Hello everyone! It’s been a while since we last heard from each other, and since then, we have completed our second rotation. We thought we would share our experiences and tell you a bit more about what we’ve been doing and how we’ve been. We hope you find it as exciting as we do!

Anna Lundberg

During my second rotation, I was part of the Pratt & Whitney team within the program organization. The main focus of the program is to work with customers and the engine programs that GKN is involved in. This rotation was a great learning experience in understanding how our business and contracts are structured and function in practice. The aviation industry is very different from other industries, and the business is incredibly complex. During the rotation, I spent some time shadowing the daily work, but I also had two main projects. One of these was to develop a digitalized scorecard used to summarize the program outcomes each month, such as the number of installed engines, flight hours, and other KPIs. Additionally, I worked on a project to map out the RRSP contract and its various components.

I am now in my third rotation at Material Solutions, where I am working on developing a quality plan for two projects focused on developing parts using additive manufacturing. I am excited to learn more about this part of the business!

David Attoff

Summer is approaching quickly, and it’s definitely time for an update on what has happened since then. Rotation 2 has been completed for a while now, and rotation 3 already feels like home. But what have I been doing during this time?

My second rotation was in a department called Strategy & Sustainability. It is a global function based at the Engines headquarters. It is a relatively small department of about 10 people who work on everything from supporting the Engines sites in their sustainability efforts, being knowledgeable about global sustainability guidelines, to strategy work and business development.

My main project was to support the work around the SBTi target for greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, I investigated how much our components emit during use, i.e., when they are flying. The project involved a lot of communication with all the Engines sites around the world and with the global sustainability team for GKN, based in the Netherlands. The rotation was very good in many ways and gave me a great overview of all the civil components and engine programs we are involved in.

As mentioned, I have now started my third rotation in a department called Systems & Accessories. It is an engineering department where I will delve into the subsystems of aircraft engines, such as fuel systems and hydraulics.

All the best!

David

Erik Juliusson

I also completed my second rotation since Easter! From January to April, I worked in the finance department, where my task was to analyze and create a visualization of the company’s cash flow. It was a fun project that I managed to drive very independently and involved a lot of data handling. A highlight for me was creating the visualization using Python, which gave me an opportunity to brush up on my limited programming skills.

What I primarily wanted to gain from my rotation in finance was a deeper understanding of the company’s financial situation and performance, as well as a better understanding of business economics in general. I definitely feel that I have achieved this!

I have now started my third rotation, where I will prepare a TPM event for a machine in our workshop, which includes reviewing maintenance data and talking to operators to understand the most common problems.

Best regards!

Hanna Gertsson

After the turn of the year, I took the next step in the trainee program and started my second rotation – this time in Global Procurement. Here, I gained a whole new insight into how we at GKN Aerospace work to ensure that our suppliers meet the high standards required by the aviation industry.

During my time in the department, I was involved in revising one of our central processes – a process that clarifies the requirements we place on our suppliers and how these requirements should be managed throughout the procurement chain. It was an exciting task where I got to combine technical understanding with process development and communication between different functions.

I also gained a deeper understanding of how we flow specifications through our internal systems and how we ensure that the right information reaches the right person at the right time – something that is crucial for us to deliver world-class products.

It has been an educational and developmental rotation where I worked closely with both strategic buyers and quality managers, and I have really gained an appreciation for how important a strong supplier network is for our success.

I have now already started my third rotation – a completely new environment with exciting challenges. But more about that after the summer…

Hannes Gustafsson

My second rotation took place within one of the company’s larger ongoing projects, specifically related to the area of industrial structure. The task involved developing a proposal for how material supply might look for some of our future process flows and included a lot of time in our workshops to understand current flows, identify bottlenecks, and the like. I also had the opportunity to explore new potential solutions related to automation to reduce manual handling and unnecessary lifting. The project was challenging but very educational and gave me a clearer picture of what it is like to lead projects related to operations. Now that I have completed my part, the project continues, and it will be very exciting to see what it results in.

I have now moved from Stallbacka, where our production takes place, to the headquarters just a short drive away to learn more about our program organization. I have started a project within the program organization’s Business Excellence team, where I will review existing processes within the entire program organization and map these in a way that promotes a common working method. A very good way to get an insight into our business and how we work around this. All the best!

Måns Larsen

So, rotation 2 is also completed! Or well… not quite.

During my second rotation from January to April, I led the development of a digital visualization tool for a workshop that had not yet received this. Specifically for this project, the engine technicians wanted the ability to plan in the tool, i.e., not just visualize. I am currently working with IT to develop a demo version of this. Therefore, I have not quite completed this rotation yet, but keep it in the background so that I can constantly help when needed and continue to function as a bridge between the developers and the workshop.

I have started my next rotation in Strategy & Sustainability. Here, I am involved in many different projects, such as circularity projects with external companies, data analysis in SQL, rocket science from a sustainability perspective, and various types of OEM analyses.

Many balls in the air, just as it should be!

Wishing all readers all the best!