Meet Hai Lai, Head of Technology – Vapor at John Zink. Hai started as an intern in 2013, seeking industrial experience before deciding to stay due to the excellent equipment, company culture, and friendships. Over the years, he transitioned from project management to process engineering, eventually becoming Head of Technology for the vapor control team. His journey at John Zink has been marked by continuous learning, mentorship, and contributions to innovative projects like the NOxSTAR™ low NOx combustor technology.
I started in May 2013 as an intern. Initially, I wanted to gain industrial experience to decide whether to continue for a PhD program or start working. After my internship, I chose to stay at John Zink due to the excellent equipment, company culture and friendships.
I started as a project management engineer but soon realized process engineering was a better fit. I transitioned to process engineering for flare gas recovery and then took on responsibilities for other vapor control equipment. I served as process engineering manager for the vapor control team for two years before becoming Head of Technology for the team. Throughout the years, I’ve gained extensive knowledge in process engineering, mentoring, and managing projects and teams.
My mentors and the knowledgeable people within the business are always eager to share their expertise, significantly expanding my skills and knowledge. John Zink offers many training courses, and my supervisors have always supported external training relevant to my work.
“My mentors and the knowledgeable people within the business are always eager to share their expertise, significantly expanding my skills and knowledge.”
Hai Lai, Head of Technology – Vapor
Yes, I have had many mentors for both technical and non-technical aspects. They helped me realize my potential and maximize my contribution to the team. They have helped shape who I am today. Being a mentor myself is very fulfilling as sharing my knowledge with the next generation and seeing them grow is one of the best parts of my job.
This is a place where employees are encouraged to proactively acquire and share knowledge and respectfully challenge processes. For example, we’ve often questioned standard designs and operations, leading to significant improvements and changes in our standards.
We developed NOxSTAR™, a low NOx combustor technology that significantly reduces NOx and CO emissions. I worked as a process engineer, spending weeks on various sites with other engineers to study and tune the units. NOxSTAR™ is now one of the best low NOx emission technologies in the industry.
Although John Zink has experts in many disciplines; there are a few disciplines that we don’t have such as metallurgist or corrosion experts. Being part of the Koch network allows me to access those experts and resources from other Koch companies.
The Knowledge principle resonates with me most. It allows me to quickly gain knowledge, challenge and implement new ideas and freely improve my skills.
I am proud that we are the leader in providing environmental control equipment and that we value our customers by being honest about what we can and can’t do. We keep our word and work diligently to resolve any issues.
I would explore the Amazon jungle. I love nature and adventure.