The company stands were packed as around 300 master's students searched for thesis projects at this year's master’s thesis fair in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design – an event that benefits both the students and the companies taking part. “This is our way of attracting new talent,” says Mona Ivarsson from the company Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Sweden AB.
Every year during the autumn semester, the master’s thesis fair in Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design is arranged, giving master's students the opportunity to meet companies that offer various thesis projects linked to their business.
“The master’s thesis fair is an important first contact between students and industry, especially for international master's students who often lack contact with Swedish companies,” says Magnus Ekh, who is responsible for the master's programme in Applied Mechanics and is in charge of this year's fair.
However, the fair is not only an opportunity for the students, it also benefits the companies that participate.
“The companies that come see this as an opportunity to make valuable contacts for future recruitment,” says Magnus Ekh.
One of the exhibitors this year was the company Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Sweden AB, which works with hydraulics and develops valves. Mona Ivarsson was at the company's stand with her colleagues, and she confirms that the fair is an important opportunity for companies.
“This is the second time we have participated in this fair and it has been very rewarding. We have had students who have done their thesis projects in collaboration with us thanks to us being here and marketing ourselves, so it has been very positive. This is our way of attracting new talent," she says.
Among approximately 300 students at the fair were Edit Pålsson and Ebba Jensen, who are studying the master's programme in Industrial Design Engineering. They plan to write their thesis together and came to the fair for inspiration.
“We came here with a fairly open mind, but in general we have talked about how we like to work towards sustainability and user-centred design,” says Edit Pålsson, and Ebba Jensen agrees:
“Exactly, rather than something very technical, we want to have a lot of focus on the user.”
Others looking for thesis projects in the exhibition were Agnes Sundström and Julia Ekener, who are studying the master's programme in Product Development.
“We just want to see what different types of thesis projects and opportunities are available and get some inspiration. We are interested in developing different products, so Asko's projects might be something for us,” says Julia Ekener.
The company Asko Appliances AB develops various types of home appliances and is participating in the fair for the third time. This year, they got many students interested in a project focusing on improving the user experience of a dishwasher.
“We are here because we want lots of students to apply for our thesis projects. We work a lot with product design and we want to find students who can understand the user problems with dishwashers and come up with improved prototypes that we can use to further develop the design and then use in our production,” says Isak Hellgren, electrical engineer at Asko Appliances AB.
The master’s thesis fair is aimed at second-year students from the master’s programmes Mobility Engineering, Applied Mechanics, Production Engineering, Product Development, Materials Engineering, and Industrial Design Engineering.
In addition to second-year master’s students, a number of first-year students showed up to find out what to expect when they start looking for thesis projects next year.
“I am here to understand what the companies will offer, what to look out for next year, what I should expect and how I should prepare myself,” says first-year student Adyuth Hisham.
Surya Sajeev, a first-year student in the Production Engineering programme, was there for the same reason and got some ideas for next year.
“There are a few companies offering projects on digital twins, which some of the subjects I'm currently studying are connected to, so that’s something I might be interested in.”
The companies that participated in the fair:
AFRY
ASKO Appliances AB
Bulten Fasteners AB
Combitech AB
EDRMedeso
FS Dynamics
GKN Aerospace Sweden AB
Heart Aerospace
Parker Hannifin Manufacturing Sweden AB
RISE
SeaTwirl
T-Engineering
Uniso
Volvo Cars
Volvo Group Trucks Operations
Volvo Group Trucks Technology
Volvo Penta
- Full Professor, Material and Computational Mechanics, Industrial and Materials Science