Not only can he show how to make the perfect espresso* but in his role of Technical Training Manager for Electrolux Professional Group’s coffee brand UNIC, Julien can also explain the inner workings of our traditional and automatic coffee machines.
Based at our site in Carros, France, Julien feels at home whether he’s in the factory, office or travelling to customers for technical training. A mechanical engineer by trade, he loves being hands on with machines and their mechanisms and transferring that knowledge both in-house and to customers. A gifted linguist too, he can communicate his passion for coffee in French, Italian and English.
* 9 bars of pressure at 90 degrees for 25 to 30 seconds
You are a Technical Training Manager – what does that job title entail?
With the help of two other trainers for both France and exports, our job is to manage the technical expertise out in the field for our coffee machines to anyone that uses or works with our equipment.
We organize and perform technical trainings for our partners and customers that can last between 1-3 days depending on the range and conduct these trainings either at customer sites or at our facility in Carros.
There’s also the job of assuring technical support and creating and maintaining the technical training documents and processes. We interact between services, providing technical expertise when necessary, helping with the development of new machines, software improvements as well as assisting the quality team on potential issues and warranty validations.
What route did you take in terms of studies and jobs to where you are today?
I studied mechanical engineering, which was inspired by my father who hands was very on at fixing everything from electricity to machines or whatever needed to be done in our home. So, I learned a lot from him generally growing up.
I joined Electrolux Professional Group and UNIC five years ago and previously worked in production plants, methods department and supply chain management as well as more specialised roles like process improvements and troubleshooting. I’d never worked in coffee before but it’s an easy passion to grow into.
What do you love about the role?
There are two main things I love about my job. First is the technical diagnosis, being able to understand a system, analyze the environment and define root causes and solutions to apply.
The second is the knowledge transfer, where we can generate our enthusiasm, but also surprise and excitement. We develop our teaching skills through the love of challenges; a bit like a series of puzzles presented to us every day. The human connection we achieve after days of training is very strong. In terms of providing support, our availability is important, but I’d say empathy is vital and ultimately defines the quality we can bring. The stronger the trust, the faster and more effective our interventions can lead to the end goal.
And, on the other hand, what are the biggest challenges?
For the last two years, I have also undertaken the role of Product Manager in parallel, redefining the full range, creating and improving the data quality. It has meant being involved in many new processes, product creations, pricing, certifications, spare parts creations, modification and engineering change processes. That has been a challenge but also rewarding given the people I have had the chance to meet and work with.
What advice would you give to people wanting to work in a position like yours?
Never be afraid to ask when you don’t know; that’s how you learn. You will need to maintain a passion for hardware and a curiosity to understand complex systems. I would also recommend spending time understanding what partners are experiencing in the field. This kind of assistance and doing the very best to help bring fast results and sincere thanks – and this by far gives me the most satisfaction.
Why Electrolux Professional Group?
I would say attraction can be explained by the number of disciplines covered within the Group itself as well as the portfolio of brands such as UNIC (coffee machines), SPM (beverage dispenser), Molteni (bespoke stoves) among others. They each have very specific and exciting opportunities. The Group is a very extensive network, and consequently there is a great diversity of people to work alongside with which is one of the Group’s greatest assets.
Check out our global career site, if you aspire to pursue a career similar to Julien´s.