Aerobloggen

During the trainee program here at GKN Aerospace Engine Systems there is training scheduled. These trainings include personal development and opportunities to improve leadership skills. Study visits at other GKN sites and other companies are also included in these trainings. This Monday the trainee group together with our supervisor at HR went to visit Fokker in at their site in Papendrecht, Netherlands. Fokker was acquired by GKN Aerospace in 2015. During the day we did a big shop tour and trainees from both GKN Aerospace Engine Systems and Fokker made presentations about each trainee program.

It was very interesting to visit the production at Fokker, it differs a lot from the production in Trollhättan. The GKN site in Trollhättan is a part of Engine Systems and fabricates parts for jet engines, in Papendrecht they perform mounting and manufacture big structures to airplanes. Fokker is a former OEM (Original Equipment Manufaturer). Fokker does not manufacture airplanes anymore but there are still some Fokker airplane flying which they perform service on.

A picture from the visit can be seen below.

The time flies by when you have fun. Another trainee rotation has passed and a new initiated. The time at the Supply Chain department has been fruitful and I have worked with supplier assurance, continuous improvement and the elimination process. To understand how we manage our suppliers, problems that may occur and how much work is needed to get products with right the quality and on time is definitely something I will take with me.

Next rotation is at the Commercial department where I will work with visualization of new bids and creation of a database to follow-up our business cases. As you can notice, as a trainee one has many opportunities for varied projects within different functions in order to get a holistic understanding of the business. Besides all the interesting projects linked to the business, GKN Aerospace actively contribute to a better society. The trainees have started a new initiative called RiHi (The Refugee integration Hub initiative) with the vision to ease refugees, with engineering background, integration into the Swedish society by acting as a liaison between refugees and the business community. Read more about the initiative on Facebook or e-mail us on info.rihi@gmail.com.

Are YOU interested in undertaking a similar journey and to make a difference in GKN Aerospace whilst having the opportunity to contribute to a better society? Apply for the Trainee program by Clicking Here! If you want to know more you can contact us or visit us at on of the major labor fairs LARV, LARM or CHARM. GKN Aerospace will be in Luleå and exhibiting on LARV the 20th of January.

Come and talk to us!

Exploring new territories and understanding our surroundings has always been in man’s interest. Throughout history, scientists have mapped the flora and fauna, adventurers have climbed mountains and explored uncharted terrain, while researchers have attempted to explain different phenomenon. This motivation to discover the unknown is also what drives the space industry. However, many wonder if it is worth the more than 300 billion US dollars that are spent on the space industry every year, where about a quarter of the funds come from governmental resources.

Among the arguments used to defend the space industry and prove its necessity, is the dream of being able to establish a human civilization on Mars in the event of a disaster like the one that wiped out the dinosaurs, that it is a peaceful venue for international cooperation, and that it serves as a stimulus for children and youths to enter the field of science and technology. If this is meaningful arguments or not, I leave unsaid, but what can be said is that space research has led to several more or less important discoveries that have benefitted mankind.

The technology behind the infrared ear thermometer is an example of how technology developed in connection with space research has been used in a commercial product. Through the knowledge of how to measure the temperature of stars and planets, NASA could in cooperation with Diatec Corporation develop a handy thermometer that measures temperature by detecting the amount of energy emitted from the eardrum. Also the freeze dried food technology derives from the space industry. During the preparations for the Apollo missions, NASA tried to find a way to reduce the weight of food while the nutritional content stayed the same. By cooking food, rapidly freeze it and then slowly thaw it in a vacuum chamber, it was discovered that it is possible to reduce the weight of the food by 80 percent while 98 percent of the nutrients are preserved.

Also today, the space industry generates technologies that can improve people’s everyday life. Among the new technologies that have been developed but not yet commercialized is for example a speech recognition technology that is based on electromyographic signals, which means that it is possible to interpret what a person is saying even if the person do not generate sound or move the lips. Also, a coating which has been used to prevent dirt, ice and the like on spacecrafts is now available for commercial use. The coating was developed with inspiration from the structure of the lotus leaf and has superhydrophobic properties, which in simple terms means that the surface is self-cleaning.

In summary, it can be noted that the space industry does not only create a potential haven, but also contribute to innovations that make life on earth a little better.