What a Global Project Sponsor Says

Sam McLaughlin, PE, PMP, External Research Manager, North American Region, at Volvo Group Trucks Technology’s Research Technology Office in Hagerstown, MD, shares the following observations about sponsoring global projects.

How many global capstone design projects have you overseen for your company?

To date we have run approximately eight projects between Chalmers University in Sweden and Penn State. Depending on the topic area, we enlist engineers at various sites to lead the project and student communication.

Can you tell us about one or two of those projects?

First and foremost in my mind is the project I led in spring semester 2017, which was an EGR circuit design for a diesel engine we are operating at the University of Michigan lab. This was very neat because we actually fostered teamwork between students at three universities. Students only have a limited time to deliver a project and this one was particularly successful since I was able to see it in operation over the summer. It is always a terrific result when we can use the student team resource to deliver content that our company needs and uses right away. These students clicked together in many ways — they seemed to appreciate their strengths and all worked together to gain the result of delivering, not only the design, but the components of the EGR system. The second standout project was a robotic tool device that was designed between Chalmers and Penn State which was led by an engineer in Gothenberg and won the best project award at the design showcase.

What motivated your company to sponsor a global, rather than a non-global, project?

Volvo Group is a global company with common engineering processes available at its design sites. Volvo understands that the best talent and experience throughout the world is necessary to be successful.

Did you have any specific concerns about sponsoring a global project? If so, how were those handled?

Yes, concerns about how the students would operate as a team and how cultural differences might impede progress. The realization that these are real concerns, which must be discussed, is always a good start, because teamwork and differences can be an issue. I try to make a point to talk about the issues, and more times than not, the student teams always pull together and enjoy the experience and value of working on a global project. It also helps that our HR division at Volvo has been generous to fund student trips between the two countries, and for many of these students and potential employees this is their first time visiting another country.

If someone from another company asked you why they should sponsor a global project, what would you tell them?

For a global company, which Volvo is, this process not only prepares students for the challenges of global cooperation, but helps to energize and focus our own employees on the benefits and challenges of working internationally.