Summer flew by, and so did our first time as trainees. Can you believe it’s been a year since we started at GKN Aerospace? I certainly can’t! Looking back over the past year, we’ve accomplished quite a bit. We’ve had everything from trips, site visits, training sessions, and various rotations. The year has been incredibly educational and fun, and we will look back on this time with warmth.
Right now, we are all in our final rotations, and if we look ahead a few months, we’ll be heading abroad for an international rotation, which promises to be a lot of fun! Speaking of international rotations, we want to extend a big thank you to the 2021 group for their delightful posts about their international experiences. We’re even more excited about what’s to come now… 🙂
Yesterday, we welcomed the new group of trainees to GKN and the trainee program with a round of adventure golf in sunny Trollhättan. And you, our loyal readers, know that when a new group of trainees arrives, the old one says goodbye! It’s simply time to let them continue where we left off and for us to turn the page and welcome the upcoming chapters in our trainee lives. Who knows, there may be exciting adventures just around the corner for us as well…?
A big thank you to everyone who has read our posts!
Linköping is a picturesque city located in the south of Sweden. It is known for its beautiful parks, museums, and historical landmarks. However, one of the most fascinating places to visit in Linköping is SAAB, the world-renowned aerospace and defense company.
Recently, we had the pleasure of visiting SAAB in Linköping, where we had the opportunity to witness firsthand the construction of the Gripen fighter jet. It was an unforgettable experience that we would like to share with you in this blog post.
As we entered SAAB’s facility, we were immediately struck by the level of security measures in place. The staff checked my identification and escorted me to a waiting area where we were given a safety briefing. Once the safety briefing was completed, we were allowed to proceed to the factory floor where we saw the impressive assembly line of the Gripen fighter jets.
The assembly line was a marvel of engineering, with machines and tools working in perfect harmony to build these impressive fighter jets. We were amazed to see how the different parts of the jet were put together to form the final product. The workers were all highly skilled, and it was clear that they took great pride in their work.
We were fortunate enough to have a guided tour of the facility by one of SAAB’s engineers, who patiently explained to us the different stages of the production process. From the design and construction of the cockpit to the installation of the engines and weapons systems, every stage of the production process was carefully planned and executed.
One of the most impressive aspects of the Gripen fighter jet is its maneuverability. The jet is designed to be highly agile, making it an ideal aircraft for aerial combat.
Aside from the impressive engineering, the atmosphere at SAAB was friendly and welcoming. The staff was always eager to answer my questions and explain the work they were doing. It was clear that they were passionate about their work and were dedicated to producing high-quality products.
In conclusion, our trip to Linköping and visit to SAAB was a memorable and pleasant experience. Seeing the Gripen fighter jet being built was a fascinating insight into the world of aerospace and defense engineering. We highly recommend a visit to SAAB’s facility for anyone interested in engineering or aviation. Since SAAB is a protected object, we couldn’t take any pictures so here is a nice picture of Arvid and Rasmus enjoying the lovely weather Linköping offered us.
Since the last time we last wrote, a lot has happened. Last week, us trainees organized a small christmas get-together for the previous trainees with lots of saffron bun (lussekatter), gingerbread cookies and mulled wine. Apart from this, we also took a road trip to our site in Kongsberg, Norway where we got to learn more about the organization, the products they work with, along with the future outlooks. Of course we got a tour of their workshop which was super interesting.
In Norway we also had time for a visit to the Armed Forces Museum where we got to see and read more about the role the armed forces of Norway had ni different historical events. The trip to Norway offered very nice (but freezing cold) weather, pretty scenaries with snow covered nature and the perfect opportunity to bond as a group. Because, what else screams “bonding” more than us 5 living together in a room with five beds and one bathroom?
You can really sense that christmas and a new year is approaching. A lot of the snow we had last week has already melted but I’m crossing all my fingers and toes that it will come back before christmas eve. And speaking of the year ending… We’re leaving the office for some well deserved break and therefore the blog will take a small break as well (so sad, I know…). But worry not, after the winter holidays we’ll be back, bigger, better, and improved I promise! 🙂
Until then, us trainees wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! <3
As Christmas and winter holidays are approaching, so is the end of our first rotations. Some might wonder what I have been up to on my first rotation? Well, my first rotation is in the materials lab, where you work to support production and development programs (among others) with various analyzes to evaluate whether or not the details meet all the safety requirements. As the safety aspect pervades everything that is done at the company, it naturally places high demands on the analysis methods used in the lab. Therefore, I have worked a lot on reviewing the routines that exist for method validation in the lab to ensure that there should uncertainties how, when and why method validation is done.
