Interview with BTU Alumnus und Gründer Dirk Robinski (Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen)

Dirk studied industrial engineering at the BTU and founded LOHMANN UND ROBINSKI together with Sandy Lohmann in Cottbus in 2001. They now have six employees and offer an all-round service for web solutions in their agency. In addition to medium-sized companies, you have also implemented many projects for tourism and public institutions.

Hello Dirk, how did you come to study at the BTU and how does it help you today in your job as a company founder and commercial director?
As a skilled worker for hydraulic engineering trained in the GDR, I caught up on my A-levels at night school right after reunification and then wanted to know how a market economy works. I already knew about planned economies, and they didn't work. Today, the marketing knowledge I have acquired and the range of engineering subjects help me to understand our customers and their problems and to solve them.

How did you come to found LOHMANN UND ROBINSKI and what accounts for your long-term success?
In 2001, the burst dotcom bubble also reached the IT system house in Cottbus, where I worked as marketing manager. Our boss at the time, Bernd Stimmer (now Bechtle IT), rented us an office and PC and we were ready to go. From the beginning we developed our own CMS, which has been used in more than 800 internet projects. We are extremely service- and customer-oriented and especially strong in individual solutions and web developments. Customers appreciate our reliability, experience and inventiveness.

In your experience, what is important when founding a team?
Effective division of tasks; trust; reliability; sticking together even when money is tight.

What would you say to students who are unsure whether to pursue employment or start-up?
If you have the opportunity to start right away, don't hesitate, just do it. It's important to build up a network with good partners right from the start. Otherwise, gain a bit of experience as an employee and then start up.

What do you miss most from your time at the BTU?
The Stuk, the Mensa and the carefree study time without having to make important decisions for employees or customers.