Alfa Laval: Enabling Ambitious Student Engineering
A Formula Student car begins as a collection of ideas, but bringing those ideas to the track
requires much more than good design. Across a season, the work spans development,
manufacturing, testing and project coordination. Industry partners give students the capacity to
follow this process through and take responsibility for a complex technical project.
Alfa Laval contributes to this work through financial sponsorship of KTH Formula Student. This
contribution strengthens the team’s overall ability to develop, build and operate the project
throughout the season.
Engineering for More Efficient Use of Resources
Founded in Sweden in 1883, Alfa Laval has grown from the development of centrifugal
separation technology into a global company with more than 23,000 employees in over 100
countries.
Its operations are built around three core technologies: heat transfer, separation and fluid
handling. Alfa Laval’s heat exchangers are used to transfer heating or cooling and can improve
energy efficiency through applications such as heat recovery. Its separation technologies
include separators, decanter centrifuges, membranes and filters used in areas including food
processing, water treatment and biofuel production. The company’s fluid-handling portfolio
includes pumps, valves and other equipment for industries with demanding process and
hygiene requirements, as well as pumping systems for marine applications.
Together, these technologies are applied across the energy, food, pharmaceutical, water and
marine industries. Much of Alfa Laval’s work is concerned with making industrial processes
more efficient, reducing emissions and using energy, water and raw materials more effectively.
The company is also involved in areas such as clean fuels, electrification and the transition
towards less fossil-dependent industrial systems.
From Design to a Complete Car
Developing a Formula Student car requires more than technical knowledge. Designs must be
manufactured, systems must be assembled, and the completed vehicle must be tested and
prepared for competition. Each stage requires financial resources alongside the work
contributed by our team members.
Through its financial sponsorship, Alfa Laval contributes to KTH Formula Student’s ability to
develop and build the car throughout the season. Rather than being connected to one particular
component, their funding strengthens the project as a whole, helping the team move from
calculations and CAD models to manufactured parts, assembled systems and, ultimately, a
functioning race car.
This contribution gives our members the opportunity to take responsibility for the complete
development process. They must balance performance ambitions with practical considerations
such as manufacturability, reliability and the resources available to the team. That experience is
central to Formula Student and complements the knowledge gained through university studies.
Connecting Students with Industry
Alfa Laval’s approach to early-career development provides a broader context for the
partnership. In Sweden, the company offers opportunities including graduate and talent
programmes, internships, master’s thesis positions and part-time work.
Its Talent Program is aimed at students in their second or third year of study and combines
supervision with summer work and the opportunity to complete a master’s thesis at Alfa Laval.
The company also runs a Graduate Program for recent master’s graduates, providing
experience across different parts of the organisation.
These initiatives reflect the importance Alfa Laval places on helping students and graduates
make the transition into professional working environments. KTH Formula Student approaches
that transition from another direction by giving students responsibility for an ambitious,
multidisciplinary project while they are still at university.
The common ground is the development of people. Team members gain experience in technical
decision-making, collaboration and delivering results under real constraints, while companies
such as Alfa Laval gain a meaningful way to engage with students who are preparing for
careers in industry.
Supporting the Work Behind the Car
Alfa Laval’s sponsorship demonstrates how a financial contribution can support far more than a
single part of a race car. It helps create the conditions in which students can take an idea
through development, learn from the outcome and return with better solutions.
We are grateful to Alfa Laval for supporting KTH Formula Student and for recognising the value
of practical, student-led technical education. Their contribution helps our members build not only
a car, but also the experience and judgement they will carry into their future careers.