Another part of the safety aspect is being able to identify which substances the products we deliver consist of, as the EU has a list of various chemicals that are harmful to humans and/or the environment. And if the companies still want to supply products that contain more than 0.1% by weight of the listed substances, the company is obliged to report this to the customer. This is also something I have been involved in where I’m in the process of mapping out how such processes work. A lot of what I do in this project is talking to different people to get knowledge from different departments of the company.
If you have followed Aerobloggen for a while, you probably know by now that as a trainee you do other things than just rotations. For example, we participated as judges at the FIRST Lego League here in Trollhättan. FIRST Lego League is a knowledge and technology competition for children and young people aged 10-16 where the aim is to inspire them to become tomorrow’s engineers, researchers and problem solvers by doing a project. The project mainly consists of two parts; programming of a robot that should be able to perform various tasks on a track, as well as presentation of an innovative project linked to this year’s theme, which were Superpowered. It was a lot of fun and we were impressed by how creative and determined they were. In addition to participating as judges, us trainees awarded the winning team with a scholarship of 20,000 SEK. We wish the winning team the best of luck in the regional finals in Oslo next year 🙂
Like Arvid, I, visited the university where I’m an alumnus, namely KTH, to represent GKN together with 6 other colleagues at the career fair THS Armada. Even though I haven’t been away from KTH and Stockholm for too long, it was very fun to be back, even if it was only for a short while. I, myself remember a couple of years ago when I walked around as student and talked to different companies and how it felt like a life after school felt so far away. So it was very fun to be able to experience what it feels like to stand on the other side of the fair. The days at the fair offered pleasant conversations about GKN, career opportunities at the company and lots of other fun. If you are interested in writing your thesis, you can check out the possibilities here. And if you are interested in applying for the global graduate program, keep an eye on the blog!
It is now less than a month left until Christmas, but that doesn’t stop us from having some fun until then. Soon we’re going on a study visit, but where we’re going and who we’re visiting you’ll see (read) in future posts 😀
Come hang at THS Armada today Tuesday and tomorrow Wednesday (22-23 November) and talk master thesis, global graduate programme and other interesting things with us. See you there!
Last Tuesday the 2021 cohort invited us to follow them to a study visit at the Skaraborg wing, F7, located in Såtenäs which is a small town just outside of Trollhättan. F7 is a military unit and a very important air base to the Swedish Armed Forces where all Jas 39 Gripen pilots are trained.
The morning at F7 was spent at the workshops where we got an insight into what kind of work is done on the planes after several hours of usage. After lunch we got to learn more about weapons the different planes can be equipped with which was very interesting since this was untouched territory for some of us. Before we driving back to Trollhättan we got to see several Gripen planes land, refuel and then take off again. A very cool experience to say the least!
A huge thank you to the employees at the Skaraborg wing, F7 who arranged this awesome study visit for us. Also, thank you to the 2021 cohort who let us come to the study visit with them. <3
A lovely picutre of the gang from we were in Amsterdam
Hello again!
It’s been a while since we last posted and as we mentioned in the previous post, we were just about to finish one of the two weeks of the internships in the work shops. The point of the internships is for us to follow the journey of one detail through the different production streams here at GKN Aerospace Trollhättan. The internships ended last week but yesterday we held some presentations and tours for each other so show what we have seen and learnt these past weeks. And if you are curious about our experience, keep on reading!
Linus: Time flies when you’re having fun! Two weeks of internship at Civil Aftermarket a new organization within GKN dedicated to MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) on civil engine parts. My first week was spent in A-shop to look at repairs and upgrades of parts to the PW1000g engine. The second and last week was spent on LM (Land and Marine) where I got to disassemble a DR990 IGT (Industrial Gas Turbine) for further repair operations. Thanks to all who made these two fun weeks happen!
