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Training with responsibility

Asphalt mixing plant viewed from below at an angle. Five trainees are seen standing high up at the railings.

September 2026 | Reading time: 7 min

CORE setup: Trainee-led, from start to finish

Our apprentices show what they’re capable of. In no time at all, the trainees successfully set up the prototype for the new CORE asphalt mixing plant on Benninghoven’s company premises in Wittlich. Learning by doing under real-world conditions – and with all of the complexities involved in completing the mechanical and electrical installation work for this kind of project.

This was an unusual assignment, and an impressive example of how Wirtgen Group both challenges and supports its trainees. Four apprentices from Industrial Mechanics/Mechanical Design Engineering joined five more from Electronics to take full responsibility for setting up an asphalt mixing plant. This assignment marked the launch of the new CORE product at the Benninghoven factory in June 2026. To give the invited guests from around the world a close-up demonstration of this new plant’s functions and benefits, the entire plant was set up on the company site – the first time this had been done in the company’s history.

View of CORE with a hilly wooded landscape and a lake in the background.

CORE – rethought from the ground up

This next-generation plant breaks with old ways of thinking and instead focuses squarely on the demands of plant operators: long-term cost-effectiveness, planning reliability and return on investment. The design engineers took a close look at the plant manufacturing process from start to finish – including transportation, assembly and commissioning – and made key adjustments in many places. The end result is an optimised solution that combines reliable performance with low overall costs for operations. A plant with a clearly defined (and generous) choice of options, state-of-the-art technologies, and pioneering design, transportation and assembly concepts.

Learn more about the new CORE

Our apprentices are very proud to have been given the responsibility for this exciting project.

A sound, hands-on apprenticeship is also a key part of career development at Benninghoven.

Keeping an eye on things: Our experienced assembly supervisors took turns supporting the trainees, and providing them with advice and assistance.

Group portrait of the trainees, with an assembly supervisor in the centre.

Apprentice engaged in installation work on the CORE.

Group photo: trainee and assembly supervisor smile for the camera.

Get involved, take charge and grow with your responsibilities

Guided by the seasoned eye of our assembly supervisors, who took turns managing the site, our trainees completed all of the assembly and installation work themselves, gaining valuable practical experience in the process. “I was given a lot of responsibility in this project,” Colin tells us. Together with colleagues Philipp and Niklas, Colin is completing an industrial electronics technician apprenticeship at Benninghoven and was thrilled to work on the new project. “We’re pretty independent here and complete most work unsupervised. This project is giving me plenty of insights for my later career.” And Nico, who is in the third year of his Industrial Mechanic apprenticeship at Benninghoven, adds: “It’s really something special for me to be asked to work on a project like this. This really lets you get to grips with the assembly work and you can see if you’re a good fit for the department.”

Colin Mieth, industrial electronics technician apprentice at Benninghoven, high up on the CORE.

“The sheer amount of know-how you soak up here is amazing. I can’t think of anywhere else that does it like this.”

Colin Mieth, apprentice Electronics Technician at Benninghoven

Involve early and benefit together

The project is a win-win situation for everyone involved. The trainees were able to apply the knowledge they had gained in class in a real-world situation and actively contribute to an exciting project. Thanks to their early involvement in complex projects, they acquire key skills for future assembly assignments, while also ensuring that the company accrues valuable know-how that it can retain for the long term.

Two trainees on a crane in the midst of the CORE plant, with the burner on the right.

An apprentice climbs in an accessway protected by railings on the CORE mixing tower.

A trainee hard at work on the CORE, with a signal lamp seen in the foreground.

Assembly: a piece of cake – even for trainees

The new assembly concept devised for CORE enables especially fast and safe installation and removal for the plant.

Lifting platform with trainees in the CORE plant

Just how user-friendly this concept is in practice was impressively demonstrated during setup by our group of apprentices. Even with an assembly supervisor at hand to provide advice and assistance, a project of this size always presents its own kind of challenge. The plant also needed to be completed on time, of course.

Trainee working on an electrical enclosure at the top level of the CORE.

That the trainees completed their tasks quickly and safely despite the tight schedule highlights the strengths of the assembly concept. The assembly manual was also a great help: well-structured and with detailed, clear instructions that described every step in the process from start to finish.

Trainee on lifting platform at the CORE.

“As we’re still apprentices rather than seasoned pros, the idea was for us to take on the role of a customer or an assembly team from outside the industry, and see if we could set up the plant using just the assembly instructions provided. This let us demonstrate how easy the assembly really is,” Philipp explains.

Niklas Koble, apprentice Electronics Technician, stands in front of the CORE.

“It’s a really unusual approach. I don’t know of any company that gives its trainees an opportunity like this one.”

Niklas Koble, apprentice Electronics Technician, in his third year of training at Benninghoven.

Among cables and cranes – a new challenge every day

Colin and Niklas describe their daily routine. “Every morning, the whole team meets in our site container. We discuss the goals for the day and distribute the assembly drawings. Then we start on the preparations, usually working in pairs: cable pulling, routing, identifying, assembling, etc. We then sit down for a communal breakfast and after we set to work on the main jobs for the day.” Typical tasks for the electricians in the group are connecting up the electrical enclosures and pulling in new lines, for example, while the industrial mechanics install the foundations and use the crane to position and assemble parts at height.

Two young men stand on the CORE plant: the one on the left is pointing to something.

“I was thinking about working as an installer after finishing my apprenticeship. I now know I’m a good match for that, thanks to the CORE project.”

Niklas Koble, apprentice Electronics Technician at Benninghoven

Investing in the future with apprenticeship programmes

As in the Wirtgen Group as a whole, Benninghoven is also keen to provide vocational training as a stepping stone to a career. The programmes offer a solid and practical grounding in the subject, building on existing skills and giving trainees the chance to take responsibility and develop personally. At the same time, there is also the chance of acquiring skilled new employees with strong bonds to the company.

Apprenticeships at Benninghoven range from technical and commercial professions to degree apprenticeships. An integrated approach to training with mentoring, which covers the theoretical basics while also offering participation in exciting, hands-on projects and good opportunities for personal development. Niklas is certainly in favour: “In my second year of training, I even got the chance to fly out to Norway and set up a plant there.”

This ‘seeing the bigger picture’ is part of the attraction of the CORE project as well, as it offers the opportunity to meet new people and grow together as a team. “Working in a team with people from different apprenticeship programmes is always interesting,” Colin reports. “You learn a lot about their professions – it really expands your horizons.” Apart from the pride in being asked to help out on such a project, the plant setup work was also very helpful for future decisions. As Niklas can confirm: “I was thinking about working as an installer after finishing my apprenticeship. I now know I’m a good match for that, thanks to the CORE project.”