Anniversary interview with Pärtel-Peeter Kruuv - the Face and Soul of Innovation

Interviews & Articles

14.03.2019

Welcome to our anniversary interview with Magnetic MRO’s Interior Project Manager Pärtel-Peeter Kruuv. Pärtel-Peeter is the face and soul of our Interiors team, and he is about to celebrate an important work anniversary.

In the spirit of that, our Marketing and Communication Specialist Eleen Änilane sat down with him to ask about his experiences in the company and to talk about the most exciting trends in the aviation industry.

Eleen Änilane: Pärtel, thank you for finding the time to meet me - I know life is super busy at the Interiors department! How long have you been working at Magnetic MRO? Pärtel-Peeter Kruuv: It’s been almost five years. EÄ: Wow, congratulations! Perfect timing for an interview, huh? How did you get involved in aviation? PPK: I liked building model airplanes when I was a little kid, I think it started when I went to the 2nd grade, and the hobby has actually never left me as I fly and compete with them even now. EÄ: In the 2nd grade?! Did you always know you wanted to be on the technical side of aviation, not a pilot, which is what most kids dream about? PPK: In complete honesty, being a pilot was never a dream of mine. The prestige that goes with the job might seem attractive at first, but flying an aircraft every day would probably have gotten too boring for me as there’s understandably no room for creativity.

I’ve always been interested in product design and pursuing an education in that field would have been my plan B. I’m fascinated by how the functionality of things meet with the aesthetical side, and how in the end you have something that both works well and looks good. Luckily, our industry has a lot of that. The requirements in aviation create both design and engineering related challenges every day but I like to be tested that way. I like the fact that aviation is a very demanding field. EÄ: It seems like you ended up in the right place. What are the departments and job titles you've worked under so far at MMRO? PPK: Between 2013 and 2014 I was a basic mechanic apprentice. During the period of 2014-2016, I worked as a Slideshop supervisor, between 2016- 2018 I was an Interior workshop supervisor, and since 2018 I’ve been working as an Interior Project Manager. EÄ: Can you tell us more about your current job? What are your main tasks at work? PPK: My main tasks are related to handling production projects for our external customers. It mostly means finding different technical solutions, raw materials and subcontractors who can help us to pull it all off. In addition to this, I work on long-term projects, like developing Virtual Reality software to show existing and potential customers our interior solutions and materials.

EÄ: I know you’re a firm believer in innovation and 3D-printing. Can you point out some of the most important trends in that field? PPK: Aviation is a very traditional and conservative industry mainly due to safety reasons. Nevertheless, I believe that we’ll see additive manufacturing more on more as it allows engineers to re-design familiar parts to become lighter and therefore less costly for operators to use due to the fuel savings. This means that there will be mostly evolution, not revolution, and passengers may not even notice that the tray-table they unfold is 50% lighter and made by space-age-technologies. People fly more and more, and OEMs will have to come up with better ways to make aircraft more fuel-efficient. For example, if you can make a single airplane seat 300 grams lighter, it could save a commercial airline hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in fuel and emission-taxes. In our daily MRO environment it can mean on-demand jigs and tools to reduce time spent on some tasks, possibly lowered risk of human-error or simply shorter lead times of commonly required but hard to get spares. EÄ: Your colleagues have called you “the face of the company” because you’re always working on finding new ways to promote our company, and constantly searching for new solutions for doing things better. How do you manage to keep your enthusiasm? Do you have any tips for the rest of us, mortals? PPK: I think that working in this industry, you really need to be a fanatic. This is the main thing that helps to keep you going. You have to really like what you do. EÄ: So you don’t have a secret trick, like yoga, meditation etc.? PPK: Honestly, what motivates me the most is my own laziness. Why do all 3 steps when you can accomplish the same with just 2 steps - finding out new ways to save time and effort is often what drives me to new solutions. EÄ: Can you remember your best memory at Magnetic MRO? Do you mind sharing it with us? PPK: Hmm... I need to think about it a little. Some of the best memories are definitely related to moments when the customers are sincerely and positively surprised about what we can do in our workshop. Another group of the best memories I’ve gathered are situations where you can see products made by us on a commercial flight. EÄ: How would you define all these years that you’ve spent in Magnetic MRO? PPK: These five years have been the toughest time of my life, but it’s also been a constant process of learning, experiencing and enjoying everything that comes up on a daily basis. EÄ: Would you say that working at Magnetic MRO has changed your life into better? Why? PPK: I see no other company in our field of business that would allow such possibilities for personal development at such a quick pace as Magnetic, so I guess the answer is yes?

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