The people behind our progress
What engineering means to me — Part 2
October 28, 2025
2 Minute Read
At John Crane, we're proud to celebrate Engineers Day with our colleagues in India.
In the second of four Engineers Day blogs, we asked our team about the challenges they have faced and how their technical and personal skills and teamwork helped to overcome them.
AMIRAL (Saudi Aramco) with EETC by Sonali Malunjkar, Supervisor, Global Compressor Seal Systems
“Every project has challenges, but some are career turning points. This is already one of the most rewarding of my John Crane journey.
Unique in scale and complexity, this modern and efficient refining and petrochemicals platform is part of a major venture, jointly owned by Saudi Aramco.
As lead engineer, I have complete ownership of designing and implementing the dry gas seal system skids and work closely with specialist global teams.
The first challenge was aligning vendors to meet the stringent specifications for every design and document and meet Saudi Aramco's customer expectations.
The second involved coordinating multiple teams, managing design updates, and maintaining schedule discipline for the simultaneous delivery of all the skids. These tasks demanded a high level of focus, teamwork and strong project management skills.
Looking back, I consider this project an achievement because it allowed me to:
- Gain in-depth knowledge of Aramco specifications.
- Enhance my ability to coordinate across multiple teams and vendors.
- Develop resilience in handling complex documentation and design revisions.
- Build the confidence to deliver under tight timelines.
The AMIRAL project has already shaped me into a stronger and more capable engineer. It has been my most challenging and rewarding assignment to date.
It has tested my limits, sharpened my skills, and prepared me for even greater responsibilities, not just as an engineer, but as a leader.
Away from pipelines and infrastructure engineering, in the third of four Engineers Day blogs, we'll see what our colleague, Harshawardhan Patil, sees as the direction of travel for our industry, and the innovations that will assist that journey.
If our Engineers Day blog series has already convinced you that John Crane could offer you more than 'just' a career in engineering, then consider joining our community.
We are driven by a pioneering spirit and a legacy of innovation, which will help us achieve the sustainability goals that shape the future of our world.
Learn more about our company, see what makes us different on our DEI page, or if you are ready, search our job openings.