Brief Biography
He graduated from Universiti Malaya with a Bachelor's Degree in Chemical Engineering. Before graduation, he completed his internship in Top Glove Corporation Berhad in 2016 as a Research and Development Industrial Trainee. He started his career in ExxonMobil Research and Engineering as a Process Monitoring and Analysis Engineer in 2017, contributed to various engineering studies, which resulted in margin improvement from increased yields and energy efficiency. Currently, he is working as an Alkylation Process Engineer, leading engineering benchmarking studies to identify margin improvement opportunities across units via improvement on advanced control applications.
Personal experience when stepping into a career
ExxonMobil provides many pieces of training for fresh graduates to adapt to the company. Although the pressure of working is still high despite the training given, as the company is filled with people with extraordinary capabilities, the competitiveness will prompt one to work harder and become a better self.
For a country to grow, we need a strong industry;
For an investor to be attracted, we need solid graduates;
For sustainable national growth, we need well-developed industries.
The graduate engineer must know about the optimization of the industry for the industry to be at its peak.
Tip 1: You can expect a starting salary of RM3000 - RM4000 on average as a fresh graduate.
Brief Biography
Mr. Low How Enn graduated from Universiti Malaya with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering in 2013. He started out as a Business Analyst working in the IT sector before moving into waste heat recovery business in 2015. At CiTECH Energy Recovery System Malaysia, he gained experience in thermal design of Waste Heat Recovery Unit (WHRU) and Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG). Today he works as a Process Engineer at Desmet Ballestra, a world specialist in edible oil processing plants.
Mr. Toh Beng Leong
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Are there any training or workshops available to assist the transition from the fresh graduate to work-life?
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Is there any potential job or position available for the chemical engineer in your company?
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In your opinion, would the engineers be replaced by AI in the manufacturing and processing industry?
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This is your Project description. Provide a brief summary that will help visitors understand your work.
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Possibility for the engineers to be replaced in the future
Despite the rapid growth of Artificial Intelligence in the industry, the role of engineering in monitoring these systems is still irreplaceable.
Moreover, the demand for resources will escalate following the world population growth, more industries will have to be developed for catering to the increasing demands, this is where engineers will be needed, and thus the role of an engineer will remain significant in the industries.
Personal Advice for the undergraduates and the youngsters
As a university student, it is important to be well-balanced between study life and co-curricular life for one to be well equipped with social skills and knowledge.
The need for pursuing further education (Master’s degree or Ph.D.) depends on one's perspective. One might find that a bachelor’s degree is insufficient for a better career, and one might find that working experiences are more crucial in developing career skills.
Tip 2: The knowledge learned during a bachelor’s degree will serve as the crucial fundamentals during a career. It would be significant to have strong fundamentals before stepping into a career.
Summarised Outcome
Synergy among engineers of different disciplines
Process engineers are the chief designers (decide the capacity of the plant, size of the plant, size of
the tank, etc.)
• Then pass it on to mechanical engineers (stress analysis, prove the integrity of the vessel,
decide thickness, do the layout of the plant for client visualization, etc)
• Electrical engineers (decide the spec (specification) for instruments etc)
Salary range of fresh graduates
Depends on the type of company end-users (top of the hierarchy): high pay (around 4000)
• Contractor firm: 3000 and above
• Smaller firms: might go less than 3000
• 3000 - 4000 is reasonable
Challenges faced when working on commissioning
• Not in an air-conditioned room or typical 8 - 5 working time
• Work on an ad hoc basis (follow the client's request)
• The harsh environment and long hours (big sun and heavy rain
What motivates him to continue to a career path in commissioning
• Satisfaction after solving the problem
• Risk-taker - like to work in a challenging environment
Personal advice for the undergraduates and the youngsters
• As a university student, it is important to be well-balanced between study life and co-
curricular life for one to practice social skills and extra knowledge.
• The need to pursue further education (Master’s degree or Ph.D.) depends on the company
(if they value it)
• Reality: master's certificate was not useful to request a higher pay
Tip 1: You will need the knowledge you learned in university, such as fluid mechanics, mass and
energy balance
Tip 2: Pick up some skills related to engineering (data science, process simulation). Always invest in
yourself to sharpen your skill and expand your knowledge, which is irreplaceable by technology
Tip 3: Try not to do things in routine and be open to new challenges
Tip 4: Be humble
