So, why choose a career in engineering over banking, accountancy, or teaching, to name a few professions? Well, Sanstec Design’s MD and Mechanical Design Engineering Consultant Alastair Sanderson speaks candidly, in this blog, about his personal pathway and why 20 plus years later, he still finds the industry extremely exciting.
When did you become interested in engineering?
As long as I can remember I have always been interested in learning how something works. Keen to take things apart to see the physical cogs and switches working hard. I treasured my Lego collection of mechanical items from an early age (and still continue to add to it year on year), then getting involved in tractors, land rovers and cars in my early teens. Little did I know that this activity and interest would lead me onto a path towards my future career in engineering.
How did you begin your entry into this industry?
It was in September 1986 when had my first break. I secured a highly sought-after technician level apprenticeship at Marconi Communications Ltd and was offered one of 50 places out of a total of 750 applications. I remember being so thrilled at the prospect of learning all aspects of mechanical and production engineering.
What did the apprenticeship cover?
The apprenticeship consisted of various placements and the skills I gained were many, including general fabrication and production assembly practices, wiring and soldering, technical and engineering drawing practices, drafting standards and an introduction to 2D and 3D CAD and CAE. It was the latter module that I have to be thankful for studying, as this fervently grabbed my interest and was the reason I pursued a career in mechanical design engineering.
Why did you set up your own design engineering business?
Having undertaken the apprenticeship groundwork at Marconi spanning four years, I spent the next six years building on what I had learnt, growing and expanding my CAD knowledge and skills. I knew in my heart that this was what I wanted to do, so, come March 2001 I set up my own limited company providing these very services.
What engineering projects excite you?
Looking back over the last 20 plus years that Sanstec Design has been operating, I can say with conviction that many of the design and development projects that I have worked on have been exciting and technically challenging in their own individual ways. That might be because of the materials used, time, or rather lack of time, allowed for the project, or the somewhat painstaking process of having to convert product drawings to a different CAD system. But, if I had to narrow it down, I would conclude that my specific interests lie in producing CAD designs and all that goes with it for injection moulded products and components, particularly for medical /pharmaceutical devices, that can make a real difference to quality of life.
What’s next?
Everything you do and achieve, has to be considered a stepping stone, learning as you move from one stone to the next. This is an amazing industry to be part of as it is always moving forward, looking towards the future, in terms of new inventions, innovations and breakthroughs. I am therefore extremely contented to still be on the engineering pathway and wonder with anticipation, what the next challenge will bring.
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