1.7.2024
Career story
Diverse career opportunities convinced Yukio
Name: Yukio Sazuka
Title: Chief Design Engineer
Education: Master of Science in Technology
How long have you been working at Kopar: 2.5 years
How you spend your free time: As a family man, my free time is primarily spent in the role of a father. Strength training, especially developing grip strength, is an important personal hobby. In the context of time, I also tune up an old, almost 40-year-old S-Class Mercedes that I drive in the summer.
Yukio Sazuka started as a designer at an engineering firm while pursuing a master’s degree in engineering. In addition to project planning, his duties included product development.
– In an engineering company, you get to see a lot of different things when working with customers from different industries. In my opinion, it is good to gain experience in a wide range of projects already at the beginning of your career.
Initially, his career in the engineering company progressed upwards, and Sazuka was given more responsibility. However, after 10 years, he felt that his development had stopped and he needed new challenges.
– In a small office, influence is limited. A new customer project was selected according to what happened to be available at the time. I felt that it was time to leave my job in an engineering company behind, and I looked for job positions directly in different companies.
“In an engineering company, you get to see a lot of different things when working with customers from different industries. In my opinion, it is good to gain experience in a wide range of projects already at the beginning of your career.”
Yukio Sazuka, Chief Design Engineer
Jobseeker and job met in the market
Sazuka got to know Kopar through an open recruitment notice. Kopar was looking for a Chief Design Engineer with experience in power plant design and using the design tool Kopar used. Sazuka, on the other hand, found the job he was looking for at an interesting company.
As Chief Design Engineer, Sazuka is responsible for planning Kopar’s customer projects. Among other things, he ensures that the project starts as agreed and proceeds according to schedule.
One of Kopar’s strengths is its employees from different backgrounds. The special expertise of colleagues also strengthens one’s own expertise.
– Especially in the beginning, the knowledge of the other Kopar employees helped me to get to the point of the tasks and the procedures of the company. Having your own production facilities, where you can see the equipment with your own eyes and ask colleagues about the technical characteristics, is also a big plus. It gives you a new perspective on your own work.
Sazuka does the actual design work less often. Instead, he is responsible for managing the overall picture of customer projects, for example, by guiding subcontractor designers in their tasks and reviewing drawings.
“Having your own production facilities, where you can see the equipment with your own eyes and ask colleagues about the technical characteristics, is also a big plus. It gives you a new perspective on your own work.”
Yukio Sazuka, Chief Design Engineer
Opportunity to grow and develop
According to Sazuka, Kopar is a workplace with opportunities to grow and develop. In his opinion, the best thing about his current job is the wide development opportunities both in terms of work tasks and his own competence.
– At Kopar you do not need to be firmly attached to the role in which you started, but there are good opportunities to expand your job description.
Sazuka’s job description has also expanded in a couple of years. Today, he is the main user of 3D modeling and product information management software, and is responsible for their maintenance. In addition, control of potentially explosive ATEX facilities was transferred to Sazuka after the previous employee retired.
“At Kopar you do not need to be firmly attached to the role in which you started, but there are good opportunities to expand your job description.”
Yukio Sazuka, Chief Design Engineer
An openly permissive atmosphere
Sazuka emphasizes Kopar’s flexibility as a workplace. Things are openly permissive, and you can work remotely or at the office as you see fit. The most important thing is that the work gets done.
– From an office perspective, I would recommend Kopar to motivated employees who are genuinely interested in the industry and the operation of our equipment. In this company, you really get to make a difference. For example, over the past couple of years, we have invested in developing our internal processes.