Edgardo Rosales is a Bucket Technician who has been with FieldCore since the creation of the company. His career started long before FieldCore, when in 1989 he joined Kawasaki Motors to work for the motorcycle factory in Philippines and then Japan. After that he moved into the construction industry, installing mechanical equipment, and eventually joined Granite Services (a predecessor to FieldCore) in 2012 to do enhanced compressor upgrades. In 2017, he transitioned to FieldCore to work as the Bucket Technician responsible for inspection, repair and installation of the buckets on the rotor of the gas turbine.
Everyone will agree that it is not easy to be constantly traveling for work and to Edgardo it is not an unusual thing to be away from his family. He frequently travels internationally, throughout the Asia region, joining various teams to perform his part of the job.
According to Edgardo this is a very challenging position as the rotor, on which the buckets are located, is the most critical part of the gas turbine and requires the highest level of attention, focus and experience to perform the job with precision and excellence. Tolerances within this critical part of the equipment are measured in the thousands of an inch and mean the difference between a smooth operating, electricity producing marvel of science and a hunk of melting metal.
The passion for his job, the feeling of responsibility and everyday challenges keep him motivated and energized to perform at the top of his abilities.
This is what kept Edgardo going throughout the shockingly intense 90+ days of assignments in China that happened during the very peak of Covid-19.
The jobs had to be performed to keep the lights on, especially as the pandemic worsened. So, when the Covid-related situation started to escalate in the region and China imposed a travel ban, Edgardo turned out to be the only available bucket technician that was already deployed to the region and was ready to take on the assignments.
What followed will wow everyone. It represents an example of true dedication and passion for his work. Edgardo traveled to nine customer sites, contributed to 12 critical jobs, spent 40+ days in several quarantines and covered 10,000 kms while making 15 trips inside of China by train, plane, bus etc.
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Due to the newly imposed government regulations, his first assignment in Nanjiang started with a 14-day unexpected quarantine inside of a room at a customer site. Edgardo jokingly shared with us that it was very boring to be locked up in that room with no TV and the ability to go out, but luckily there was the internet connection and his smartphone came to be of a great help.
Edgardo was very modest answering the question, how did he manage to go through this very difficult time. He said he simply had to stay strong, but one thing he did specifically highlight was how supportive the crew, Field Engineers and managers were to him and the support they provided to enable Edgardo to accomplish all the steps along his journey. And most of all, the ability to frequently talk to his family really empowered him and gave him the boost to keep working and delivering.
After having completed all his assignments, Edgardo still was not able to rejoin his family. He spent an additional 42 days in Hong-Kong waiting for the flight home to finally take place, after being canceled numerous times. Eventually he did make it home and had to go through another 14-day quarantine. Today Edgardo continues to contribute to powering the world. He just completed three consecutive projects in Korea and is preparing to head to China for a new project in September.
Special thanks to Edgardo and all of our FieldCore Family for the extreme sacrifices you have made during this global pandemic. Your efforts have kept hospitals operating, grocery stores open and homes heated and cooled over the past 20+ months. You are true, unsung heroes of this pandemic and always.