Name: Dearbhla Laverty
Role: Graduate Engineer, SAM NI
Biography:
I graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a degree in Aerospace Engineering in July 2019 and started my graduate role with SAM NI (Singapore Aerospace Manufacturing) in August 2019. SAM NI is a company specialising in supplying engine mounts, engine casings, aerofoils and structural parts to customers such as Airbus, Boeing, Rolls Royce and Bombardier.
Alongside four other graduate engineers we completed an eight-week training scheme, spending two weeks in various departments within the company, namely; Shop Floor, Quality, Tooling and Engineering. The skills and knowledge gained from this scheme gave me a greater insight into how the company operates and how different departments work together as one team. This training has been invaluable in my role within the company today.
What does your typical day look like?
My typical day starts with morning meetings to discuss the previous days tasks and setting a plan for the day ahead. From early on in my employment I have been given responsibility and assigned to multiple projects. No two days are the same within my job, but mainly I inspect A330 parts after they have been treated and work closely with subcontractors to ensure a high-quality standard for our customer.
What are you currently working on?
Currently I am managing a project that is due to go live in 2020. I plan and coordinate actions to members of the team. Ranging from selecting and ordering tooling and material to evaluating risks of the project and ensuring the project runs smoothly and on time.
What inspired you to join this company in particular?
Through an employee of SAM NI, I heard about the amazing opportunities and support that SAM NI offer their graduate engineers, and with an opportunity to travel globally I was attracted to the company.
Did you always want to work in this industry?
I have always had a love for maths and technology whilst at school so I imagined a career which combined the two, and therefore chose to study aerospace engineering.
What’s your favourite part about your work?
I enjoy working with people, within the company and externally and I like that my job is active whilst also having days at my computer. I appreciate the people I work with and I love that the workforce at SAM NI is relatively young, giving everyone a lot of responsibility from the beginning of employment.
What would you say to other people considering a job in this industry (tech)?
I would encourage other people to definitely take a job within the engineering industry. Especially if you enjoy working in a fast paced and ever developing world.
How do you see technology impacting on our lives?
From working at SAM NI, I have appreciated the advanced and fast changing technology within our world and experienced first-hand the development of technology through CNC machines. When used in tandem with advanced design software, CNC machines create outputs that cannot be replicated by manual machines, so today the accuracy has greatly improved and the lead time of parts has significantly decreased, allowing the overall costs to decrease.
Who inspired you to work in this field?
No one person inspired me to work in engineering, however I was greatly encouraged at home to work hard for what I wanted and to make sure I worked towards something I loved.
What do you consider to be the most important tech innovation or development in recent years?
I personally think the development of mobile phones has been the most important development in recent years, from the sheer volume and range of different apps, the tech world has transformed for business and personal use.
What tech gadget could you not live without?
I could not live without my phone.
