Global Employee Interviews - Engineering

Meet the NSK engineers creating the technology of the future

As an applications engineer, I work directly with automotive customers to find the best technical solution possible for their specific application. I provide technical support from initial contact through the production process, helping our customers with any technical issues they may encounter.

While I have over five years of experience in this field, I joined NSK last year and am still in the learning phase. Application engineering is a very broad field, and each company has a drastically different approach to the profession. While I still have a great deal to learn about the automotive industry, I am enjoying the opportunity to apply my knowledge in a field that is undergoing rapid change with the shift toward electric vehicles.

NSK has been great about providing me with the support I need in this new environment. On top of the hands-on training I receive daily, the company allows me to attend external classes and seminars to absorb any additional knowledge and skills I may need. I also have access to the accumulated knowledge within my immediate workplace. The people I work with are all experts in the field, and everyone is willing to share their knowledge and experience. I ask many questions and my team is always ready to listen and provide their input. When I am stuck on a problem, they give me the guidance and feedback I need to move forward.

For now, I’m focused on becoming the best engineer I can be and work closely with my team to find innovative solutions to problems. NSK has a strong tradition of research and development and invests heavily in employees to give them the knowledge they need to lead the organization forward.

I started my career in sales, but I could never shake my childhood dream of being an engineer. Finally I decided to take the plunge, going back to school for an engineering degree. After finishing university, I found NSK. I was intrigued by the opportunity to work abroad and interact with people from cultures and backgrounds very different from my own. After joining NSK, I immediately had the chance to live and work in Japan. There I learned the fundamentals of bearing technology at the company’s main technical center. The experience exposed me to a new culture and way of thinking, which have proven invaluable to me over the course of my career as I interact daily with people from around the world.

After returning to Germany, I joined a team of engineers designing bearings for wind turbines. We work with customers to find new solutions for their needs and develop bearings that serve as an integral part in maximizing power generation and making clean wind energy a viable source for our energy needs. I now serve as team leader, managing progress on our many projects and providing guidance to budding engineers. Good communication skills are central to the job, as I work closely with my team, our customers, and other employees of cultures very different from my own. Our digital infrastructure enables us to collaborate with project teams based around the globe. While it comes with its fair share of challenges, it unlocks new possibilities and opportunities never before available to us.

NSK is a global company that unites people from different cultures and backgrounds to work toward a single vision. We treat people like family, and not just another number on a page. Here you are part of a global NSK, and the possibilities are endless.

I joined NSK fresh out of university back in 2008. Right away I was sent on a year-long training assignment to NSK’s technology hub in Japan where I received the technical knowledge base I would need for my career. Prior to the assignment, I received Japanese language training and a practical orientation on life in Japan.

I came back from Japan ready to immerse myself in R&D for railcar bearings. The Chinese government was heavily investing in railway infrastructure, and the industry was booming. Train speeds had made massive leaps and were pushing upwards of 350 km/h. Customer orders for bearings to support the expansion were higher than ever, and the industry was craving for technical product improvements. As train speeds continue to rise even today, clients require reliable bearings that can withstand higher rotation speeds and generate less heat. Challenging requirements and use environment call for impressive feats of engineering. That’s where my solid foundation in NSK core technologies allows me to make significant contributions to my team. Our efforts to develop superior products allows us to compete in this rapidly expanding market.

In 2018, NSK recognized my efforts by promoting me to senior engineer, which provided me with chance to develop a wider range of product knowledge, and then in 2021, I was promoted to be the director of Industrial Machinery Bearing Technology Department in China. This transition has been a big challenge for me, as I’ve been put in charge of managing other engineers. But the company has been great about supporting me in this transition as well, enrolling me in a leadership program to help me sharpen my skills in management.

I’ve been provided with so many opportunities for growth at NSK. Just like the market we find ourselves in, the playing field is wide open here and there’s so much potential for where you can go.