In 20 years with Marshall Aerospace, Jon Burnip has progressed from a university placement to the role of Aerospace Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
Reflecting on his journey so far and looking to the future, Jon outlines his vision for engineering and product development at Marshall.
A career made at Marshall
Jon’s arrival at Marshall was the result of equal parts luck and initiative: as an undergraduate studying Aerospace Engineering at the University of Southampton, he picked up the phone to Marshall’s Engineering Director, speculatively asking about potential industry experience.
Evidently Jon made the right impression, as he was offered a placement in the summer of 2003, on the back of which he then received an offer for a Design Engineer role.
Jon’s career continued to thrive as he took on new challenges, with Marshall offering plenty of opportunities for leadership on a variety of projects ranging from design engineering and stress analysis to durability testing and systems engineering.
Fast-forwarding to today, Jon is now responsible for developing and implementing Marshall Aerospace’s Technology Roadmap , focusing on future product opportunities and new approaches to delivering extraordinary products for our customers.
“I have been extremely fortunate that Marshall has afforded me the flexibility to change my role to follow my interests,” says Jon.
“I’m now in a position where I have a breadth of knowledge and skills that I could not have gained elsewhere and my role continues to challenge me.”
In his new remit as Aerospace Chief Technology Officer, Jon will be considering how Marshall continues to drive engineering forward for years to come, which includes capability enhancement, technology acquisition and planning for successful delivery of our product roadmap.
What does extraordinary engineering look like?
During decades of industry leadership, Marshall has solved some incredibly complex problems and designed solutions which perform in service for our customers, acquiring a comprehensive set of approvals and a depth of engineering and scientific knowhow, broadly comparable to an aircraft original equipment manufacturer (OEM).
Marshall uses the term “deep engineering” to describe to our ability to delve into complex problems, and design and implement fully integrated solutions. Our process allows us to really understand a problem, leverage the knowledge of our engineers across multiple specialist disciplines, and then design, approve, validate and deliver a fit-for-purpose solution.
“Deep engineering capability gives us competitive edge, and comes from the unique combination of Marshall's strengths,” says Jon.
“On one hand, we can solve highly complex problems across a range of aircraft systems, thanks to the breadth and depth of our expertise. On the other hand, we are one of only a few businesses with the manufacturing, integration and test capabilities along with all the approvals needed to turn our solutions into reality.
“In that sense, what makes us unique is the ability to take a project all the way from understanding the problem to making the solution reality.”
The diversity and depth of talent at Marshall has created an incredibly well-rounded team where everyone—from experienced engineers and specialists to graduates and apprentices— contribute new approaches to problem-solving and deliver market leading solutions.
What is the future of engineering at Marshall?
“The future of Marshall engineering is informed by the future needs of our customers, and the global challenges we face,” explains Jon.
Whether the objective is special mission delivery, automation of safety critical systems, reaching net zero optimising supply chains or extracting maximum value and performance from in service platforms, Marshall aims to shape a safe, sustainable and efficient future.
“There are a number of trends which significantly impact the aerospace industry and the way we approach engineering.”
It is important that we evolve our engineering practices and exploit new and emerging technologies to be able to effectively address real-world challenges and add value to the industry. Combining cutting-edge technology with our experience that spans over a century, Marshall engineering will continue to push boundaries and redefine the possible.
To learn more about the capability enhancements we have to offer, click here.