The UST Mechanical Engineering (ME) Department took 137 senior students to Japan for its first-ever international plant tour last November 17 to 22, 2024, touring several industries to experience what ‘the best-engineered works look like.’
“International plant tours can broaden one’s horizon and even challenge one’s own limits and perception of what one can do,” Engr. Malana stated in an interview with the Thomasian Engineer.
From May to July 2024, close planning was done to determine the preferred country for an international plant tour. Engr. Malana added that conducting the tour abroad sets a major milestone for the Department and an edge to its attendees.
Among the three options, Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan, ME students, parents, faculty, and travel vendors voted for Japan as the best choice for an international plant tour.
ME students explored various industries in the six-day plant tour, specifically visiting the Ochiai Water Reclamation Center sewerage treatment plant, Tsurimi Incineration Plant, Meiji Food Manufacturing Sakado Plant, and Meiji Chocolate Food Manufacturing Plant, Asahi Beer Brewery Ibaraki Plant, Suntory Brewery Musashino Plant, Kewpie Food Manufacturing Plant, and the NISSAN Engine Museum.
Seven ME faculty members along with Engr. Malana accompanied the students in Japan, namely, ME Department Chair Engr. Eisson M. Marcelo, MSME; ME faculty members Engr. Ma. Francesca D. de Guzman, MSc; Engr. John Enoch T. Grajeda, RMEE; Asst. Prof. Rogelio Jr. O. Almira, PME, MSMgtE, ASEAN Engr.; Engr. Jay Richmond Galvez, MBA; Engr. Eric B. Macalolot, RMEE; and Engr. Matt Miguel-Luiz B. Montemayor.
To accommodate the number of ME student plant tour attendees, the batch was divided into three buses, with all three visiting sewerage and incineration plants. Meanwhile, only two of three buses went to the Suntory plant while the remaining bus went to the Asahi plant instead; this was observed as well with the Meiji Food, Meiji Chocolate, and Kewpie plants.
In an interview with the publication, UST Mechanical Engineering Club (MEC) president Simon Miña said that the international plant tour made him realize that Japan is ahead of its time.
“If there’s one thing I have observed in all the plants I’ve been to [in Japan], it’s that they always strive to do better, even if it is good enough by our standards,” the ME senior highlighted.
Miña further discussed how the sewerage treatment plant developed a more advanced technology to surpass the national standards.
“This culture in the industry is what makes Japan one of the countries that you would look up to in terms of technological advancements,” he added.
Students who were not able to join the international tour went to Cebu and Bohol instead, visiting Profood International Corporation, Lear Corporation, Treasure Island, Richli Water Treatment Plant, and BOHECO Sevilla Hydro Plant on October 13 to 18, 2024.
ME senior Chester Kyle Abejero was able to attend both local and international plant tours offered by the Department to allow a broader knowledge of the industries — how they operate and the responsibilities mechanical engineers possess.
“I had the opportunity to visit a wide variety of industries. Thus, I [was able to] compare and contrast industrial practices in two countries with differing cultures, norms, and economies,” Abejero stated in an interview with the Thomasian Engineer.
Abejero noted differences in employee count, equipment maintenance, manufacturing processes, and technology, among other factors.
“Japanese people have a strong work ethic and discipline. They will only work within the required time, and any inconveniencies or delays will be frowned upon. This allows them to be more efficient while minimizing time wasted in work and in their personal life,” Abejero added.
“By visiting the different plants in Japan, I was exposed to the various roles of mechanical engineers in different industries. I believe that a lot of us were more inspired to pursue mechanical engineering [further] after seeing how much we can achieve in different fields,” MEC president Miña noted.
Miña highlights that discipline and the ‘drive to do better’ are among the few things that he will bring when he works in the industry as he graduates from Ruaño in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Abejero shared that the plant tour allowed him to understand the application of theoretical concepts to practice, along with knowledge that cannot be learned within the four walls of the classroom.
“This exposure allowed me to bridge the gap between academics and industry, which helped me in my career goals to choose the profession I wish to pursue,” Abejero explained further.
Engr. Malana highlighted that the international plant tour marked a milestone for the department, a manifestation that the Department is growing and ready for new opportunities — may it be through research collaborations and internships, among others.
Among all the plants visited, both ME seniors chose the incineration plant as the trip’s highlight as this is “something that does not exist [at present] in the country,” added Abejero. Miña remarked that the construction of an incineration plant in Cebu sets a big step for the country in its solid waste management, allowing a look at a bigger picture of solutions to national problems.
Written by Szarina Silva
Photos courtesy of Engr. Ralph Norman Malana, MBA, Antonio Jose Tolentino, Simon Miña, and Airon Valenzuela