Studying Mechanical Engineering in Germany – Secrets you need to know!

Studying Mechanical Engineering in Germany is one of the most sought-after dreams for many international students.
And there is a reason for this.
Germany has always been a Global Leader when it comes to Mechanical Engineering.

And the demand for Mechanical Engineers in Germany is growing each day!

Keep reading if you wish to know in detail about Studying Mechanical Engineering in Germany (Jobs, specializations, salaries, and much more!)

What are the major brands in the field of Mechanical Engineering in Germany?

The well-known German automotive companies like Daimler AG (Mercedes Benz), BMW Group, Volkswagen Group etc. are some of the dream companies to work for in case of any Mechanical Engineer.
And this is especially true for those who specialized in the field of Automotive engineering. For example, the VW Group consists of twelve leading automotive brands from seven European countries! They are Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania and MAN.
Apart from this, Germany has techno-mechanical giants like Siemens AG, Bosch, ThyssenKrupp AG, Airbus, Lufthansa, and many more. And no wonder, this makes Germany an ideal destination for Mechanical engineers all over the world!

These are the major trends in Mechanical Engineering in Germany

The major global industrial trends have been going more towards automation and focus on sustainable green energy sources. And this has shaken up major industries including various fields of mechanical engineering including manufacturing and industrial engineering, process engineering, and the automotive sector.
Germany is also catching up and in most of the cases taking the lead in driving the change.

Mechanical Engineering in Germany – The path to ‘Digitalization’

Mechanical engineering in Germany is one of the most important industrial sectors for their economy. Being one of the world’s leading machine manufacturers, Germany also houses some of the most important global Mechanical and automotive companies.
And with the start of this new decade, it’s important for this industry to go through constant innovation. The industry is going towards constant digitalization. Plus it has become mandatory to follow the new regulatory requirements, environmental and sustainability guidelines. And lastly, the industry should also match the changing customer needs.
So what are the trends which are going to determine the direction of the industry in the upcoming decade?
Read on to stay up-to-date before you embark on your journey of studying Mechanical Engineering in Germany.

Four trends in mechanical engineering to watch out for in 2021

Trend 1 – Increased importance of energy efficiency

The new “European Ecodesign Directive” will come into force from July 1st, 2021 in Germany. And what it essentially does is, it regulates the energy efficiency of the electric motors. The main goal is to significantly reduce energy consumption following the ISO 50001 standards. This means, there are some benefits for the companies too! Because they can benefit from cost savings due to the lower energy consumption, plus they also can take advantage of tax breaks in many EU countries!

Trend 2 – Systems engineering and smart factories

By using automation, mechanical engineers play a key role in creating smart factories and driving Industry 4.0.  
And one of the key challenges for this is to organize the communication between the machines in a smart factory. That’s why, a standardized communication protocol is needed. And this can be implemented by identifying the identical machine types that can be synced with each other.

Trend 3 – Simulation and the “digital twin”

What is a digital twin? Digital twins are the digital images of machines that we use today. And this is done by simulation engineering. We do Simulations in product development prior to actually going ahead with the physical process. And right now the digital twins should be able to provide a complete image of the machines and complex systems even during operation! This can be used to increase the efficiency of the machine to the maximum. And this will help us to use sensor data and detect deviations from the ideal state of the mechanical systems real time.

Trend 4 – Incorporation of “Smart devices”: marriage of digital and mechanical

Touch displays have become an integral part of digital communication with machines. These screens are a basic requirement for any modern mechanical system. The next step can be to detach the displays from the machine so that machines can be controlled remotely via smartphones or tablets.

Also, a study was conducted by McKinsey recently. And it had tried to identify the trends that will have a significant impact on mechanical and plant engineering over the next few years. And it turned out that along with the internal changes as discussed in the above points, importance is attached to external changes too.

300 companies took part in the study.

And the top trends according to them were:

1. Increasing demand for customer-specific solutions (74%)
2. Relocation of demand to non-European countries (70%)
3. Growing importance of aftersales and service (60%)
4. Increasing competition from new entrants (47%)
5. Increased importance of the location factor Germany (45%)

Optimism for the future

In general, according to the McKinsey study, the major players of the in German Mechanical Engineering industry perceive the recent changes in trends as “opportunities” rather than “risks”.
And also they are quite confident that Germany’s machine and systems manufacturers are well prepared for any future trend that hits the industry.

