Muhammad Hafiz Ramli

Course: Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Honours), 2013
Nationality: Malaysian
Current role: Lead Field Service Engineer, GE Aviation

Please tell us about your role in your current organisation.

I'm currently a Field Service Engineer at GE Aviation, supporting GE Aviation's GEnx-powered fleet at Korean Air. The GEnx engine powers both their Boeing 787 and Boeing 747-8 fleet, with Korean Air being the largest operator in Asia with the 747-8 aircraft.

I act as the main communication interface for the airline and GE Aviation, being both the on-site company representative and the voice of the airline. I also provide technical consultation for Korean Air, ensuring that their engines run smoothly, reviewing any fleet reliability issues and implementing various programs to manage them.

The end goal is to keep the engines operating as long as possible before their next scheduled maintenance. It's a fine act between optimising costs, extending engine life to maximise operations and making sure it's operated safely.

Why did you choose to study mechanical engineering?

I've always liked to build things and understand how they work from a young age. I've also been fascinated by aircraft and all things flight since then (and even now!) Together with maths and physics being my favourite and best subjects in school, this naturally gravitated my interest to pursue engineering and have a career as an engineer.

How have your studies at Monash helped to prepare you for the working world?

The whole campus experience, from having such a diverse and globalised campus environment to having solid coursework with great lecturers. I had friends and coursemates from a wide variety of backgrounds and all walks of life. It helped in giving me a global mindset and perspective on things.

The coursework was set up to promote self-learning and encourage a self-starting attitude, together with valuing teamwork and collaboration. All these formed a solid foundation for me to carry into the working world.

Did you participate in any student activities or opportunities while at Monash?

I was the Editor for the official student magazine under the Monash University Student Association (MUSA) and Vice President for IMechE Monash Student Chapter. I was also involved with a couple of research programs and conferences, notably the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) and Monash-Warwick International Conference of Undergraduate Research (ICUR). I also volunteered for a couple of Monash Orientation Week over the years and the 3rd APAC IChemE Sports and Career Day.

Did you go for any internships or work placements?

Yes, I did my internship at Pharmaniaga LifeScience. It was at a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant and I was attached to the Engineering Department. We were in charge of managing the production equipment and coming up with maintenance plans. This was my first "real" work experience and it helped my career preparation tremendously (it was a good talking point during my interviews right out of Monash!).

I had a really good manager during my internship and learned a lot from him. I definitely picked up a couple of management traits and most importantly, as an engineer, on how to drive decision-making not only from a technical perspective but also to consider other aspects such as costs and financial impact.

In class, it's mainly learning about the theoretical aspects of things. Here, we could use real data to make decisions. They had a couple of cost-savings projects that I worked on and being fresh in college, it was nice of them to let me validate some of the numbers for the technical parts. It was great to see what you learned in class could be applied to the real-world setting and bring an impact to the company.

What did you enjoy most about your student life at Monash?

The overall campus life at Monash. It’s the epitome of “study hard, play harder”. The academic facilities were excellent; the library had a good selection of materials and the engineering labs had top-tier facilities. I also had the chance to try and experience a lot of new things – from picking up rock climbing, running for student council and volunteering during Orientation Week, and a couple of events and activities on-campus. Monash being in such an urban setting was also a great factor in providing a very cosmopolitan student life. There's plenty to do (and eat!) in and around the campus.

What are your career goals? What is the difference you'd like to make?

In the near term, it's just giving the best every day at work and living by the rule of "do your current job well, and your next job will come to you". But taking it further as an engineer, we're not only here to solve problems but to make things more sustainable in the long term. I look forward to working towards that target with the current industry I am in and bringing about a better and greener future.