What do you do?

I am a process engineer in the Industrial CleanTech business unit in the Metals sector at Hatch. I work with multi-disciplinary teams, support staff, clients and different vendors.

My daily tasks vary based on the phase of the project lifecycle. I am currently working on two different projects. One is in the pre-feasibility phase, so I am busy with definition-based work including process design criteria, flowsheet development, mass and energy balances, trade-off studies etc. The other project is in the execution phase, so I am busy with discipline alignment, document reviews, vendor engagement and project management etc. My work is quite diverse which keeps things interesting and exciting all the time.

I have worked with quite a range of software including, but not limited to, Simio (dynamic simulation software), Metsim (flowsheet development), COMOS (development of process flow diagrams (PFDs) and piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) and Aspen HYSYS (design of pressure safety valves).

What’s been a highlight of your career so far?

I worked on a Converter Aisle Simulation Model for the Selous Metallurgical Complex (SMC) SO2 Abatement and Smelter Expansion Project (2021-2024). My role was to develop a dynamic simulation model of the future converter aisle operations using Simio software to confirm the feasibility of the project design and identify operational risks and/or unforeseen bottlenecks that may impact the smelter throughput and operations. The outcome of the mini project was a huge success. My modelling approach and findings proved to be of great value to the client and broader project. My work was leveraged to confirm project designs and used as a reference for many other projects.

Through this work, I was given the opportunity to present to important stakeholders, showcase my work to many different offices across Hatch and finally, wrote a paper for the 2024 SAIMM pyrometallurgy conference which I’ll be presenting in March.

Looking back, what advice would you give to current students?

Make the best of your campus experience. Take lunch on the Jammie steps whenever you can. Join a social club. Develop meaningful friendships. Yes, the work is tough and at times it’s all encompassing. But when you look back at your student days, it shouldn’t only be memories of you stuck in lecture rooms and computer labs trying to keep up with the workload and meet deadlines.

Strive to avoid failure, but don’t lose hope when you’re met with it. Embrace the lessons, draw strength from your faith and tackle your challenge(s) until you succeed. The only failure is giving up on yourself!

What challenges did you face when transitioning into the working world and how did you overcome them?

I joined the company in 2021 during the COVID-19 lockdown. I ended up working from home for almost the entire year. During this time, I undertook an important task which required a lot of interaction with my new colleagues and the client. Working from home meant that it was difficult getting the proper guidance that was needed. I struggled to connect with my colleagues and seniors given that we were only connecting behind a screen.

When Hatch issued the ‘back to office’ policy close to the end of the year, I was excited to meet my team face-to-face and engage with them in the same space. It was much easier and more productive to complete my deliverables and tackle the challenges of engineering.