A SPECIALIST AMONG THE CLASSICS
Francis Chua breathes new life into marine engines. He works at the Regional Reman & Overhaul Center Asia, where he and his colleagues overhaul the so-called Classic engines, engine mechanical governor that are no longer produced in series engines.
Copy: Katrin Auernhammer Photos: Andy Chua
“The most exciting thing for me is the engine governor. It's like the brain of an engine and tells it what to do,” says Francis. When he talks about the series 396, 493, 538 or 1163 governors, he means mechanical controls operated by dials. His eyes light up and he beams when he talks about his work: “We disassemble the control, clean it and reassemble it.” On the test bench it is configured to fit the particular type of engine and after successful test runs, the overhauled engine is delivered to the customer and reinstalled in the ferry or ship. “If the trials on the water are successful, we've done a good job.”
Fascination with the engine
Even as a child, he enjoyed taking toys apart and putting them back together. “I wanted to understand how it worked,” Francis chuckles. The fascination with the engine has remained with him. On average, he and his colleagues spend six days working on a 396 or 493 series engine Governor. In addition to the control unit, Francis also overhauls the turbocharger, the oil pump and the coolant or sea water pumps. A strong sense of quality is important to Francis. “We have to and want to give our best every day. The customer should get back an engine that is as good as new and works straight away.”
A ferry operator in Singapore urgently needed his engine back. “He asked me if we could do the overhaul faster,” Francis recalls. Because all the conditions were right and the spare parts were on site, the team overhauled the 8V 396 engine governor in three days instead of six. Get the job done is Francis’ motto.
41 years of work
In 1982, he started as an apprentice at Rolls-Royce Solutions Asia's predecessor company. Back then, the customer base and the location were still small. Today, Francis works with more than 60 colleagues – and the apprentice has become a senior engineer. Francis is proud to work for Rolls-Royce Solutions Asia. Not only are the products fascinating to him, he also appreciates how the company has developed, for example, that the health and safety of all employees at work is a priority.
“The most exciting thing for me is the engine governor. It's like the brain of an engine and tells it what to do,” says Francis. When he talks about the series 396, 493, 538 or 1163 governors, he means mechanical controls operated by dials. His eyes light up and he beams when he talks about his work: “We disassemble the control, clean it and reassemble it.” On the test bench it is configured to fit the particular type of engine and after successful test runs, the overhauled engine is delivered to the customer and reinstalled in the ferry or ship. “If the trials on the water are successful, we've done a good job.”
Fascination with the engine
Even as a child, he enjoyed taking toys apart and putting them back together. “I wanted to understand how it worked,” Francis chuckles. The fascination with the engine has remained with him. On average, he and his colleagues spend six days working on a 396 or 493 series engine Governor. In addition to the control unit, Francis also overhauls the turbocharger, the oil pump and the coolant or sea water pumps. A strong sense of quality is important to Francis. “We have to and want to give our best every day. The customer should get back an engine that is as good as new and works straight away.”
A ferry operator in Singapore urgently needed his engine back. “He asked me if we could do the overhaul faster,” Francis recalls. Because all the conditions were right and the spare parts were on site, the team overhauled the 8V 396 engine governor in three days instead of six. Get the job done is Francis’ motto.
41 years of work
In 1982, he started as an apprentice at Rolls-Royce Solutions Asia's predecessor company. Back then, the customer base and the location were still small. Today, Francis works with more than 60 colleagues – and the apprentice has become a senior engineer. Francis is proud to work for Rolls-Royce Solutions Asia. Not only are the products fascinating to him, he also appreciates how the company has developed, for example, that the health and safety of all employees at work is a priority.
I like coming to work every day and knowing that I will be challenged.
Francis Chua SALES & SERVICE CENTER SINGAPUR
But Francis is particularly proud of the company’s products. “In my 41 years of work, I have been to Friedrichshafen three times for training. I learned so incredibly much there and the quality awareness and passion with which the German colleagues did their job impressed me deeply.”
When asked why he likes this job so much, Francis smiles, pauses for a moment and then says: “I put myself out there to provide customers with the best possible products and services. I’m always learning, evolving and love the challenge of solving complex problems. Coming to work every day and knowing I'm being challenged, learning something new and my work is making a difference – that's what drives me.”
He plans to work one or two more years and then enjoy retirement.
