Hi Traineebloggen, it’s me Carl, previously just a reader, now a writer.

A little more than a year ago I was a reader of Traineebloggen, but then as a senior in Mechanical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg. I had just started to feel a mixture of anxiety and excitement about the future, what do I want to do, with whom and where? And who would want me to do something, somewhere with someone?

Traineebloggen gave me answer to what I want to do (become a trainee), and SKF gave me the possibility to discover new somewheres and someones, so I’ll try to help you guys out, by sharing.

I started as a Global Trainee in Application Engineering, in August of 2017 together with my ten trainee colleagues from across the globe. Would love to tell you more of our intro-month, but Saien and Henry has already got that covered (click here for Henry’s & here for Saien’s posts).

From the intro month: Off work challenge, escape room with Saien, Li, Allan and Dennis.

Clarification of tasks and short description of what I’ve been up to.

Application Engineering: Working very close with the customer to optimize the bearings arrangements. Could be in different phases, either in development phases with Original Equipment Manufacturers, improving current arrangements or root causing failures and prevent them from occurring again. This means that it’s both a strong customer and technical focus. The teams the customer meets consist of Sales, Customer Service and Application Engineering, to be able to cover their needs.

Customer visits: After a couple of years buried in literature, it was really exciting to get out in the real world, at our customers. Sounds pretty cheesy, but working in the engine bay of a towing vessel together with two 37 litres diesel engines was a blast. We conducted service on the drive-train, which included physical inspection of bearings, housing, lubrication and mounting of seals. The service job gave me valuable insight in both the technology and customer relations.

Project: In Sweden, we are set to increase the competitiveness of Swedish industry. Meaning that we need to be in the forefront when it comes to technology, organizational efficiency and being able to deliver the solutions our customers expect. To facilitate for this, several improvement projects are ongoing, and mine is focused on how to increase the value to the customer by having a closer collaboration, and how to set up the business for such a collaboration.

Education: Hybrid bearings in Steyr, Austria. SKF’s site in Steyr develop and manufacture bearings with ceramic rolling elements and coated steel bearings for electric insulation. As an engineer, this is really exciting, since the properties of such bearing are vastly improved in some areas compared to all steel bearings. These bearings are lighter, can run faster, with less lubrication, in more contaminated environments without the risk of being damaged from electrical currents. Meaning that these bearings are the “pièce de résistance”, located in some of the toughest places, such as F1 gearboxes and aerospace applications.

A demanding application and a long collaboration, SKF and Ferrari.

What happens next: In April I’m moving to Brazil for five months, to get to know another part of our global organization. I’m really excited about the journey, since I’m convinced I can contribute to their daily operations and challenges, and also to grow and learn as a global citizen. Hopefully, next time you hear from me, I have more to tell you about this experience.

For you: If you also want to spend 18 months: challenge, learn and develop, both yourself and SKF, apply “here” (for applicants based in Sweden).

SKF Wave 2 Trainees

If you have any questions, feel free to use the comment section.

Take care!

/Carl

Hello Everyone

Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Saién Rugdeo ( Sai the Guy as I was frequently referred to during the past month). I have a background in mechanical engineering with experience in renewable energy for automotive vehicles. I am from South Africa, and I am fortunate enough to be a part of this amazing experience, alongside 10 other talented individuals for the Second wave of the SKF Global Trainee Programme. I am really excited to be the first of the Wave II trainees to post about our experiences.
During the month of September, all 11 of us gathered and met for the first time. We all had no idea what we were in store for exactly, but we soon realized how fortunate we were to be in this position, being exposed to the inner workings of an industry leader with such a global footprint. We met with members of Group Management as well as representatives from the various units with SKF, and we were encouraged to ask the challenging questions. We also ran into those cool kids from Wave I !

SKF Wave 2 Trainees

The best part of the introduction month was the opportunity to tackle tasks and problems with the other trainees who are not from the same background or have the same set of skills as I do. I noticed something amazing that would happen all the time, a “Mastermind Effect” . The diverse teams would come up with such creative solutions and ideas that would have never been possible if we all had the same skill set. It is something quite scalable, and I encourage everyone to approach tasks with this mindset. Collaborate!

