This is the third installment in our ongoing ‘Meet the Parklane Team’ Q&A blog series.
Growing the Parklane team over 30 years has been a journey of learning and exploration for our leadership group. As we’ve expanded our service offering, it’s meant working to recruit the very best talent our industry has to offer, then providing the right support so that everyone from our trades and engineering professionals to our administrative staff can excel in their roles. Often that’s meant looking beyond the noise and vibration control sector, finding dedicated professionals who can help us deliver the kind of service-first solutions that our clients have come to expect.
Shrujan Mehta is a great example of an engineer that we recruited from outside of our core industry, and someone whose contributions have become a key part of our growth strategy. In our latest ‘Meet the Parklane team’ blog, Shrujan tells the story of how he built a strong resume overseas before migrating to North America. Once here, he honed his engineering skills in the automotive industry before changing lanes and applying his expertise in noise and vibration control:
Key info
Team member: Shrujan Mehta
Position: Applications Engineer
Education: Graduated with a Bachelor of Technology degree in mechanical engineering from Rajasthan Technical University and completed an advanced diploma in mechanical design at Centennial College. He is currently working toward earning PMP and P.Eng certifications.
When he’s away from the office: Shrujan is passionate about spending time with his family and friends. When he’s not helping our clients address their vibration control issues, he’s usually with his loved ones or gaming on his Xbox. He’s also got a musical ear and isn’t shy to jam out on his guitar at home. Whether he’ll play for our team at the next Parklane event remains to be seen.
Can you tell us about your professional background?
After earning my engineering degree in Kota, India, I worked as a maintenance engineer for an outsourced pharmaceutical manufacturing firm in Ahmedabad. I trained in hydraulic system and pump maintenance and it was my job to maintain and troubleshoot faulty equipment, including HVAC systems. Then in 2014, I decided to make the move to Canada, where I worked for three years as a mechanical designer for a brake manufacturer, reverse engineering brake components, creating part drawings to scale and designing mission-critical tools. I started my career at Parklane in July, 2019.
What’s your current role on the Parklane team?
As a project coordinator and applications engineer, my original role was focused on helping to design our custom noise control solutions at various stages of the project life-cycle. That included creating drawings of components such as equipment, HVAC and industrial silencers, along with preparing drawings for client review. Our solutions are very flexible and adaptive, and client requirements are constantly shifting, so I would also manage additional design projects as needed. But my role shifted once we entered into a product partnership last year with Mason Industries.
Now, I manage inbound inquiries requesting inventory from our Mason product line, outlining project scope and specifications and preparing client quotes. On the application side, I’m still involved with developing engineered solutions drawings, but a great deal of my time is now focused on working directly with our vibration control clients and servicing their needs. Order fulfillment, VIRS inventory management and accounting are crucial aspects of that role, along with conducting business development to expand our vibration control product and service offering. It’s a lot of work, but the opportunity to grow this new side of our business is really exciting.
How does your past experience relate to this current role at Parklane?
I think the experience I gained previously has been very important to my position at Parklane because it broadened my engineering and design skill set. It also gave me the opportunity to work on a diverse range of projects. While it’s important for many engineers and technical professionals to specialize, being able to work in different industries and with a lot of different clients is important. I’m able to share that diverse experience with Parklane customers as we help them navigate their noise and vibration control challenges. That could be proactively during the construction phase when a facility is being built, or retrofitting a solution post-construction for compliance. That experience also gave me the background and confidence to move into project management, which has become the main focus on my work handling our Mason product line.
What drew you to Parklane?
I learned really quickly that our leadership team wants this to be a family environment, where people feel respected, valued and can bring their best to work every day. I really liked that about the company from the minute I started. People here are willing to help you out when you’re stuck; it’s really about giving the best service to our clients and finding ways to win together as a team.
I didn’t have any experience in the noise or vibration control industry prior to Parklane, but I quickly learned just how interesting it can be. The opportunity that I was given was massive for me, and it was quite easy to get up to speed because of the support that my colleagues were always willing to provide.
What do you think is the most unique feature of Parklane’s culture?
I would say that the opportunity that you get at Parklane is different than anywhere else I’ve worked. People here are knowledgeable and helpful and if you put in a really solid effort, you get rewarded for it. I love the fact that I get to learn new things every day. There’s still so much to learn about noise and vibration control, but also about our clients’ businesses and how we can help them address their challenges. Every project is different, and that makes it really exciting to come to work each day.
Need to reach a Parklane team member to discuss your noise and vibration control challenges? Contact us now.