Traveling to work on a steel bike

Marc Orenz heads up the Measurement and Control Technology department at Salzgitter Flachstahl. His connection to steel as a material is evident not only in his job, but also on his journey to work: Twice a week, the 52-year-old commutes from Braunschweig to Salzgitter on a turquoise gravel bike with a frame made of high-strength hollow steel profiles. Gravel bikes are a cross between a road bike and a mountain bike and are designed to handle a variety of surfaces with ease, from paved cycle paths to gravel trails. Orenz recently had the bike custom-made to his own precise specifications at a bike studio in Dresden – down to the finest detail: He helped choose every attachment and every screw. The frame was sourced from an Italian manufacturer and crafted by hand.

Why a steel frame, when one made from carbon would presumably be lighter? “Steel is very sturdy and, at the same time, remains flexible enough to comfortably cushion small bumps,” says the engineer. That said, his bike weighs in at only nine kilograms. “The frame tubes are double butted. This means that the tube walls are extremely thin in the middle and thicker at the ends, because that’s where the greatest forces are exerted.” 

As Head of Measurement and Control Technology, Orenz is responsible for the maintenance of measurement systems across the Salzgitter site. Together with around 60 members of staff, he ensures that complex measurement and control systems run to the highest levels of precision. On a daily basis, his team checks the temperature measurements on furnaces, monitors the systems that measure the thickness of zinc coatings in the hot-dip galvanizing plants, and monitors vibrations on large industrial motors. Orenz coordinates his teams’ assignments, keeps track of everything, and ensures that it all runs seamlessly.
 

Marc Orenz’s professional career has always been closely linked to Salzgitter Flachstahl: Having trained as a process control electronics technician and studied computer engineering in Hanover, he regularly worked for the company as a student trainee and got to know various departments from the ground up. After graduating, he initially worked as an IT engineer in Surface Finishing before returning to Measurement and Control Technology as a project engineer, where he eventually took over as manager. 

Today, this broad experience helps him to understand all the processes in the plant and to quickly communicate with the teams on an equal footing. In his office, there is a serving tray featuring a silhouette of the Salzgitter plant from 1977. A colleague received it as a gift to mark 25 years of service. Orenz gives a wry smile, as his own official anniversary isn’t for another two years. “I started here in 1994, but because I took time to study in between, officially I’ve only been here for 23 years.” He has never considered changing employer. “For me, as an engineer, Salzgitter is the best employer as, here, you can experience and help shape technology in all its diversity.”

When asked what his upcoming plans are for his new steel bike, he laughs. “I can’t wait for the winter to end and for the roads to finally be free of salt again. Then I’ll really get to break in the bike – and maybe even take it on its first big tour out into the countryside. I am definitely planning a tour from Braunschweig to Brocken Mountain and a four-day tour through the Ruhr District together with two colleagues, passing several industrial monuments en route.”