When my manager called with the question if I would like to move to Austria for 6 months to work on a project, my answer was: ‘Yes! Why?’. People who know me, know I love the mountains and am always up for an adventure. Well, an adventure it is!

The project I am working on

Mid-August I moved to Puch bei Hallein, a town close to Salzburg. The Bilfinger entity located here makes complete functioning, turnkey skids for the pharma and biotechnology industry. Clients are supported from design to OQ (operational qualification). This means that our Austrian colleagues know their product by heart whenever it is ready for shipment. Together with the skids, a large team moves to the ‘baustelle’, the client’s site, for several months, to help the client setting up the system for production.

For the project in which I am involved, the ‘baustelle’ is in the Netherlands. Currently, I support the process team on the automation of the skids. Very soon, we will start all preparations of the FAT (Factory acceptance test). When this is successful, the skids and supporting team, including myself, will move to the Netherlands.

Making the move!

As soon as I had the confirmation of the project, my bags were packed. What a wonderful chance to gain international experience within the Bilfinger family! First learning the way our Austrian colleagues do their projects and supporting the process team, and then working together as a team in the Netherlands, making the idea work! An added benefit is that I will also be able to enjoy the mountains in three seasons!

It has been 1,5 months since my move and my German (Austrian) language skills are skyrocketing. Since the language is so similar to Dutch, we are able to communicate in so-called ‘Hoch-Deutsch’. I am putting in my best effort to get used to the Austrian dialect, which usually leads to hilarious and sometimes confusing situations. Our Austrian colleagues are very welcoming and always up for a laugh. This makes the distance from home easy and I can say that time is flying!

As the office is located in the Salzach-valley, the mountains are never far. I spend almost all my free time with my hiking boots on, which I will soon replace for ski boots. The company activities organized by Bilfinger in Austria also involve mountain activities like hiking, skiing and mountain biking, which brings you to the most beautiful places.

I am very thankful for the opportunity to work with my Bilfinger colleagues in Austria and to live in their beautiful country!