Lachlan Clelland
A project intern in 2011, Lachlan Clelland developed a new production unit for GCS Ltd to manufacture superconducting Roebel cable.
The production unit, a continuous flexible winding machine, is unique. It has already improved productivity for GCS Ltd.
Lachlan says he enjoyed being able to apply what he was learning at WelTec in a practical setting. "We got to work on real-world projects in an industrial setting. I was impressed by the staff’s approach as they had plenty of time for the students and put a lot of effort into helping us succeed with our study.”
His supervisors were quick to recognise Lachlan’s talent and praised the winding machine as “elegant and efficient” and were impressed that it worked on the first try.
Lachlan’s efforts saw him win the GCS Ltd Student Prize, the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s prize for the top Bachelor of Engineering Technology student and the IPENZ Ray Meyer Medal for excellence in student design.
He is now working as a mechanical engineer at Brightwater Engineering in Nelson. “Working at Robinson was unique, as I had the opportunity to work on a variety of mechanical, electrical and mechatronic tasks. This gave me skills in other areas of engineering that a mechanical engineer would not normally be exposed to.”
“In my day to day work now, this additional knowledge is not only helping me see the full picture when designing machinery and communicating with other engineers, but has opened doors for me to progress within the company.”