Unique Opportunity for 10 Young Engineers

Joining the construction, commissioning & start-up of a 625 KTA Borstar® Plant is a unique experience for any Engineer to grow and learn from…but perhaps even more so when this opportunity is offered at the start of your career. Well, that’s exactly what 10 of our talented young engineers from across Borealis are experiencing right now in Houston, Texas.

#peoplemakeithappen

We go beyound boundaries. Together.

Our Young Engineers were selected from six different Borealis locations, ranging from Finland to Brazil, and will join the Borstar® Bay 3 Project for 6 week rotations between August and December this year. Each of them have been assigned a technical coach, with whom they work closely to gain a real “hands on experience” in commissioning and start-up activities, alongside experienced project professionals from  Borealis, Total and our Project Contractor, McDermott.

Our first 5 engineers are already on site, so we asked them about their motivation to join the program and their experience so far.

 

Why did you apply to join this program?

“This represents a unique opportunity for me to step out of my comfort zone and take on a new challenge. I also get to meet many new people which is exciting” said Onur Aslan (Schwechat). Maria Paula Santos (Itatiba) added “It gives me the first experience of working abroad, going to a different location, and learn processes which I will benefit from knowing when I return to Brazil”.

What activities have you participated in so far?

“Each of us have been assigned a coach, either a Borealis secondee or Baystar employee, who give us tasks to work on, but we are encouraged to join any commissioning activity we have time for, such as loop checks and PL2 walks. Once a week we need to report to Edwin Vanheer and the commissioning team on the progress that we have made and what we have learned.” said Simon Pauwels (Kallo)

How can you use what you learn here at the Borstar Bay 3 project?

“Here I learn more in four days than a whole year. I never went so deep into processes in my role back home as here the process are established for the first time. This helps me feel confident to join other large projects in the future” says Maria Paula Santos (Itatiba). Toon Simons (Beringen) added “many of the things we learn here can be applied to our jobs back home, such as leak tests after a turnaround. We also develop a much deeper appreciation for procedures and the importance of having good procedures and processes in place”.

How do you find working with Baystar and in Houston, Texas?

“Everyone is really nice in Texas! We have been well received and our colleagues are taking good care of us, both at work and outside of work. Experiencing the company cultural difference between Baystar and Borealis is also interesting. Here people are more direct when giving instructions and there is no room for negotiation” commented Laurens Destatsbader (Zwijndrecht). “Before coming here we did not know each other, but we have become great friends and are exploring Texas together and have been to both baseball and American football games, having a true American experience” finished Onur Aslan (Schwechat).

Edwin Vanheer (Director, Commissioning & Start Up) helped establish the programme, and commented “Building up the next generation is of vital importance to remain successful in executing projects and starting up new plants. This initiative can be the first crucial step of a long journey”. Jari Hatonen, Baystar Operations Director and former Borealis Secondee finished “Besides the training the young engineers receive they are also contributing to our commissioning and start-up activities. We are very happy to host them at Baystar and see how enthusiastic they are to do a good job. This brings new energy to the team as we are nearing the end of the project”.

← Go back to the blog overview

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A JOB YOU WILL LOVE?

Join us next summer!
Go →