From interested kid to successful professional metalworker and influencer – the career of @762schlosserbande
Florian Beck is a qualified metalworker who set up @762schlosserbande several years ago with a friend, and since 2022 has been a member of the STABILA Family. Together with a colleague from the product management team, we paid a visit to Florian at home. He proudly showed us around his workshop and shared a few exclusive insights into his day-to-day life.
Florian Beck is a father and built his own house, which allowed him to fulfil his wish to have his own workshop in the basement. Ever since he was a teenager, he knew he wanted to be a metalworker. A friend of the family at that time, who is now a neighbour, had a small metalworking shop. It was in this workshop that Florian did his work placement while still at school. "It was really good fun! Welding, grinding, and above all the fact that I was allowed to get stuck in and work on projects myself," he says.
Between then and leaving school, he often helped out at the metal workshop. So by the time he finished school, it was obvious what he wanted to do: train as a professional metalworker. Unfortunately, the business owner who is now his neighbour wasn't an approved training provider, so he had to look elsewhere. But even after more than a decade, the two are still friends and often help each other out.
What Florian especially likes about his job is the variety. Every project, every job is different, with different situations and different specifications every time. Florian would like to make unique pieces rather than going into series production. He has fond memories of a project for the welding and cutting trade fair Schweissen & Schneiden 2023, which saw him weld a polygon gorilla together with fellow professionals. A wide variety of people took part in the project, which involved constant dialogue, and the end result was there to be seen.
We asked Florian how he got into the world of social media: "It's a funny story. My colleague and I had often messed around with the idea and talked about it. One evening he was out and about and, as a bit of a joke, he set up the account @762schlosserbande." Everything flowed from there. Florian immediately designed a logo and had some T-shirts printed. Their first goal was to get 1000 followers, which they quickly achieved. When they were offered their first collaboration, it was clear that the plan was proving successful and they knew they wanted to carry on. Florian now manages the account by himself, and over the years a jokey idea has grown into a project fuelled by passion and dedication.
Over the years he's grown to love the social media world, because it has enabled him to get to know lots of new and interesting people. "When you get together and feel how we all tick to the same rhythm, it's something really special. Even if you only meet some people once a year at certain trade events. You share a passion, and that alone creates a connection," says Florian.
Florian also uses his account to encourage young people, because he soon realised that social media is the ideal way to engage with teenagers. Given his own career, he knows how important it is to motivate young people and, in so doing, perhaps even influence their future choice of career – because in metalworking, as in many other trades, there is unfortunately a noticeable lack of young people joining the trade.
Florian has been a dedicated member of the STABILA Family for over three years now. "I really only operate in the metalworking scene, mostly on social media. I love the way you can engage with other people and other trades. The STABILA Family takes me out of my own bubble, and I get to see so much more. It's incredibly exciting and a completely different conversation, which you can sometimes use to your advantage when someone needs a private project."
We're delighted to have you as part of our team and we look forward to lots more exciting projects with you! #stabilafamily
