Spotlight on Commissioning Engineers sharing their work experience
Whatever the sector, engineering needs commissioning engineers to work in the field. This article focuses on the work of two Commissioning Engineers, Yudi Indrawan and Luis Ponce de León Agustín. Yudi is based in Indonesia and Luis in Switzerland.
Commissioning Engineers, Yudi Indrawan and Luis Ponce de León Agustín, share their work experience
The responsibilities of a Commissioning Engineer
A commissioning engineer is responsible for a number of things including:
Inspecting the equipment and facilities of an engineering project;
Checking the design and installation;
Creating reports;
Conducting tests;
Providing support if needed so that a project is completed on budget and to specification.
As well as a background in engineering, what makes someone a great commissioning engineer
Yudi Indrawan, McDermott International Ltd, Indonesia.
Yudi Indrawan is a very experienced Instrument Commissioning Engineer. He is working for McDermott International Ltd and is based in Indonesia.
Yudi has shared his background and experience working in commissioning.
Background
How did you become a commissioning engineer?
To become a commissioning engineer I started my career by working on a project, any project at any industries such as:
pulp and paper
steel manufacturing
oil refinery
oil and gas
and now in yard fabrication
It doesn’t matter which industry you join as long as you work on a project as the main requirement. Why is this? Because while you work on project it means you will do engineering design, construction, commissioning and start up, and handover.
The other thing you need, is that you must have basic knowledge of commissioning. You can get it in university, professional courses, training, or learning by doing in your previous jobs.
Then by continuously working on projects especially at the commissioning phase, you will become expert in commissioning activities.
This is a really good way to have a successful and interesting career.
What made the job interesting to you?
To be honest, my main interest and preference is to work solely in maintenance rather than commissioning. However, I can say that while you work on commissioning or performing a commissioning role you will gain a lot including:
getting more knowledgeable in the setup and configuration of a new machine or device
learning to manage milestones well
gaining a higher salary than if you work purely in construction, engineering, or maintenance.
Qualities needed to be a commissioning engineer
What are the qualities needed for an excellent commissioning engineer?
There are four main things you need:
Understand the complete scope of your job
Be up to date on safety requirements and regulations
Always assume that you are not only working for the commissioning phase, but also for the future operation and maintenance. You will then put 100% into the care of the machine as you will feel that it belongs to you.
Keep the feeling of ownership of the machine even when you hand it over to another person.
Passion for engineering
Was engineering a passion for you from childhood?
Yes, I liked to repair and make my own toys. It was a sort of engineering!
You have a busy home life with three children, do you think any of your kids will follow you and become an engineer?
I am not sure because they are still so young right now. I guess they will have their own passions.
Luis Ponce de León Agustín, ABB, Switzerland
Luis Ponce de León Agustín is the Resources and Field Service Manager for ABB based in Zurich in Switzerland. He started his career in Mexico before moving to Bern in Switzerland.
How did you transition from research to field service and commissioning engineer?
I did my bachelor’s degree thesis based on a research project. I initially liked being in research. However, I then worked in Alstom as a Maintenance Supervisor and realised that I loved that sort of environment. Afterwards I was trying to grow, and so took a research job again.
This gave me time to find a definitive direction in my career. Finally, I made a definite decision to work in commissioning and field service. That’s how I got to where I am now.
What made the job interesting to you?
I was young, already living in Switzerland, and at that time wishing to travel as much as possible. So, I decided to find a job which allowed me/required me to travel. I got a position as a Field Service and Commissioning Engineer which fulfilled all my expectations. It gave me two things:
A lot of travelling
A technically challenging role working on site with complex and versatile systems.
Qualities needed to be a successful commissioning engineer
What are the qualities needed for an excellent commissioning engineer?
An excellent commissioning engineer needs the following five qualities:
Flexibility
Resilience
Good self-control when under pressure
Patience
Strong conflict management skills
These qualities need to be coupled with an initial focus on the topology, functionality and design of the products or devices to work on.
Further reading about field engineers
If you are a field engineer, work with field engineers or are interested in field engineering, you can read more about the lives of some of our members working in the field. To do this, go directly to our blog or use one of the links here.
Successful Unsung Heroes of the Engineering World
Bosch Field Service Engineer working in steam energy for boilers
Thank you The Field Engineer Team, my pleasure to contribute a bit for this group. Have a great time!