Frequently asked questions

Dosign Germany

Do you have any questions, about our projects in R&D, engineering, project control and construction management? The possibilities to work freelance and independently through Dosign? You like to learn more about the work of an engineer or technician? In the following you will find answers to frequently asked questions. For more you can contact us at any time.

• Why choose Dosign?
• Permanent contract in engineering through Dosign?
• Freelance engineering with Dosign?
• Which industrial sectors do Dosign engage in?
• In which disciplines are Dosign active?
• Where in Germany are Dosign Engineers involved?
• How much do I earn as a Dosgn engineer?
• What training does Dosign Academy offer?

Why choose Dosign?

Dosign have been active for over 30 years in the recruitment and assignment of able engineers in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. We know what paths we need to take to find you that one dream job in the technical field. Because of this broad experience we have a wide network in engineering, R&D, project controls and construction management. Our consultants will be happy to talk to you!

Permanent contract in engineering through Dosign?

Dosign Germany assign and place engineers, technicians and designers from the various disciplines of engineering into projects in the chemical, petrochemical and industrial refinery sectors.

Within the framework of temporary employment (cf. the German legislation), you will initially receive a fixed contract of employment from Dosign Germany. A clear objective is defined in advance with you and our company partners. After the agreed period of assignment, the transfer to a permanent employment relationship with our partner is possible and desired.

Direct placement in management positions offers another way. You will receive an offer from our partner for a direct permanent appointment in a leading position.

Freelance engineering with Dosign?

Self-employment in engineering and construction management entails considerable effort. Administration, invoicing, tax issues, insurance and, last but not least, the acquisition of new orders require your time, which you, as an engineering specialist, would like to use for other purposes.

Dosign Freelance offers interesting freelance projects as well as support for all additional tasks that arise during your self-employment:

• Support in administration and acquisition;
• Advice on legal and tax matters, insurance, administration and further training;
• You benefit from the (international) Dosign network;
• We put you in touch with new (international) clients.

Furthermore, we ensure in our service or work contracts that your works cannot be interpreted in any way as disguised employment. We also guarantee that your payment terms are met.

Which industrial sectors do Dosign engage in?

Dosign specialise in the recruitment, selection and assignment of technical professionals in R&D, engineering, project controls and construction management. In Germany, our main focus is on the Chemical, Petrochemical and Refinery industries. We staff and source complex projects at renowned companies in the field. Dosign engineers support greenfield and both modernisation and brownfield projects as well as plant expansion.

In which disciplines are Dosign active?

Dosign Germany focus on engineering and construction management in the industrial chemical, petrochemical and petroleum industry. Dosign experts from a wide range of engineering disciplines are active in all project phases.

Covering the entire field of industrial project engineering, they gear processes towards conceptual work in process engineering and industrial automation, in piping design they act as an interface to all the disciplines and trades involved, in electrical engineering they supply the plant components with energy, in mechanical and apparatus engineering they dimension the process equipment, and in civil engineering they plan the foundations and supporting structures.

In construction management, in addition to project controls and planning, they are particularly involved in occupational safety, document control and quality assurance.

Where in Germany are Dosign Engineers involved?

The chemical and petrochemical industries in Germany are characterised by highly integrated clusters and chemical parks. The sectors are particularly well represented in the three federal states on the River Rhine and Ruhr and on the Main: North Rhine-Westphalia, also with its close links to Flanders and the Netherlands, followed by Rhineland-Palatinate, and Hesse with its strong pharmaceutical industry. In Eastern Germany, Saxony-Anhalt is the largest producer of chemicals.

Dosign are active in projects at many of these locations. In the Rhineland these are: Cologne, Wesseling, Hürth, Bergheim, Bonn, Leverkusen, Dormagen. In the Ruhr area: Krefeld, Gelsenkirchen, Recklinghausen, Essen, Oberhausen, Duisburg, and Lingen in the Emsland. In the Rhine/Main region: Mainz, Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, Frankenthal, Offenbach, Frankfurt, Karlsruhe, in Eastern Germany: Chemnitz, Leipzig, Schkopau, Bitterfeld, Schwarzheide, and in Northern Germany: Stade, Hamburg, Brunsbüttel, Wilhelmshaven.

How much do I earn as a Dosign engineer?

The salary you can expect while working with Dosign ao depends on your professional background as to
⦁ qualification
⦁ work experience
⦁ dedication
⦁ age
Upon agreement with your consultant, considering your background and skills, an appropriate salary will be determined.

What training does Dosign Academy offer?

Dosign Academy offers engineers training advice and a wide range of technical education, training courses, coaching programmes and traineeships to broaden or deepen their technical knowledge. In addition, we develop customised technical education and training courses on behalf of client companies.

What is engineering about?

The term engineering is used worldwide in a very broad sense of either invention, design, construction or maintenance. In our technical context, it refers to a range of more specialised fields of engineering, mainly dealing with (the improvement of) structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes.  

