Evaluating new approaches and ideas and developing successful products from them: These are the new tasks of Christian Camps, among others. The 45-year-old joined Brabender in January as head of the “New Technologies” department. After studying mechatronics in Krefeld and the Netherlands, the native of Grefrath (near Duisburg, Brabender’s headquarters) worked for several companies. Most recently, he also worked for a laboratory equipment manufacturer for eight years, where he held management positions. Now he is tinkering with new solutions at Brabender, from testing a new assembly to creating a new class of measuring equipment. In an interview with Brabender, the father of two reveals what excites him about electronics development and what his vision is.

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Brabender: Mr. Camps, how did you come to Brabender?

Christian Camps: I was looking for a new professional challenge in the field of device development with a focus on the creative aspects. The position as head of the New Technologies and Electronics Development department was exactly what I was looking for.

Brabender: Why did you decide to take on the position of Head of New Technologies? How does your previous position differ from your current one?

Christian Camps: I was active in the field of gas analysis for 18 years and also worked there as a project manager and development manager. In this regard, my previous position and my current position are not that different from each other. What attracted me to New Technology was the opportunity to be more involved in the pre-development of products.

Brabender: Did you know Brabender before?

Christian Camps: I was not familiar with Brabender before. But if you search for successful laboratory equipment manufacturers in my area, Brabender appears among the first. My experience with “old-established” companies is that they tend to only concern themselves with themselves, don’t really let anything new get to them, don’t absorb any impulses from outside and hardly allow any changes to their products. In contrast, Brabender is a company with a great history and long tradition that actively operates a New Technologies department. In addition, intensive cooperation with partners from industry and science means that Brabender always has its finger on the pulse of the times. These factors, as well as the willingness to try new things and perhaps fail in the process, ultimately lead to new, innovative products. That was the decisive point for me to switch to Brabender and to this position.

Brabender: How did you get into the field of electronics development? What excites you about it?

Christian Camps: When I was nine years old (1982), I was given an experimental kit on the subject of electronics. It contained everything from a blinker circuit to a radio, and that was how I found my hobby. Later I studied mechatronics in Krefeld and Venlo (Netherlands). Here, too, my focus was on electrical engineering/electronics. In short, electronics has accompanied me all my life and never let go.

Brabender: What experience and skills do you bring with you and how would you like to use them for Brabender?

Christian Camps: Over the last 18 years, I have been responsible for many products, from the initial idea to series launch and discontinuation. This has always involved finding creative solutions and making the most of the available resources. I learned to bring together people from a wide variety of disciplines and work with them to find solutions that individuals would not have been able to come up with in the first place. I will also use these skills in my work at Brabender.

Brabender: What do you associate with Brabender’s products?

Christian Camps: I associate Brabender products with quality, reliability and value, but also with the ambition to be seamlessly applicable in the laboratory of the future.

Brabender: What are you most looking forward to in your new position?

Christian Camps: I think I am most looking forward to turning new ideas and projects into products together with my colleagues.

Brabender: What is your vision for the future of Brabender?

Christian Camps: My vision is to co-develop advanced products for Brabender that have their pulse on the times, but at the same time maintain Brabender’s strengths and tradition.