American study trip a thrill for Timaru composite engineer

American study trip a thrill for Timaru composite engineer

Thrilled Timaru composite engineer and scholarship winner Ryan Blackie could scarcely believe his eyes. From an aerial view online he could see a “factory surrounded by a few houses” in a town of about 4000 people.

On the ground that factory assumes massive proportions covering a huge site and employing 350 people manufacturing fibreglass products for the United States military and building trains, cars, planes and wind turbines for world markets.

Soon, the Washdyke-based Aeromarine Industries production manager will be winging his way there to take up his scholarship prize, 30 days of work experience with the Moulded Fibreglass Group in America, a company that has moulded itself into one of the world’s biggest fibreglass product manufacturers.

From next month the Union City Pennsylvania MFG plant will be home to Mr Blackie, one of only two recipients nationwide to win the prestigious 2010 New Zealand Craftsman Training Foundation scholarship.

The foundation assists young people just starting out in their trade careers to gain industry skills and experience overseas without leaving their jobs in New Zealand. Awardees are placed with top-level international companies where they gain further training and practical work experience to bring back to their New Zealand employer.

Mr Blackie has chosen the Union City monolithic composite factory for the bulk of his learning experience, where he will work as a volunteer in a range of high technical and specialised fields within the composite industry.

“The Moulded Fibreglass Group producing water treatment products is one of the world’s largest with 12 factories across the United States and Mexico,” he said.

“They build wind turbines, trains, cars and military components, and the plant I have chosen specialises in water treatment applications, sewage, rail components and truck bodies. I think that is really relevant to the New Zealand marketplace.

“They will be able to show me more of the processes I want to learn such as open moulding spraying and injection moulding, and vacuum infusion.”

On the way to Union City two other events will prove equally important to his career – and to Aeromarine Industries, which is keen to adopt world standards and marketing trends.

Leaving New Zealand on April 10 Mr Blackie’s first stop will be Dayton, Ohio, where a world conference on composite engineering is to be held. Two days later he travels to the North Canton, Ohio, Glascraft factory that manufactures the tools and equipment in daily use at Washdyke and around the world.

“It will be a great opportunity to provide the factory with some feedback on the day-to-day use of their tools such as chopper guns and moulding tools,” he said.

“And I am sure they will have new products that will give us an edge.”

Aeromarine Industries general manager Simon Robb says Mr Blackie’s experience will help equip his company for the expansion that comes with the growing recognition in industry of the advantages of fibreglass over conventional products such as steel and concrete.

“Employees come home equipped with the latest overseas knowledge in technical skills and methods and feed their knowledge and skills back into the New Zealand industry, thus raising their own value and further identifying the skilled trades as a worthy and rewarding vocation,” Mr Robb said.

Along with the composite industry training organisation New Zealand Marine, Aeromarine will be also be sponsoring Mr Blackie.

Composite engineering, a term given to fibreglass products such as tanks, seating, pools, car and truck bodies and aircraft faring as well as carbon fibre processes used in the manufacture of specialist sports equipment such as racing cycles, cars, and aircraft, was a growing part of New Zealand industry, Mr Blackie said.

And with Aeromarine Industries only recently winning the sub-contract to build the Caroline Bay Aquatic Centre’s new hydroslide, the community will soon get to see just how far the technology has come.

“Our industry is small and specialised and there are only five similar-sized factories in New Zealand. But we are becoming busier with work coming from throughout New Zealand and Australia,” Mr Blackie said.

“My international experience will add value to our products and our clientele. I can’t wait to get there.”

ENDS

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