Alejandro knows if there’s one thing that’s certain about his job, it is that it will change beyond recognition over the coming years. As GP SD — Sales Representative Colombia, it’s his responsibility to offer services and parts to power plants based across the country.
“There are some basic requests like needing parts for mechanical equipment, but then there are other solutions related to digitalization, upgrades, and modernization,” he says. “I’m in charge of handling those kinds of customer requests.”
And it’s no small feat in an area that’s changing as much as the energy sector. Compared to today, when he started in his role five years ago, many customers approached energy in a completely different way. “For example, in the past, business was like a car,” he says. “Customers would take their car to the shop, their equipment would be repaired and that would be it, but today, the customer is always asking for digital solutions.” They don’t want to just focus on day-to-day business, they look to the future and are focused on improving their units, which requires many fast-evolving technical developments from Alejandro and his team.
The current rate of change shows no sign of slowing — quite the opposite in fact. Currently, much of Alejandro’s role involves working in thermal energy while the infrastructure required for renewable energy to become mainstream is strengthened. He believes changes in the energy sector will have a global impact and that the industry will be unrecognizable in the next five to 10 years.
“Renewables will change completely,” he says. New control room solutions will be built to link not only power plants but different sources of energy, which will provide greater reliability to people across the world.
For some, working in an industry with so much change and so many unknowns could be overwhelming. But for Alejandro, it suits his desire to find constant variety. “I love to change,” he says. “I don’t like routine.” In the time he’s worked within the company, he’s had four different positions including working as a Strategic Projects Analyst, meaning he’s had the opportunity to make many connections and learn about different topics. “I think in my five years at Siemens I have had the chance to do what a regular person in a regular company would do in 10 years. I have grown a lot.”
Alejandro Vanegas joined Siemens in 2013 as an intern. He studied Industrial Engineering at the University of La Sabana before joining the University of Los Andes to take on a masters degree in marketing. Find out more about working at Siemens.
Alejandro is one of the many talented people working with us to make real what matters.
Photography: Franz Grünewald
Video: Mattias Matoq
