ST Engineering is a global technology, defence, engineering group, known for solving real-world problems through technology, innovation and deep domain expertise. With a diverse portfolio of businesses across the aerospace, smart city, defence, digital tech, marine and public security segments, ST Engineering offers a wide range of possibilities for those interested in an engineering career. That was what attracted Scholars Lum Wei Peng and Neo Jin to join ST Engineering. Now, both are embracing the opportunities to explore new technologies, and eventually take on different roles within the organisation.

Interest in Engineering

Since childhood, Neo Jin has been intrigued by how new technologies and innovations—especially smartphones —disrupt our lives. He has always been deeply motivated to contribute to the development of useful technologies that can make this world better. “As someone who likes to question, explore, create, and solve problems, engineering felt like my true calling,” he mused.

Wei Peng, on the other hand, was inspired by her senior, who had started working at ST Engineering. Hearing him talk about the design, prototyping and testing he got to do on military vehicles piqued her interest in engineering.

Lum Wei Peng

The Place to Be

By her second year in NUS, Wei Peng was certain that she wanted to be in the engineering industry, and ST Engineering was the obvious choice.

“ST Engineering has operations across multiple sectors and is the only company working on the design and manufacturing of military vehicles in Singapore,” she quipped. “Given its range of businesses and locations offers better opportunities than an overseas MNC!”

Neo Jin shared the same thought. ST Engineering stands out among the rest in the same industry for its global reach, deep engineering expertise, and diversity of businesses in the defence and commercial segments.

“It is the ideal place to begin my career, and gain exposure to various cutting-edge technologies and innovations,” he reasoned. Of course, the fact that ST Engineering was 5th in 2021 Singapore’s Most Attractive Employers Ranking (Engineering/Natural Sciences category) by Universum also contributed to his decision.

Neo Jin

One Career, Unlimited Possibilities

And he has not looked back since. Now, Neo Jin is a mechanical engineer with the Platform Screen Door (PSD) team in ST Engineering, under the Urban Solutions business. The PSD team is currently working on a full-height PSD system for its client, based in Queensland, Australia. His responsibilities include the design and integration of the mechanical and electrical PSD system, system interface with various other sub-systems, and working with a cross-functional team on post-design activities such as prototyping, testing, manufacturing, and delivery.

On top of that, Neo Jin is also a member of the Project Management Office (PMO), and contributes to the efforts of setting and maintaining standards for project management and execution. He is also tasked to manage a product development project and assist with tender bidding activities.

Neo Jin shared, “ST Engineering employees are exposed to all major functions of engineering, ranging from technical competencies such as design and development, to business competencies such as project management and business development. For young engineers in the company, there are many opportunities for rotation to gain exposure in new areas of technology, or switch into a management role to gain business competencies.”

Wei Peng shared the same sentiment, “I know scholars who are doing a variety of things from R&D to Business Development, both locally and abroad. Whether it be a change in project or a role, ST Engineering offers a wide range of possibilities.”

Wei Peng is now part of the Hunter Operations Team under the Land Systems business responsible for the development of the Hunter. “It’s an amazing experience to be able to see raw sheet metal turn into a Tank, and I feel privileged to be part of the team driving this transformation,” she exclaimed.

Her responsibilities include working closely with Programme Management, Production, Quality Assurance, Planners and Manufacturing Engineering, and liaising with the design engineers, as well as counterparts from the Digital Systems team and SMART systems team, for system testing, troubleshooting and defect resolution.

Wei Peng described the work culture as “customer-focused, open and cooperative” with strong emphasis on customer’s insight. When issues arise, stakeholders of different departments are brought together for discussion, where concerns are shared freely, and decisions reached through “collective wisdom”.

“There is also a strong culture of innovation. Employees are encouraged to think outside of the box and explore new areas for innovative ideas,” Neo Jin added. Research and development efforts are carried out regularly to improve the existing line of products and streamline internal processes.

The World is Your Oyster

Both scholars have high career aspirations. As an ST Engineering scholar, Neo Jin has enjoyed opportunities to attend events organised by the SgIS committee outside of university, which helped him gain an early start in personal and professional development. He also attended a Leaders’ Forum with Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs. Now, he wants to build up both his technical and business competencies to drive ST Engineering forward and help inspire young aspiring engineers.

As for Wei Peng, she has learnt a lot during her time in the Manufacturing Division with Land Systems, and is doing well in her Operations role. She hopes to fortify her knowledge in all aspects of operations to eventually drive operational improvements. In her next step, she wants to explore ST Engineering’s key competency in Engineering Design and take on a more technical role.

Join ST Engineering

To those who are considering joining, Neo Jin offers this advice, “If you are looking to develop yourself holistically as an engineer who is competent in the technical domains, as well as in auxiliary areas like supply chain management, vendor management, and business development, ST Engineering is the perfect place to start. You never run out of things to learn with the diverse range of products and solutions, and opportunities to work with international partners.”