How did you get into engineering or fluid power specifically?
My father was in the engineering industry of railroad maintenance. In late 1950s, the technology to maintain the railway tracks was not that sophisticated. Tracks were aligned mostly manually and on a continual basis. That was the first time, when I learnt the theory of co-efficient of linear expansion and why there is a gap between the rail tracks.

After finishing my mechanical engineering schooling, I was a mechanical engineering apprentice assigned with machinery and various equipments maintenance at a major locomotive manufacturing company. In the Engineering school, one learns about “fluid dynamics” and “water hydraulics” to some extent. Obviously, by then one is aware of Pascal’s law and Archimedes principle etc. However, “oil hydraulics” was totally foreign to a fresh engineering graduate. There were various types of punch-card, numerically controlled machining centers manufactured by Jones & Lampson. One of them happened to be a numerical control turret lathe. This machine was flooded with fluid power applications for various movements. This attracted my attention and interest and I got profoundly interested in hydraulics and the various elements that go into it, and there was no looking back. This was in 1964.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing engineers today?
The majority of today’s college engineering graduates are more eager to find ‘a job’ then being innovative. The educational curriculum is more theory intensive rather than practical orientation. The engineering academic curriculums should be industry focused and each student should earn at least 40 credits, by being in the real world of engineering, be it mechanical, electrical, civil, etc.

What do you think is the biggest development in Fluid Power technology over past five years?
Fluid power technology married with electrical and electronic technology is the most striking breakthrough. A monstrous load now can be moved precisely or controlled remotely for infinite accuracies. Fluid technology provides the muscle and digital electronic is the brain.

With the advent proportional technology and with help of digitally controlled sensor and microprocessors, fluid power technology has become even more precise and sophisticated. In addition, during the past five years, piston and vane pumps have been designed to meet with energy conservation measures. Digitally controlled reversible and bidirectional pumps will be commonly available in the not-too-distant future.

Do you think engineers get enough respect in to-day’s world?
No, unfortunately not. Lack of utilization of qualified engineers in the industry does exist. An undergraduate with a 4 or 5 year degree in engineering has much less value in the market/industry/society, compared to a 4 or 5 year degree in medicine. In many corporations, the undergraduate engineers are simply glorified skilled mechanics. Even engineers with post graduate degrees are very often treated that way in many corporations.

This is one of the reason many undergraduate engineering degree holder, promptly look for a master degree in business administration (marketing, finance, accounting, etc.), to promote their career. Eventually, many graduate-level engineers simply forget their base of engineering. What a waste!!

What is the coolest project you’ve ever worked on in your career?
The application that stands out the most in my down memory is a wood powder compacting press. This was the first time we had used a monoblock for mounting all the valves for this application. This was a decompression circuit with variety of valves on it. We struggled during the test of the prototype, only to discover one of the remote pressure lines to an unloading valve was not drilled through.

Would you encourage your kids and grandkids to pursue an engineering career
I still would. Simply because academic curriculums in majority of the engineering schools world over are gradually listening to the industry needs. Industry is demanding from the educational institutions that they should not produce engineers in mass, as a production item, but produce engineers with the help of the relevant industries. A well trained, groomed and focused engineer is still an asset to the industry.