So, he decided to train as a technical product designer for machine and plant engineering. His first training company wasn’t the perfect fit, but it led him to something better: Gieg got to know 3defacto and applied for a job. He had actually already accepted another job, but 3defacto was an immediate fit and he started as a technical draftsman.

“At 3defacto, everyone gets a mentor. I nearly drove mine crazy because I wasn’t particularly meticulous,” Gieg laughs. It can’t have been that bad – he was soon allowed to make his own drawings, which turned into real test benches.

Gieg later began studying mechanical engineering but stayed with 3defacto. He kept working part-time during the semester and even traveled to Singapore with CEO Peter Ahlmer. Roughly 6,000 miles from Germany, Ahlmer offered him the positon of assembly manager. Gieg accepted and broke-off his studies in the fourth semester. “I’m just a hands-on guy,” he says.

To date, Gieg has spent about 9 months in Singapore. One highlight: a 10-day motorcycle trip through Malaysia during a rare break from the job site – timed perfectly with his 26th birthday. Other projects have taken him to Saudi Arabia, England, France, and Poland. He often travels with Peter Ahlmer, particularly for sales meetings on pipe processing or tire mounting systems. One dream is still on his list: a project in Turkey, which could start soon.

When he’s back at the homesite, he is mainly involved in planning and development. His “baby”: a pilot welding system. And sometimes, he welds it himself.