17 April 2020

Our day with DePuy Synthes, at their manufacturing facility in Leeds, started with a fascinating presentation from a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer, who gave us an overview of the company and its development from two relatively small medical device manufacturers, to one of the largest and most successful orthopaedic companies in the world.

After we had completed the necessary business of finding out how to pronounce the company’s name (it’s De-Pwee Synth-Ees), engineers from different parts of the company explained to us what their job involves and the route they took to landing a career with DePuy Synthes. We were also told about the exciting graduate scheme, which consists of placements in a variety of business areas.

The rest of the day involved performing keyhole surgery on a dummy, designing and pitching a device to fix a broken bone, and taking a spectacular tour of the building. This was my favourite part of a very exciting day as we got to see a variety of different workspaces, from the manufacturing line and test labs to the high-tech offices and mock operating theatres. I really enjoyed the opportunity to network with fellow Scholars and share stories of engineering projects we were working on.

The highlight of the day for me was experiencing an engineering workplace environment for the first time, as I was able to see what jobs in this field involve on a daily basis - I could happily picture myself doing the same thing in the future!

I would highly recommend Arkwright Connect Days to anyone who is not completely decided on which engineering path they would like to pursue in the future.