Our Industry Person of the Week is Jonathon Fournier, Design Engineer II, Mechanical Seals Engineering Operations & NPD for A.W. Chesterton Company.
Q: How did you get started working in your field?
Jonathon: Throughout college I had the chance to work in graduate research labs under professors and students working mainly in composite materials. I really enjoyed my time in the labs at school, so when I got the opportunity to work in the engineering test lab at Chesterton I jumped right in. I get to work on development and testing of mechanical seals and packings, focusing mainly in mechanical seals.
Q: What do you love the most about your job? What are you most proud of?
Jonathon: I love the ongoing opportunities to problem solve and innovate. I also love the diversity of applications in our industry. I have worked on projects from waste water management to products involved in nuclear power systems. It provides ongoing opportunities for continually improving and innovating new products. I enjoy the process from ideation through product release. I am proud of the products and custom sealing solutions I have contributed to during my time at Chesterton. The way in which the teams here collaboratively pull from the decades of experience from the employees at the company to create products and solutions is really cool to be a part of. It is a pretty awesome feeling when a product you’ve worked on gets released and you get to see it in customer’s hands and working in the field.
Q: What advice would you give to someone considering this line of work or new to the field?
Jonathon: Don’t be afraid to ask questions. I have realized that almost everyone I meet in this industry is more than happy to answer questions and share their experiences. The more you can learn and absorb, the more equipped you will be to solve problems and provide solutions down the line.
Q: Can you talk about a project you recently worked on?
Jonathon: Recently, I have been working a lot with split mechanical seals. This product provides an abundance of opportunity not only designing for maximum performance and reliability, but also design consideration for ease of use for the end user. Drawing from the abundance of engineering experience and utilizing customer feedback I think we have created a great blend, providing a high performance seal with a great end user experience.
Q: Anything Else you would like to add?
Jonathon: It is pretty astonishing how wide a reach the pumps & equipment industry has. When I started in this industry I had no idea the impact pumps had on our daily lives and industries all over the world. It is really cool to have the opportunity to create products and work with customers who provide the luxuries and lifestyle we have today.
Connect with Jonathon on Linkedin – https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathon-fournier-317b7450/
THANK YOU, JONATHON! WE LOOK FORWARD TO KEEPING UP WITH YOU THROUGH THE #PUMPTALK COMMUNITY!
KNOW AN AMAZING PERSON WHO IS MAKING VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS WITHIN INDUSTRY? NOMINATE THEM TO BE AN “INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE WEEK”!
