London to Singapore: A year abroad with Dyson

After completing my 4-year degree apprenticeship with Dyson, I took up the international assignment graduate offer. This involved relocating 7,000 miles away from home to Singapore for a year to work in the South East Asian (SEA) Dyson offices.

Design Engineering work in the UK versus in Singapore

Dyson products (vacuums, hair dryers, fans etc) are designed in the UK and are manufactured in Malaysia and Philippines. Therefore, engineering work in the UK is more upstream: typically involving more innovation, blue sky thinking and early project planning. This includes a lot of sketching, rough prototyping, defining requirements, collecting user insights (feedback) and involving commercial teams to decide launch strategy, pricing etc.

Engineering work in SEA is more downstream. This means getting prototypes ready for mass manufacture. Once a project is transferred to the Singapore office from the UK, engineers will begin engaging suppliers around Asia to source materials, electronic components and mechanical parts for the product. Designs will be shared with manufacturers to begin creating the moulds, shaping the tools and preparing the assembly line.

Small batches of the product are made and assessed before mass manufacturing commences. These products undergo rigorous validation, life testing and destructive testing before they are launched into the market. (See video about Dyson’s test facilities: Dyson testing – behind the scenes at the Dyson factory)

So, where engineers in the UK focus on designing an idea from scratch and bringing prototypes to a certain level of maturity, engineers in Asia are responsible for getting the products out the door and into the customers’ hands. During mass manufacture, various issues may crop up which have to be addressed swiftly due to tight deadlines and manufacturing milestones. For example, certain materials, parts or adhesives may not function as expected or there may be issues on the assembly line where a certain process time is longer or more complicated than expected hence affecting the cost and profitability. Engineers in SEA will work quickly to problem solve on the assembly line, redesign parts, and work with suppliers to ensure Dyson are producing the most reliable and robust products.

Eid celebration event at work

Life and Culture in Singapore versus the UK

Singapore is full of different and interesting culture compared to what we are used to in the UK. I immersed myself into the new foods, places and activities and learnt so much in the process. The aspect about Singapore’s culture that resonated most with me was the racial harmony and the respect that people of different races and religions have for each other. Having been in mostly white settings for the last 10 years at school and university, I know first-hand the struggles faced by a person of ethnic minority in professional and social environments in the UK.

Although Muslims are still a minority in Singapore, being a border country to Muslim-majority Malaysia has its benefits. Non-Muslim teammates at work were aware of my halal dietary requirements and would only recommend halal restaurants when I was around without me ever asking. Males did not try to shake my hand and respected the boundaries between genders. Everyone was aware that I do not drink and kept away from me or did not drink at all when I was around.

Religious festivals are celebrated on a much grander scale than in the UK. Singapore has public holidays not just for Christmas but for Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha, Diwaali, Vesak and Chinese New Year too. I was amazed to celebrate Eid in Singapore, the Eid decorations and fairs were so energetic and attended by people of all religions. Celebrations lasted for over a month rather than the few days of excitement we see in the UK before everyone heads back to work. There are countless masaajid around the country and the halal food options were literally endless.