ALEXANDER PEDERSEN: PURSUING NEW KNOWLEDGE AND PERSPECTIVES

Last autumn, our former intern Alexander Egemar Pedersen returned to PJM to write his Bachelor Project in collaboration with PJM and our GAM25 project team. The project built directly on the work he had already been part of during his internship. The Bachelor Project represents the final milestone in Alexander’s Mechanical Engineering studies at the Technical University of Denmark.

“The Bachelor Project is a great opportunity to work on an interesting case that is rooted in an actual need or challenge that a company has. Because of my internship I knew I wanted to write my project in collaboration with PJM, and I was excited when my advisor from PJM, Patrick Bøgild Bak Andersen, agreed to find me an interesting and challenging case to work on.” Alexander explains. 

A STRONG COMMUNITY

”Writing my final project at PJM has been a great experience. From day one, the focus was on me and my project, with a clear ambition to help me achieve the best possible result. I felt a strong interest and curiosity from my PJM supervisor as well as from other colleagues, which created an open and inspiring environment.” Alexander describes.

While working on a project with PJM, you have ample opportunity to seek out guidance and feedback from your supervisor as well as other specialists from different departments. As a student collaborating with us, you are welcome to visit our facilities in Fårevejle, where you can see solutions implemented in real-life settings, gain inspiration from our many technical specialists, and explore our innovation lab. You can also make use of our office in Ballerup, located close to DTU, providing an easy and flexible base for your day-to-day work. 
Alexander talks about his experience with using our office in Ballerup as his primary writing space. 

“One of the things that has meant the most to me during my project has been the opportunity to work from PJM’s office in Ballerup, right next to DTU. It made a huge difference not having to work from home all the time, but instead being part of a social environment where there is always room for dialogue and sparring. The process can be quite solitary, so being included in the everyday life at the office and having people around who are open and willing to help has been invaluable.”

LEARNING MULTI BODIED DYNAMICS

At PJM, student projects are developed in close collaboration and are always centered around real-world engineering challenges. Our student projects are defined within open frameworks, allowing room for curiosity, initiative and creative exploration. You will work with actual cases and challenges from the company, ensuring that your project is not only academically strong, but also directly relevant to real-life automation. This relevance creates a high level of interest and commitment across the organisation, where colleagues actively engage, spar with you and support the development of solutions within automation and innovation. 

Alexander describes the project he was given: 
“The starting point of my project was an XY-handling challenge with potential applications in several different projects at PJM. After discussing the requirements with Patrick, I began by exploring what PJM really wanted to achieve and screening a broad range of existing concepts. Following advice from a colleague, I shifted my focus towards the motion itself and was introduced to a DTU supervisor and a course that was very relevant to the challenge. At that point, I moved away from the traditional drawing approach and started from scratch with a new concept, rooted in the field of multi-body dynamics. In the end, I developed a solution that could follow the motion path I was aiming for — and even go beyond that.”

As Alexander describes, he made full use of the open framework of his innovation project and approached the challenge from a completely new perspective. By questioning the initial assumptions and exploring the underlying need, the project opened up opportunities to seek new knowledge and tools that ultimately steered it in a different and stronger direction. His open and inquisitive mindset, combined with professional sparring and the freedom to explore, created the right conditions for developing a robust and well-founded solution.

Alexander reflects on the experience: “The project challenged me in ways I did not expect, but that is what made it so exciting. Having open frameworks and the freedom to explore different directions at PJM allowed me to approach the problem in a completely new way. I learned new theory, applied it directly to a real engineering challenge, and in the end succeeded in solving the problem. It was challenging at times, but also deeply engaging, and it allowed me to grow both academically and professionally.”

Following the project, Alexander was offered a position at PJM and will continue to develop the solution himself. From here, Alexander will move on to detailing and manufacturing the solution using the new knowledge and skills he acquired. The final solution will be displayed in our Innovation Lab and is going to be the foundation for future projects.