At Dosign Germany, the collective term engineering aims in particular at the planning work within upcoming projects for modernisation, revamps and brownfield sites in the industrial environment of the chemical, petrochemical and refinery industry.

Engineering in this context is characterised by the cooperation of the specialist disciplines involved such as piping, mechanical and equipment engineering, as well as process and electrical engineering and industrial automation. Construction management is responsible for the conception, planning and supervision of the individual project phases.

Which disciplines does engineering encompass?

In the 20th Century, the classic technical studies in architectural, civil and mechanical engineering were joined by new disciplines, such as chemical technology, electrical, material science and avionics. In recent decades, cross-over disciplines have been added to the list, such as industrial design, computer sciences, technical business management or medical engineering.

What is the origin of the term engineer?

Engineering obviously derives from the word engine, from Latin ingenium, meaning resourcefulness and gignere, meaning `to devise´. In Middle English the term `ingineer´ denoted a designer and constructor of fortifications and weapons.

The single main driving force in the beginning of the (first) Industrial Revolution – the steam machine - itself embodied a masterpiece of engineering wit. Scientific, economic, social and practical knowledge were applied in order to improve materials and processes and to design and build machines. The era called out for `engine'ers´, ie men who knew their way around machines.The profession of the engineer in the modern sense of the word emerged.

What does an engineer do?

The perception of the term engineer varies somewhat from country to country, partly for historical reasons. Today, the term engineering is often used in the sense of applied sciences. Engineers apply their technical expertise to diverse areas, they develop communication, transportation and building infrastructures. Others focus on really small things, developing complex miniaturised devices, some so small they can be implanted in the human body to monitor and treat disease.

For Dosign Germany engineers are active in the field of industrial construction projects. In particular, they are involved in plant construction in modernisation, conversion and brownfield projects in the chemical, petrochemical and refinery sectors.

Fields of activity for experienced specialists in engineering and construction management are varied and internationally oriented. We asked some of our experienced engineers for insights into their work.

How to become an engineer?

To work as an engineer usually requires an advanced technical study. If you aspire to a specific engineering field, the choice of your study can be crucial. Study subjects  include process engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering, biotechnology and pharmaceutical engineering.

Engenering, engeneering or engineering - what`s the spell?

Engenering. Oops! Engeneering? Nope. Engineering? Yes! Yet another widespread loan from the English and a typical candidate for creative spelling. Other languages often allow writing a word following its phonetics. As engineering derives from engine, it is mandatory though to keep to the origin. So it`s engineering, everyone!

What is construction management?

Construction management is a professional service that enables the operator of a construction project to effectively manage the schedule and costs, quality, safety, scope and function of a construction project.

In plant engineering, construction management coordinates various disciplines, such as mechanical and plant engineers, process engineers, electrical and electronic engineers, civil engineers and supply engineers. Partial aspects of construction management include building law, procurement, supply chains, tendering, and risk management.

Construction planning uses formal techniques to plan activities, to identify dependencies between tasks and to allocate costs, time and resources. Without adequate planning, the construction manager cannot monitor progress against budget or schedule and cannot use resources, be they materials or people, efficiently.

Which disciplines does construction management include?

Construction managers use standard industry practices to successfully manage projects. These standards address schedule, cost, safety, quality, function and scope as core areas of construction management services. Specialist departments that work closely together in construction projects under the leadership of construction management, in addition to project controls, are therefore quality assurance, document control, planning and cost control, and occupational safety.

What does a construction manager do?

The construction manager is responsible for developing a work program for an entire construction project or parts of it. This requires a thorough knowledge of the tasks at hand, the sequence of the work, their interdependencies and the lead times. The construction manager relies on project management information systems (PMIS) and complex planning techniques such as the so-called critical path method (CPM/CPA).

Specialist site managers are in direct contact with the owner, architect, general contractor and other parties involved in a construction project. In close cooperation with experts in project controls, documentation and quality assurance, they determine the sequence, develop the schedule and budget, and draw up plans for on-site safety.

Which are the stages in construction projects?

The phases of a typical construction project are usually roughly divided into feasibility, design, construction and operation.

Once feasibility has been clarified, the tendering process takes place in the design phase. The construction preparation phase begins with the assignment of the project team. Prior to the start of construction, site surveys and soil investigation is carried out. In the procurement phase, the manpower needed to carry out the project are assigned and materials and equipment are purchased. Parts of the construction work may be subcontracted.

The construction phase begins with a preliminary discussion about working hours, material storage, quality control and access to the site. Targeted milestones in the course of the project are determined. Advance payments to general contractors, subcontractors and suppliers are then made according to the progress of the project.
After the commissioning of a new facility, the warranty period begins, ensuring that all materials, equipment and quality are in accordance with the contract.

