Introducing Ash Justus - Production Technician
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Ashish, and I am a 5th-year mechanical engineering student at Monash University, currently working at KangaTech as a production technician! I’m part of a student team at Monash that focuses on manufacturing and competing in sounding rocketry competitions. In my spare time, I work on my car, go bouldering and stay up late to watch Formula 1!
What drew you to study Mechanical engineering?
I’ve always been a hands-on person, and I found that studying mechanical engineering allowed me to develop my understanding of mechanical systems to a greater extent, which has helped me pursue my own interests.
What motivates you?
I love working on new and exciting projects that can ultimately help people! I find a lot of enjoyment in learning how things work and developing ways to make processes and systems more efficient. I also enjoy learning from others and working in a team environment where my colleagues push me to give my all.
You have some interesting experience being a part of Monash High Powered Rocketry. Can you speak more about what this entails?
Monash High Powered Rocketry is a student team that develops and manufactures experimental sounding rockets for competitions such as the Australian University Rocketry Competition and Spaceport America Cup. I’ve been on the team since July 2021, and I currently hold the position of Operations Lead! I’ve been able to help develop our hybrid motor, Solaris, and we aim to be the first Australian university team to launch a hybrid rocket (hopefully this year!). Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to fly out with the team to New Mexico to compete in Spaceport America Cup 2023, where we placed 3rd in the 10k COTS category, and 7th overall out of 159 teams! Being on MHPR has been an amazing experience and has given me a lot of experience in not only technical skills but also interpersonal communication and team management.
What does your day-to-day look like working at KangaTech?
My day-to-day at KangaTech is relatively straightforward. I work closely with Keith (Product Manager), who delegates tasks for me to complete throughout the day. Typically, I’ll be assembling, testing and packing systems for customers. This includes physical and software testing to ensure that the customer is guaranteed to work as expected. I also help with receiving new and returned parts, ensuring that our inventory is organised and up to date.
Which resources do you use to keep up with industry news or trends?
I typically use a mixture of LinkedIn and Reddit to keep up to date with broader industry news. If I’m looking for direct updates from key industry figures, I tend to use X, as updates seem to come through faster there.
What are you most looking forward to in the next 12 months?
I look forward to seeing through the end of my degree over the next 12 months, and, subsequently, the start of my professional career in engineering! I’m also keen to see how KangaTech expands, as in my short time here, I’ve already seen incredible growth with no signs of slowing down!