Resident Engineering: Ensuring Smooth Cooperation Between the OEM and the Manufacturer

In manufacturing, “error” is a word all value chain partners strives to avoid. Every entity dreams of flawless processes—or at least, of issues that can be resolved quickly and efficiently. This is where resident engineers come into play: quality liaisons who bridge the gap between manufacturers and their customers. They are the guardians of trust and quality—the suppliers’ eyes and ears at the OEM’s site.

Our partners’ quality liasions

TRIGO’s resident engineers work on-site at our partners’ customer facilities, representing the supplier and ensuring that any issues with supplied parts are addressed before they escalate into production stoppages or costly disruptions.
“Our resident engineers have been supporting SEG Automotive for many years, helping them enhance their production excellence worldwide. In TRIGO’s cross-continental resident projects, our main clients are manufacturers supplying directly to OEMs. They rely on us to strengthen their OEM relationships by addressing issues immediately on site—or, when that’s not possible, by minimizing their impact,”  explains Zoltán Szabó, TRIGO’s Resident Manager overseeing operations across Europe and Asia.
TRIGO Group provides resident engineering service to its partners since 2013, supporting manufacturers and their customers, the OEMs cooperation ever since then.
“Acting as the technical representatives of our suppliers, our resident engineers manage to clarify or justify customer concerns before they become official complaints — a strong indicator of effective cooperation in manufacturing partnerships.” the Resident Manager of Europe and Asia adds.

TRIGO has already completed 1,000 resident projects and has been a partner to all known Tier 1 companies

For decades, TRIGO has been a trusted partner in the automotive sector. Today, our resident engineering division extends far beyond automotive, serving clients across all manufacturing industries. TRIGO leverages global presence, but also mobilize local expertise, with activities covering the needs of every continent, saving their partners money, time, and spare parts.
“We manage our work through a digital platform using our very own TREDnet software. This platform allows our partners to see the real-time efficiency of our resident engineers, wherever they are in the world.
They can stay updated about any arising incident via the platform, see if it is handled by TRIGO and if there is a quick need to cooperate in the solution, they could transparently see that as well and act upon in time, saving time, money and resources”  adds Zoltán Szabó.
Demand for TRIGO’s resident engineering services continues to grow as manufacturers seek consistent representation across all their OEM customers.
“Meeting this demand requires complex coordination and a continuously expanding team.” he continues.
“We’re proud to be launching our 1,000th resident project soon—and to have partnered with every major Tier 1 company in the industry. More than 400 resident engineers currently support our manufacturing partners at OEM sites worldwide.”

A Career of Meaningful Impact

Zoltán believes that solving such problems, saving time, energy, and money for already overburdened manufacturers as a resident engineer, is a rewarding path, and he feels this way he can have a real, tangible impact on processes.
“It feels great that our work results in significantly less waste: the measurable result of our work is clearly demonstrated by how many parts we have saved, and this is very inspiring,”  he explained.
“This job has taught me that first impressions are often deceiving. You shouldn’t jump to conclusions: first you have to look at the facts, understand the situation, and only then make a decision. This is precisely what the role of a resident engineer is all about: investigating questionable situations, finding the right people, and working together to find a solution.
This approach is closely aligned with the Japanese San Gen Shugi philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of the location, the actual facts, and real-world experience. I believe that successful resident engineers follow this approach in their daily work: there is a solution to every problem if we work together and base our search on facts.”