Arriving in 2019 at the armoured vehicle manufacturer KNDS France (ex-Nexter), Manon Guillet is part of the team of engineers located in Versailles-Satory (Yvelines) which ensures the survivability of soldiers and their vehicles. “This encompasses several functions, such as shielding, the ability to remain undetected and untargeted, mobility…” explains the 29-year-old engineer. She quickly got into action by qualifying around twenty vehicles from the Scorpion program, which aims to modernize the Army.
The 2015 attacks that struck France marked a turning point in her life and shaped her career. Wondering how to be useful to her country by drawing on her knowledge of mechanical engineering, she chose to join the defense industry. In addition to her desire to serve, the young woman stands out for her strong capacity for initiative and great strength of conviction. “It’s a chance to be able to contribute. When a need arises, you can present your ideas as long as they are relevant and well-reasoned,” she supports.
She was thus at the origin of the adoption of a new method for vehicle survivability tests. The young woman convinced her superiors, but also the end customer, the Directorate General of Armaments, to make wider use of digital tools, particularly in terms of simulation, in addition to field tests. She unearthed software used in the aeronautics sector and secured internal funding to adapt the tool to the needs of KNDS. It has been deployed for almost two years and has made Manon Guillet the first woman to obtain the rank of specialist in her field of expertise, only three years after her arrival.
Great appetite for knowledge
This Grasse native appreciates the cross-functional nature of her duties. “I am present throughout the entire program development cycle, from upstream studies to production and maintenance in operational conditions, she rejoices. It is gratifying to see our product being used by the military.” Her appetite for knowledge and her hard work motivated her to enroll in a bilingual French and Italian section at high school and to obtain a double specialty (design and development of products and modeling of thermomechanical systems) at the University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard.
“I am curious and I like the logic behind physics,” she emphasizes. Despite her young age, she already enjoys passing on her knowledge. She follows engineering school students in their projects and goes to middle school classes to explain her job. Outside of the office, the young woman and newlywed prefers manual activities: DIY, gardening, watercolors, etc. “It clears my head.” Athletic, she has been dancing since the age of 6, in classical, contemporary, neoclassical, modern jazz, zumba versions… A passion that led her to get involved by becoming vice-president of a dance association with more than 400 members in Vauhallan (Essonne).
The work that characterizes her
The literary trilogy “The Pact of the Marchombres”, by Pierre Bottero
“The orphan heroine, Ellana, stands out to me as a spiritual guide. She promotes values that resonate with me: harmony, balance, friendship, inner strength.”
Source: www.usinenouvelle.com
