There's a special pride I feel when I see one of the machines I designed, working.
One of the youngest employees at Nordson, Abhishek Chatterjee, a Junior Application Engineer, takes a few minutes off to chat about what makes him tick here.
How did you come to join Nordson?
I joined Nordson in June 2010 after graduating with a BE in Mechanical engineering. I didn’t even sit for placements in college. Most of the companies that came to recruit students were software companies and I knew I wanted to do something with pure mechanics. I have always been fascinated by the design process and the way machines work. I heard about Nordson through some contacts and checked out their website to see what it was about. I liked what I saw and decided to apply. I was initially interested in sales, but a position in design was open in Bangalore so I grabbed that.
How does a typical work day progress?
When I started, I used to spend a lot of time on the shop floor. I watched and learned on the job. I then had to learn how to make drawings; learn the standards of dimensioning, symbols, tolerances, limits, fits, etc.
A typical day starts with a meeting with the other design engineers. The agenda for the day is discussed, priorities are set and the previous day’s activities are reviewed. My work involves designing machines as efficiently as possible to the customer’s specifications. I continue to make frequent visits to the shop floor to take care of assembly issues. Each designer is responsible for the machine he designs and the assembly process. While I don’t really have much contact with the customers themselves, I see plenty of interaction with suppliers.
How would you describe the work environment?
I am constantly interacting with different kinds of people at every stage, so there isn’t a single boring moment. The people I work with are also very eager to help when you need it. I was pleased to learn that it’s a remarkably professional environment. The work space and the shop floors are really of international standards.
And your experience thus far?
When I first started, I worked on projects for the Industrial Coating Systems division. I mainly designed canopies for their powder spray booths. I have since moved to the Adhesive Systems division. I have been working on some of their newer projects which have a massive potential for growth.
Thus far, it has been great fun – really exciting. I played a big part in the development of a brand new prototype and it has been an incredible learning experience. Besides this, I have also worked a bit with the Embedded Systems division.
There’s a special pride I feel when I see one of the machines I designed, working; or when I sort out some issues on my own – [laughs]I enjoy coaxing stubborn machines to work.
At Nordson, we have the freedom to voice our opinions – as long as we can back it up! I appreciate that we’re allowed to make mistakes – again, as long as we learn from them. New ideas are always welcome and I have been given many chances to prove myself.
Any favourite moments that come to mind?
Every afternoon! The table tennis games after lunch are noisy and hilarious. We also just set up a badminton court so the number of favourite moments is growing exponentially!
What do you see for yourself in the future?
At the moment I’m taking things one step at a time, learning as much as I can, finishing projects as efficiently as possible. I would love to keep growing here and the opportunities for growth at Nordson are vast. I’m only a Junior Engineer now. I have quite a long way to go and I’m really looking forward to it.