OTTO JUNKER Academy

Simmerath-Lammersdorf, 10.03.2025 - For more than a century, OTTO JUNKER GmbH have pursued technical excellence and innovation in metal processing. In order to meet the growing demand for skilled experts and to impart knowledge in a practical and timely manner, the OTTO JUNKER Academy has, since 2014, offered an extensive professional training program regarding planning, modernization, operation, repair and maintenance of industrial furnaces. The program deals with important key areas such as induction melting and heat treatment of metal as well as universal subjects such as economic and energy efficiency. Apart from subject-specific contents, the participants are always also made familiar with theoretical peripheral subjects directly associated with industry and development. Safety aspects at all levels are also given priority.

Focus on practical approach and technical innovation

The Academy addresses skilled employees who intend to deepen their knowledge in the operation, maintenance and modernization of industrial furnace plants. The subjects cover physical basics as well as special applications and safety technology. For example, the OTTO JUNKER Academy offers training programs on the basics of induction melting, water treatment systems with heat recovery and converter technology using the latest IGBT components. The company R&D continuously flows into the training program thus always keeping the contents up to date.

A successful Academy generating a lively demand

The most recent seminar program offered by the Academy took place in October 2024 and was attended by experts from many countries. It was already fully booked shortly after its announcement. The demand for the virtual reality supported safety training for earth leakage monitoring is particularly high. It offers the participants the opportunity to prepare themselves for emergency situations in a realistic environment. Further topics of the seminar program are:

• innovations in furnace technology: presentations regarding newly developed protection systems such as Optical Coil Protection Plus (OCP+) which was especially developed for an efficient and safe furnace operation.
• repair and maintenance: intensive workshop for the repair and maintenance of induction furnaces, including the practical demonstration of the replacement of thyristors and IGBT modules under real-life conditions.
• modernization of control systems: this seminar presents the optimization and modernization of control technologies with a focus on increasing efficiency and reducing downtimes, for example by remote monitoring and live demonstrations.

The high level of practical relevance as well as the continuous updating of the contents make the OTTO JUNKER Academy the number one address for professional training in the international metal industry. Every year, the Academy welcomes specialists from all over the world and offers events in both German and English. In addition to professional training, participants benefit from direct exchanges with experts and specialists. Networking together makes it possible to learn from the issues facing the industry and to continuously develop new ideas for your own practice.

Review and outlook

“Our participants particularly appreciate the high level of practical relevance of our seminars as well as the opportunity to learn directly from experienced experts” says Monika Mertgens, Assistant to the OTTO JUNKER General Management. “We feel that it is our job to meet the increasing requirements of the metal industry and to pass on our knowledge in a practical manner.”

In 2024, a total of 76 specialists from 8 countries attended our training courses at the headquarters in Simmerath-Lammersdorf - a clear sign for the international reputation of the OTTO JUNKER Academy. In addition, a seminar was offered for the first time at our location in Canton, Ohio, which was attended by 52 participants from the USA. This year, the program will cover new subjects, such as the sustainability topics “Decarbonization of the industry from the beginning of the supply chain” and “Recovery of valuable raw materials such as lithium, nickel and cobalt by the recycling of lithium-ion batteries” in order to further adapt the seminar contents to current industrial challenges. The Academy is supported by young engineers who have emerged from OTTO JUNKER’s R&D Department and who have now joined forces by working for a company called OTTO JUNKER SOLUTIONS GmbH which has been founded specifically to focus on sustainability topics. This means that interested specialists can look forward to a program which will not only impart technical knowledge but also offer practical solutions for the challenges of tomorrow.