Seven students from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) had an incredible experience in France from September 28th to October 8th. The students, Adam Danial, Ahamad Amirul Afhiq, Ahmed Salihin, Chong Sheng Zhe, Dhifvesh, Harry Becqam, and Toh You Ping from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FKM), were selected from over 20 applicants to participate in the 8th Global Outreach Programme (GOP) to France. During their visit, they attended lectures, visited industries, and explored various places that exposed them to the economic, social, and cultural aspects of France.
From September 29th to October 4th, the students were in Saint-Malo, where they visited the Institut Universitaire de Technologie (IUT) Saint-Malo. On the first day at the IUT of Saint-Malo, they were welcomed by Monsieur Jean-Pascal Gayant, the Director of IUT. The students attended an English class by Valerie Coste and also had the opportunity to visit the hôtel de ville, the city hall, which is a building reminiscent of the 17th-18th century. They were welcomed by the Deputy Mayor, Abel Kilnie, who showed them some parts of the office tower that were not open to the public. Additionally, the students visited German iron bunkers built during World War II located in St-Servan, which still showed the effects of the war.
On the second day, the students spent half of the day at LAITERIE DE SAINT MALO, an industry that produces milk powder, yoghurt, and soft, fresh cheese. The company implements the fourth industrial revolution (IR 4.0) but still uses the same production methods and ingredients as it did 60 years ago. David Prodhomme, the methods maintenance and energy engineer, and Remi Lebreton, the Continuous Improvement Manager, spent a few hours explaining the various processes to the UTM students. The company exports 80% of its milk powder to chocolate makers worldwide, including Beryl’s Chocolate and Confectionery Sdn. Bhd. On returning to Saint-Malo, the students stopped at Le Pointe du Grouin, a beautiful and stormy headland, for a picnic lunch. The view over the islands and rocks was fantastic, and the students enjoyed hiking through some of the trails. From there, they could see Le Mont Saint Michel across the sea, 50 km away.
During the middle of the week, the students paid a visit to the Cornille-Harvard Bell Foundry, which has been in operation since 1865 and is known for its centuries-old expertise. The students learned about the history of bell-making and the traditional manufacturing process, including mould design and final tuning. They also found out that the foundry produced eight new bells for the Notre Dame Cathedral to replace the ones damaged in the 2019 fire. In the afternoon, the students attended a lecture by Andre Berthelot on Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) in engineering. Berthelot, who is a lecturer at the IUT Saint-Malo, is also an engineer at the Naval Group, a leading French industrial group that specializes in naval defence design, development, and construction.
On the morning of the 4th day at IUT Saint-Malo, Professor Thierry Mare and Professor Patrice Estelle from IUT Rennes presented their research to the students. They have been collaborating with Professor Normah Mohd Ghazali of UTM since 2012. Their research involves establishing the properties of nanofluids and possible applications in heat transfer devices. After the presentation, the students visited C-Log – L’Expertise Supply Chain, a French industry involved in logistics and transport. Later in the day, the students explored the famous Le Mont Saint Michel, the most visited tourist attraction outside of Paris. The historical and cultural island was a maze of old buildings and structures, now turned into souvenir stores. In the evening, the students participated in a bowling competition with the French students from IUT Saint-Malo.
After Erwann Saunier, Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Maintenance (GIM), delivered the closing speech, the students took a train to Le Mans to visit CLAAS Tractor, the fourth and final industry. It was an eye-opening experience to see firsthand the various models of large tractors being manufactured for the global farming industry. Approximately 10,000 mid-range and high-horsepower tractors and custom front loaders were produced at this facility each year.
The GOP group stayed in Paris for three nights and two days. The students visited famous landmarks such as the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and the Obelisk. It is safe to say that our future engineers and leaders were delighted with the GOP experience.