3D design offers the possibility to model objects limited only by one's own imagination. Dawid Zimoń, a graduate of the Faculty of Electrical, Electronic, Computer and Control Engineering and the IFE and the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Lodz University of Technology, knows this best. The junior design engineer, an employee of Emerson AFCP Poland, talks about implementing his own ideas into large-scale production and working on solutions that save lives.
During your studies, you had internships at four different companies, of which you became permanently associated with Emerson. What made you decide on this choice?
Even during my internship at Emerson, I knew I wanted to work here. Every company is made up of people, and this is where I met people who build a friendly atmosphere that makes working on big projects a pleasure. On top of that, the company has great design equipment, which allows you to turn your own knowledge and creativity into finished solutions. Emerson offered me the position of Designer. I was able to push my own ideas through CAD software on the computer right through to the production floor straight from university. I couldn't have imagined a more interesting position at the start of my career!
You work as a junior design engineer. What exactly do you do?
I create cabinets and control panels that are an indispensable part of any production environment, but not only. They also find their way into life activities that we don't realise every day, such as when we fill up our car with fuel. Together with Emerson, we are also actively supporting the fight against the coronavirus pandemic by targeting production and manufacturing components of life-saving devices such as ventilators. My job is to design such a device in CAD software and create the technological documentation from which such devices are then manufactured.
Control cabinets, streamlining production lines, and respirators - your work requires extensive design skills. What studies give you this background?
I owe my knowledge to my studies at two faculties at Lodz University of Technology. I have always seen myself in the field of science, so for my first-cycle studies I chose an interdisciplinary course, which was biomedical engineering at the Faculty of Electrical, Electronic, Computer and Control Engineering and at International Faculty of Engineering of Lodz University of Technology. For my second-cycle studies, I studied production engineering at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Currently, despite the difficult situation on the labour market, graduates of Lodz University of Technology are still sought after by companies looking for young, talented engineers. On top of that, graduating from a degree taught in English not only broadened my technical knowledge, but also developed – which is equally important - soft skills and language skills. These skills play a huge role in my work, as there is often an international team working on engineering projects, where communication plays a key role.
During your studies, you went to Caliagri in Italy for a semester. What did this trip teach you?
Going abroad allows you to get away from the routine of studying at your home university. Suddenly you find yourself in a foreign country, familiar faces disappear, you don't know the lecturers and you have to find yourself in a new reality. It seems to me that such an experience opens our minds and brings out soft skills such as communication or teamwork, which, combined with technical knowledge and language proficiency, will give us a significant advantage on the labour market in the future. What I value most about my trip is precisely the moment I broke my own language barrier. Although I studied in English at TUL, it was only on Erasmus that everyday conversations in a foreign language became completely natural.
Trips abroad and work placements undoubtedly open up many opportunities for students. From the perspective of a graduate, what do you consider the most valuable thing about studying at Lodz University of Technology?
One of the best things that happened to me while studying at TUL was getting to know lecturers who are passionate about science and teaching students. Lodz University of Technology can also be distinguished in terms of the number of extra-curricular activities the university offers. In addition, the student organisations at TUL are excellent, allowing students to make international friends, develop their language skills and travel abroad. Being a member of such organisations as SKN BioMed-Spec or ESN, I can confidently say that studies then gain double value!
Interviewee: Dr Aleksandra Pawlik
Graphics: Filip Podgórski
Photos: Emerson Company and private archives of Mr Dawid Zimonia
EMERSON's manufacturing plant in Łódź is part of a global concern - a world market leader in the provision of industrial automation and pneumatics solutions. In our plant, we combine the latest technology, engineering and the most innovative solutions tailored to the needs of our customers.