Background and reason for joining THK

I had an interest in Japan since I got the chance to work with a Japanese contractor as my internship. The project was to build MRT Jakarta. During that period, I could see how Japanese people work on daily basis and I thought that everyone really takes their professionalism into the highest level. Therefore, I said to myself if I want to work overseas someday, Japan should be one of it.
I majored in Mechanical engineering and during my university years I joined Formula SAE and Eco-Marathon. Soon after graduation, I got information about THK and this position. Internally, I have always wanted to work at a place where I can apply my knowledge into my work, and I thought I could develop new products in THK using my knowledge, so I applied for it.
THK is a Japanese company that is aiming to be a global company; therefore, THK offers many experiences that I might have not had yet.

What are your current responsibilities?

Right now, I oversee simulation and control work of products that THK is currently developing, for example, actuators for automotive. Simulation is interesting and important because we can see in advance, prior to prototyping, what our products will look and work like. By simulation results, we can also see and give improvement points for the products before having to manufacture the actual real-life model. Therefore, we can save time and costs, and move the strategy of our project forward.
I got the chance to try and implement new technology to my job and I have been always excited to study new things. By implementing new things and technology, I get to learn and gain new knowledge every time. For example, Model Based Development and making new control systems using Matlab Simulink.
I think it is sometimes challenging to deliver results at the highest level while also having to learn new things. But fortunately, everyone is supportive and excited to see and implement the new technology that we have. So, we take more time for discussion, and can get knowledge more and make the progress even faster.

From the work you’ve done until now, what was a moment when you felt a sense of accomplishment?

I think my biggest accomplishment is when I can give recommendations on how to progress and improvement points on our products. Everyone seems so happy because the improvement is based on simulation data I extracted and can improve not only the performance level of our products but also cost-saving decision. So, it is everyone’s reaction and expectation that makes me want to deliver the best results.
Everyone in THK is supportive so whenever someone needs help or direction, it is everyone’s responsibility to help. And not only me, THK employees are also given cross-cultural understanding training so everyone could learn and understand what diversity is. Not only will this benefit the employee, but this will also benefit the company and its original intention which is to compete at the global level.

What are you looking forward to working on in the future?

For the future, I would like to take a bigger responsibility at THK. I want to be able to make strategic decisions, not only at the level that I am now but also at the managerial level. Perhaps to lead THK subsidiary that is in overseas area.
But to get there, I know that it will take a lot of experience and knowledge, so I am doing my best to learn both the technical side and management skills needed. I am working on it now and looking forward to the day when I can be one.
And what I like about THK is that THK realizes that the competition is happening not only at the national level, it is happening also on the global scale. So, to compete on the global scale, THK is also accelerating its growth at a fast pace to be able to compete globally. Accelerating means that everyone in THK is also continuously learning to do better every time. I think THK still can accelerate faster and there is still a lot a room for improvement in global level, so I am also looking forward to it.