What is the importance of industrial plants?

Industrial and utility plants play a decisive role in satisfying the basic needs of people. Furthermore, they serve as the basis for a comfortable and productive life in today's modern world. Proper planning, maintenance and operation of such facilities is necessary to ensure a continuous, reliable supply of materials and products.

The design and construction of process plants is complex teamwork involving various engineering disciplines: process and mechanical (equipment) engineering, piping, electrical engineering, instrumentation, materials engineering. It also requires considerable expertise in project management and coordination.

What is a process plant?

Process plants are complex industrial or utility facilities consisting of equipment, piping systems, measuring instruments, electrical systems, electronics, computers and control systems. These process plants are involved in the chemical-physical processing of raw materials, either into desired finished products or into intermediate products for further processing.

Examples of such processing plants are:
Refineries, chemical and petrochemical plants, fertilizer plants, offshore processing plants, power plants, pulp and paper mills, the food and beverage industry, pharmaceutical plants, water or waste treatment plants.

Which aspects determine the plant design?

Fundamental factors in the planning of industrial and utility process plants are constructability, serviceability and maintainability, as well as environmental and safety issues.

In the construction and operation of industrial plants, costs play a central role. Main objectives are to design and build a plant that is cost efficient, meets process requirements and customer specifications, and operates safely and reliably. This requires tight design and construction schedules and the fastest possible commissioning of the plant, while avoiding rework on site, as this significantly increases the construction costs.

Which are the tasks of plant layout and piping?

Plant layout and piping systems play a central role in the planning and design of industrial plants. Setting up and and refining the plot plan serves to show the exact location of plants and its surrounding infrastructure (foundations, ladders, platforms, etc.). These plans are developed taking into account process, customer and safety requirements.

Pipeline planning is a dynamic and ongoing process until the locations of equipment and nozzles are finally determined. This requires precise knowledge of the location of structures, instruments, control valves, electrical lines and the various plant components. Further tasks include the design of auxiliary equipment such as foundations, platforms and stairs, as well as the placement of safety equipment such as fire hydrants and safety showers.

Which data are used in plant engineering?

In plant and pipeline planning, huge amounts of data are generated and used. Proper management of plant data is necessary to ensure data accessibility and integrity, which in turn contributes to the overall quality of the project.

Plant data can be divided into three categories:

• Project data consist of information such as plant location, local rules and regulations, access roads, waterways, railroad lines, seismic conditions, climate data (average temperature, wind speed and direction, precipitation);
• Design and construction data are generated internally during the design and construction phase of the project. Examples of such data are equipment dimensions, operating conditions (temperature, pressure, etc.) and mass flow rates,
• Manufacturer data consist of information provided by equipment suppliers through manufacturer drawings and data sheets.

What is the industrial sector?

The industrial or secondary sector is the economic sector with all the companies and activities that process the raw materials of the primary sector. Products are generally resold to consumers by the tertiary sector, the service sector.
The secondary sector is also called industry. Strictly speaking, however, industry is only its most important manifestation. It also includes crafts, construction and other non-industrialised manufacturing industries.

Which are the key industries in Germany?

Alongside the automotive and mechanical engineering industries, the chemical and pharmaceutical industries are considered the third German core industry. Although the metal and electrical industries employ significantly more people, the chemicals sector is more relevant for German exports. The largest companies in the German chemical and pharmaceutical industry include BASF, Bayer and Merck. With over 12 percent of global chemical exports, Germany is the international leader in this sector.

Which products does the chemical industry provide?

In the chemical industry, engineers work on the implementation of materials and chemicals on a technical scale. As the core of the modern global economy, it converts raw materials (oil, natural gas, air, water, metals and minerals) into more than 70,000 different products.
Almost 70 percent of these are processed within the industry, such as organic and inorganic basic materials and plastics, fertilisers, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and preservatives. Around 26 percent of chemical products go directly to the end consumer. Examples are detergents and personal care products.

What does the petrochemical industry do?

As an important part of the chemical industry, the petrochemical industry uses the refined raw materials, i.e. natural gas and suitable fractions of crude oil, to produce the starting and intermediate products for the manufacture of plastics, elastomers, fibres, detergents, dyes, textile auxiliaries and many more. On the other hand, the processes for the production of fuels, heating and lubricating oils are part of the petroleum or refinery industry and are usually not included in the term petrochemical industry.

What happens in industrial refineries?

Industrial refineries carry out processes that cause various physical and chemical changes in crude oil and natural gas. One of the most important processes is distillation, i.e. the separation of heavy crude oil into lighter groups (so-called fractions) of hydrocarbons.
The products of refining, in particular naphtha (liquid petroleum), also form important raw materials and intermediate products for the petrochemical and chemical industries. Therefore, in the course of a century, close cooperation between petroleum refineries and chemical plants has been established.