Rasmus: I spent my workshop internship at Spool and special processes in the-C workshop where I followed two products, a 2-5C and a 3-9C. A 2-5C sits in one of the very first stages in a jet engine, it has the task of compressing air before the next stages in the engine. A 3-9C sits a few stages further down in the jet engine, it also has the task of compressing air, but at a much higher frequency. Spools are rotating parts in a jet engine which come with very strict tolerance requirements, I as an intern therefore had the opportunity to see how GKN Aerospace ensures that these strict requirements are met. The manufacturing process included CNC machining with both lathe and milling but also a number of special processes that ensure that the product is of good quality. The special processes were very interesting to see as I didn’t know they were used in the aerospace industry, some of the special processes I got to see were ultrasonic, blue etching, penetrant and thermal spraying. In summary, it was very rewarding to see part of GKN’s operations and the challenges that exist when manufacturing parts for aircraft engines.
An Na: I spent my two weeks in the X workshop where I got to follow the work stream of some parts for a detail called 30k TEC. The name of the detail can be divided into two parts where 30k represents motors that generates thrust of 30 000 lbf. TEC is a just acronym for Turbine exhaust case which means that the detail is positioned after the turbine in the motor. Since I’m not very familiar with the workshop enivronment, I think the internship has been very rwewarding since I got to see a lot of how things works when the products are manufactured. Also, I got to meet many knowledgable and funny people during these weeks which was very nice!
Arvid: One of the most memorable experiences from my time in the workshop was to try out welding for my first time. After some instructions from “Tabasco”, I managed to get under the welding helmet to weld two Inconel 718 plates together. It didn’t go well, as the pictures below shows, but the plates are at least welded together. Some things I would need to improve in order to pass the welding test are steadier hands when adding material and to keep the beam closer to the material. Hopefully not my last time!
Welding by Arvid VS. Tabasco
Rebecka: I followed the production cycle for the Ariane nozzle, from the sheets of metal arriving until the finished product was shipped to the customer. I had never been in a workshop before and of course the first thing I noticed were the huge machines, but also the community amongst the employees. Many of them have worked at GKN for several years and they were like a big family, which they quickly welcomed me into. I had two fun weeks where I learnt a lot, it was very interesting to get familiar with every step of the process that the nozzle goes through and of course, to get to see a fully finished nozzle! It was a perfect start for me since my first rotation is at Nozzle and I had use of my knowledge from the workshop from the first day.
To sum up, we all had a great time in the work shops and we have all learnt plenty. So we want to give the people who shared their knowledge with us a big shoutout!
Now we have lots of fun stuff is coming up, so stay tuned for that!
It is finally time for a fresh group of graduates to enter GKN Aerospace and this is why we will be taking over the blog. And who are we? Well, we’re a happy bunch from all parts of the country where everyone magically ended up in Trollhättan. Even though we all come from different backgrounds, we’re all very excited to see what the graduate program can bring.
Some one once said “time flies when you’re having fun” and these couple of weeks are proof of that. We’re currently on the last of week 4 and it is crazy to think about what we have done. The first week was mostly presentations and teambuilding exercises with the group and with the group from 2021 to get to know each other better. The last days of the first week was spent at the Apprentice program which is a collaboration between Teknikcollege (where GKN Aerospace is included) and Nils Ericssongymnasiet in Trollhättan. There we got tours in the different workshops and labs and we also got to try out turning and milling, both common processes within all production lines at GKN Aerospace.
For our second week as graduate, we flew to Amsterdam, the Netherlands for a global on-boarding with the graduates from the Netherlands, the UK and the US. The on-boarding lasted for 10 days, but after 6 days in Amsterdam we took the bus to Rotterdam to end the on-boarding. There we also met the 2021 cohort who were there on their second development week. Except for interesting company presentations, we also attended workshops to gain better knowledge about the culture principle of GKN (aka Power of 5), cultures, engagement, diversity, inclusion, economics and so on and so forth. We also got to be apart of the graduation of the 2020 cohort which was very exciting and inspiring. Although we were tired after these 10 days, we more excited about our future development weeks with the group in the picture below. Many thanks to Charlie Lean who organized this so perfectly well for us!
This Monday we started our two weeks interships in the workshops where we are supposed to learn more about a product and how it is produced. You will get to read more about this in another post!
Take care!
P.S. If you want to know more about us graduates, you can do this here!
