My Name is Till Weselowski and I am in the second year of my apprenticeship as a „merchant in wholesale and foreign trade“ at thenex GmbH in Bocholt. In April 2019, I had the opportunity to do a one-month internship at our partner company BCE Srl. in Caronno Pertusella, Italy.

I would like to thank the Erasmus+ Program, BCE Srl. and thenex GmbH for this wonderful opportunity!

On my first day at BCE, I was introduced to the BCE Team and learned about their jobs. I was also taught their daily work-day routines.

The first week, I was able have a look into the technical department. Mr. Orlando helped me understand how technical drawings of combustion equipment are made and to what purpose they are used. To better understand these drawings, we visited a burner workshop and did some measurements on a newly produced burner, based on a drawing that was created beforehand. This was a very interesting experience, because at thenex we do not always get the chance to see a burner before delivery. At BCE, the process was easy to understand.

The next week I was introduced to the sales department by Mr. Paticella. We discussed current and upcoming projects of BCE. Mr. Paticella explained all steps BCE has to make to get an order. It is a very different process as at thenex, because BCE has to take care of way more things in advance in order to be able to make their client an offer. The engineering process is their core business and is very interesting to see.

The following week Mr. Orlando and I returned to the burner workshop to do pneumatic test of burners. This is a necessary step in order to know whether all movements of a burner are working.

These tests are performed with high pressure air to open and close the burner. Videos are made of these tests, to guarantee the burners quality to the client. In some cases, the client is on-site to witness the test.

I also visited the workshop for Burner Management Systems. There I saw how the case and the inner parts of the BMS are produced. Mr. Luciano, the BCE software engineer, accompanied me there. He needed to check the proper functioning of the BMS. When something is wrong, the PLC-Card needs to be adapted. That is the software engineers job at BCE.

On the last day of my internship, we went to BCE’s packaging facilities to do an inspection of the wooden boxes, made to transport several newly built burners to a client in Belgium. I was surprised how much work it is to pack a Burner safely into a seaworthy crate.

During my stay in Italy, I had time to travel around and see some places in and around Milan. I really enjoyed visiting those places. I can guarantee you Italy is worth a trip!
The internship at BCE was a very useful experience to me. I was able to improve my English and my working skills. I would like to thank the entire BCE Team for their kind help during my stay. I will certainly try to return to Italy soon, to see all colleagues and places again.

Arrivederci e cordiali saluti!

Till Weselowski