic US flight with turbulences when a colleague traveling with Miriam told her: "Now , either be afraid or enjoy the ride." Miriam has made her decision …