Specializations for studying Mechanical Engineering in Germany

An indicative list of specializations of Mechanical Engineering which you can pursue in Germany is:

• Mechatronics
• Automotive Engineering
• Systems Engineering
• Production Engineering
• Robotics systems Engineering
• Power Engineering
• Renewable Energy Engineering
• Computational Science
• Masters of management and Engineering programs

And what salaries can you expect after you graduate as a Mechanical Engineering in Germany?

You can find that below (sorted by the German states) Source: gehalt.de:

• Baden-Württemberg € 5,165
• Bavaria € 5,006
• Berlin € 4,482
• Bremen € 4,583
• Hamburg € 5,048
• Hesse € 5,294
• Lower Saxony € 4,380
• North Rhine-Westphalia € 4,813
• Rhineland-Palatinate € 4,684
• Saarland € 4,546
• Saxony € 3,814
• Schleswig-Holstein € 4,203
• Brandenburg € 3,779

Automotive Engineering – Germany is the KING!

When we talk about Germany and Mechanical Engineering, one major specialization that comes up is Automotive Engineering.

Daimler AG (Mercedes Benz), BMW Group, Audi (VW group), Porsche, the Volkswagen Group (The VW Group comprises twelve brands from seven European countries: Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Ducati, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Scania and MAN).

Yes! each one of these car brands or the automotive conglomerate belongs to Germany!

FIVE reasons why these German car brands are so well accepted worldwide!

1. Germany has a longer history of practicing automotive engineering than most countries. It was Karl Benz (A German engineer and one of the founders of the maker of Mercedes Benz cars) who, in the year 1879, first patented the internal combustion engine and then in 1886 he received a patent for his first automobile.

2. The Germans have a decorated history in motor racing. There their cars were pushed to their limits and their reputations were intermingled with the outcome. The infamous Green Hell — The Nürburgring racing track in the heart of Germany is a living proof of the German racing heritage. In the twenty-first century the likes of Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg and the young F2 champion Mick Schumacher, all have carried the mantle of German racing heritage really well.

3. The German Autobahn. These roads actually have no speed limits. And this is where the German carmakers can freely test the limits of their engineering. Any country with 8,000 miles of public roads that allows almost unlimited speed is destined to turn out cars capable of thriving in that environment. The German Autobahn is as unique as the cars the country produces.

4. The Brand mantras. Mercedes’ ads claim to be “The Best Or Nothing”, BMW says they build the “Ultimate Driving Machine.” And boy, they deliver what they say!

5. The “German Engineering”. Known for their innovation, efficiency, concern for quality and technology, the German cars are a direct result of the German engineering prowess.

Lastly, the presence of companies like Continental supplying high-quality equipment contributes massively to the world-famous German automotive industry.

BiG Tips!!!

Are you willing to apply for jobs or study Mechanical Engineering in Germany?

Then I would definitely like to draw your attention to two important tips.

BiG Tip 1

First, if you are a Master’s student, you should try and get a part-time job or an internship in one of the established Mechanical engineering companies during your Masters. Like one of my students at Complete course for finding jobs in Germany did.

This has two advantages. One, this will give you the relevant work experience of working in the German mechanical engineering industry. Two, it will also reveal the company and the hiring professionals about your temperament, how you handle things, how you work with the team, manage people etc. If you get a job like this, they would get to observe you closely for a significant period of time. That’s why your chances of getting hired full-time in the very same company where you did your internship or a part-time job in, is significantly higher.

BiG Tip 2

And the second tip is, learn the German language!

This is a super important point which you should always keep in your mind. If you already are in a B1/B2 level when you come for studying Mechanical Engineering in Germany, you are already in a sweet-spot!
And you also convey the message to the employers that you are willing to learn German and willing to integrate with the culture. This will help you during your job interviews also.

Hope this article was of some help to give you a basic idea about Mechanical Engineering in Germany and would make you think about Germany as a possible work or a study destination.

If you are considering Germany as your next work destination or Currently searching for jobs in Germany, you can download our Free PDF on “10 mistakes to avoid in a job application for Germany” from the following link: 10 mistakes to avoid in a job application for Germany

If you are thinking about Studying Mechanical Engineering then I would definitely recommend you to join my course, all you’ve to do is click here: Complete course for studying in Germany!

You can also check out Basic admission requirements for studying in Germany.