Manufacturing Engineer Placement

We chat to Joe Bland as he reflects on his Year in Industry at MSM working as a manufacturing engineer.

Joe what course are you studying and where? I am studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Manchester where I am going into my final year to complete my Masters.

What did your role at MSM involve? What were the highlights? My role in the company was a placement manufacturing engineer, a wide-ranging and varied role. Some of my highlights were developing my CAD skills, experimenting with 3D printing and part inspection & correction. These roles were a good mix between practical and computer-based work with either option being fulfilling.

What did you learn at MSM that you can take in your future career? Through the experience I have gained insight to the actuality of the aerospace industry, and how theory and simulation is actually used to produce real products. Some of the most useful things I learnt was how to work in a team more effectively which improved my communication and organisation skills. During my time at the company, I felt as though my input was heard, and I was allowed to focus on projects where I wanted to improve my skills, in particular CAD tasks which has greatly improved my techniques overall. This placement also allowed me to physically work on parts, which taught me attention to detail and overall practical skills. Mainly, I think placements like this are the best way for studying engineers to find out what they are going to be passionate about when they leave university, and head into their career, it provides a better understanding of the industry.

What excites you most about the aerospace industry? The aerospace industry is an engineering marvel. It fascinates me as to how an aircraft, carrying passengers and freight, travels at such extraordinary speeds while maintaining high levels of comfort and safety. The continuous development, especially with an environmental consciousness is what fascinates me the most.

Finally, what did you most enjoy about working at MSM? Generally, what I enjoyed most about my time at MSM was working in a collaborative environment with shared goals. Particular roles that I enjoyed were part marking and PCP on the practical side of things and designing parts and tools on Solidworks (CAD) for the more office-based work.

The team at MSM wishes Joe all the very best in his final year and thank him for this contribution this year.