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!
On Tuesday and Wednesday this week it was time for Arkad, which is the career fair in Lund. This was the first time GKN Aerospace visited Lund and as an LTH alumni it felt extra fun to be there. We who went to Lund were 2 managers, 2 from HR, Hampus (trainee from 2019) and me (Arvid). During the two days we had many interesting conversations where we talked about what GKN does, about which parts we produce in an engine, about the SWAN nozzle and what we are doing to reduce the aviation industry’s climate footprint.
Career fairs are an important base for recruitment and since we had never been in Lund before, few people knew who we are. Therefore, it was an important step to go down to Lund, which has many engineering students and it seemed that many people were interested in our business. We also had a very advantageous position as we were placed opposite Koenigsegg who had placed their new model Jesko opposite us.
As Lund alumni, Hampus and I also went to the banquet in the evening, which was in the AF castle. There we got to eat duck, see excellent shows and have interesting conversations with other company representatives and students.
Now finally, there will be a post about space! I’m doing my first rotation in the department for GKN’s space products, Rotors and Nozzle. I’m conducting analyzes linked to the turbines for the second stage
engine Vinci in Ariane 6. GKN develops and produces both turbines, one that pumps oxidizer and one that drives the fuel tank. As a space nerd with a background in space engineering I am extremely pleased to be doing my first rotation within the space department at GKN. My background in space is primarily within space physics, meaning I do not have a lot of knowledge of rockets and turbines from before. Therefore, I started this rotation searching for knowledge and asking my supervisor a lot of questions! I got a taste for rockets already when we had two weeks of internship in the workshop as I followed the production cycle for our nozzle, so I was excited to get started on my rotation. I am a person that easily gets stuck at digging into topics, especially when it’s something that includes space, so I was quickly caught in this interesting subject. I learn new things every day and I’m looking forward to having as much knowledge about turbines, and rockets, as my colleagues.
Time moves quickly and it’s hard to believe that we’ve already been more than a month in our first rotation. During this short time we have accomplished a lot, and there is more to come. Next up is Lego League, see you then!
Hello! Now it’s time to update what I (Rasmus) have been doing (so far) on my first rotation, Quality Systems. I would like to say that our department maintain high quality when it comes to quality issues. We work with everything from the management of OMS (Operational Management System) to analyzing internal and external quality problems. To be able to do this, a lot of data is required, and that’s where I come into the picture. My project is about retrieving data from a number of different databases in order to analyze and illustrate data so that we can follow trends in our data and base our decisions on facts. As I had limited previous experience with databases, many hours have consisted of me learning SQL (Structured Query Language) in order for me to be able to manage all the available data, and trust me, it’s a lot of data. I have also had the opportunity to be apart other initiatives, for example I was involved in a customer audit where GE (General Electric) performed a PPR (Priority Part Review), which was very, very interesting.
Time to update what I (Linus) have been doing the last weeks but also some about the group as a whole. My first rotation started at Systems analysis and IP, a department with the future in mind. People at the department work with everything from future flights and propulsion systems to patents and sustainability. A large part of sustainability within aviation sector is to reduce the industry’s impact on, among other things, the climate. That’s where my project came in where I analyzed the company’s direct material use in the form of how much recycled material is/could be used and its origin.
During our rotation, we are not “just” in the department, but you are also part of the Trainee group´s journey. This time we were of on a trip to VANN SPA, Hotel and Conference for some development days with the main focus on ourselves as a group. We got to know each other better and agreed on some group rules for how we should work together. At the same time, we also reviewed results from the Clifton strengthsfinder to see how our personal strengths could be combined in the group for optimal performance. After working hours, we took a dip in the ocean combined with a steaming sauna, the team where well pleased after a dip into the cold (8 °C) water.
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!
