“Orao” – An Example of Knowledge Transfer from Experienced to Younger Colleagues
Graduate metallurgical engineer Zoran Karać has spent most of his working life in the company “Orao”. Although he retired two years ago, he has been re-engaged by the company in order to transfer his long-standing experience and knowledge to his younger colleague Stanko Spasojević. This demonstrates how strongly the Bijeljina-based “Orao” invests in the professional development of its workforce, while also providing opportunities for young and educated professionals.
Karać and Spasojević are employed in the Materials and Product Testing Laboratory Sector, where, in addition to standard material testing methods (mechanical, metallographic, chemical, and non-destructive testing), they also perform specialized testing within the field of the aerospace industry.
The Materials Testing Laboratory monitors processes and prepares test reports for all procedures approved by partner companies, i.e. those for which the company is licensed. All processes must first be verified and then approved. These include, among others, heat treatment processes, welding, electrochemical surface protection, and plasma coating applications. The aerospace industry is considered the pinnacle of technology, as the materials used require complex and highly specific testing. Therefore, personnel with a deep understanding of materials and the conditions in which they are applied are essential, all with the goal of ensuring the safe and reliable operation of aircraft engines, Karać explains.
His goal, as he states, is to train young professionals and introduce them to all aspects and challenges of this work, enabling the new generation of engineers and technologists to more easily cope with the demands of aircraft engine overhaul.
“The ‘Orao’ laboratory follows trends and developments in the aerospace industry and places great emphasis on acquiring new equipment, training, and hiring young professionals. The fact that I transfer my experience and long-standing knowledge to colleague Stanko Spasojević, as well as others, is a natural process, as we older employees want ‘Orao’ to maintain its reputation in the aviation industry for decades to come,” Karać emphasizes, adding that the company also enables young employees to participate in numerous professional seminars and training programs.
Twenty-nine-year-old Stanko Spasojević is employed in the “Orao” Laboratory as a materials testing technologist for both destructive and non-destructive testing, a position he has held for the past two and a half years. In addition, he is an assistant at the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad, at the Department of Materials and Joining Technologies.
“Among other things, at ‘Orao’ I was trained to work with hardness and microhardness testing devices, tensile strength testing machines, and impact toughness testing equipment. I am also qualified for the calibration of this measurement and testing equipment. I hold certification for ultrasonic testing and radiographic testing, Level II. During these two and a half years, we have rarely had identical tasks; we constantly face new challenges, which has allowed me to gain extensive practical experience in my work,” Spasojević explains.
Stanko Spasojević completed his primary and secondary education in Ugljevik. He graduated in Production Engineering from the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad, where he later obtained a Master’s degree in Production Engineering with an average grade of 9.89. He is currently pursuing doctoral studies and states that working at “Orao” is highly valuable to him, as it allows him to more easily explain certain topics in materials testing to his students at the Faculty of Technical Sciences.
“For me, the mentorship of senior colleague Zoran Karać is of great importance, and I believe that I can learn something new every day. The aerospace industry is a very specific and dynamic field, where you are constantly faced with different challenges,” Spasojević emphasizes.
The company “Orao” a.d. Bijeljina has 82 years of experience in the aerospace industry, and its core activity is the overhaul of aircraft engines. The management of “Orao” places special emphasis on employing young engineers and technologists, who are successfully guided by more experienced colleagues who transfer their knowledge and long-standing expertise.