I am currently back in my home unit of Application Engineering, in SKF South Africa. My 5 month rotation here will see me working with the engineers on different tasks, however I was assigned with 1 main task. As you may know, SKF takes its impact on the environment very seriously. SKF has 15 LEED (Leading in Energy and Environmental Design) certified buildings around the world, which proves its commitment towards Environmental Care. My main task during my 5 month rotation is to propose ways improve the energy efficiency and waste management of our current premises in Johannesburg, South Africa. I look forward to this challenge as well as the journey ahead of me over the next 18 months.

Please feel free to ask me any questions or give feedback and thoughts.
Until Next Time
-Sai

Hello all,

We’re getting deeper and deeper in this amazing adventure, and I get more and more excited to face the adventure that I have in front of me, 5 months in India.

Today I want to talk about emotions, expectations, thoughts and future opportunities to learn from people and places…

First of all I cannot wait to meet my companions for the second time in Gothenburg, I think we have a lot of things to tell each other, a lot of projects to show, a lot of ideas to share and also a lot of fun to have together! After the two weeks gathering each one will start his/her adventure, and mine will be in the bearing manufacturing plant in Pune, India. I cannot wait to start this experience, it will be amazing to work in a new culture and I will bring with me the wish to open myself to these people and their culture. I don’t want to forget the openness of my mind because when different culture and different mindsets with such a big distance meet there are opportunities for incredible source of improvements, ideas and of learnings.

I also will bring with me the wish to travel, to discover new wonderful places, but also to embrace the Indian culture and get a deep understanding of it. My thought is that curiosity is a prerequisite for learning, because through curiosity you can learn and understand things but also challenge things that others only see and accept. Challenging the status quo is one of my biggest drives.

Despite all this I will keep my country, family and friends close to my heart. In every new adventure it’s important to maintain your roots and keep in mind who you are. The best achievement would be to integrate yourself in new cultures without completely changing your mindset but adapting yourself to it. That would be great and I’m sure that the Indian culture will help develop myself.

After six months I could say that this experience has enriched me not only from the professional side (in which I am surprised of the number of things I’ve learnt) but also on the personal side. That’s the main reason I recommend this working opportunity to all the young people who want to discover the world and learn something new every day.

I want to thank all of my colleagues who help me develop and SKF for such a great experience.

Can’t wait to tell you more about my stay in India as well as our next training modules in Sweden.

Ciao & All the best

Hello Everyone!

I am the third of SKF’s global trainees writing on this blog and I am responsible for the next monthly take over. First I will present myself a little bit, then I will share my experiences during these firsts three months.

My name is Marco, I am 24 and as the two colleagues you already know I have a Mechanical Engineering background (Internal combustion engines) at “Politecnico di Torino” and a Master in Six Sigma, Lean Production and TPM. I started this global project by participating in a wonderful introduction month we had in Gothenburg, then I returned to Italy in order to start my first project as a quality engineer trainee in Villar Perosa. The next step will be in Pune (India) and I will face some new challenges because it will probably be in the manufacturing field. Being challenged is one of the best motivational drivers to develop yourself and your career, so if I can leave you a hint it is to look for challenges everyday of your life!

Every day I feel honoured to be part of such an international organization and I really appreciate the opportunity to get a global network within SKF. Furthermore the global trainee program is also an excellent opportunity to get knowledge about different business units (that’s the reason why I’m being pushed to develop projects in different areas each rotation) and to develop your personal skills. Do not forget, on the human side, that such a program is a huge chance to discover the world, meet new cultures and develop yourself as a person.

Last but not least thanks to this experience I met a lot of new colleagues, and I feel very lucky to have the chance to strike up international friendship, and to share our experiences together!

Below are some pictures of the trainees!

A picture of the trainees with a bearing (myself to the left beside the bearing)

Me (on the top right of the picture) and the other trainees in Slottsviken during the introduction month.

Don’t hesitate to comment if you have any questions.

Have a nice week!

Marco