Community Highlights: Meet Ray Gilani of Gilani Engineering

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ray Gilani.

Hi Ray, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
A refugee from Iran to Sweden in 1989 at age of 2. Struggling with school, I could not pass English, math, or chemistry. Up to year 8.
Managed to force my grades up in just 2 years to be able to get into Swedish Motorsport College. (14 accepted nationally per year only).
Realized the market need to bridge the knowledge gap between hands-on mechanics/vehicle technicians and Engineers so I started preparing to get into Uni.

Got accepted to Automotive System Engineering in Lulea in the north of Sweden. (only university in Sweden specializes in automotive engineering with links to the Swedish and German Automotive industry). Decided that a bachelor’s degree in Automotive system engineering was not enough for me and cranked up my study peace to start studying Master’s courses before graduating as a bachelor for the purpose of speeding up graduation.

I got my BSC in 2010 and MSC in 2012. BSC thesis covering energy recovery systems in vehicles (written in Lulea, Sweden) in Swedish. MSc thesis about race cars, written in English in Melbourne. Moved to Sydney in 2012, there was no Automotive industry here so I got a job designing a new suspension for wheelchair-accessible vehicles. The company had no visions so I started my own company in 2017, Gilani Engineering.

We are now already Australia’s only complete 1 stop shop for all mobility needs with 15 employees and growing very fast. (There are heaps more to this part here including patented designs, etc.). https://www.gilaniengineering.com.au/about-us/.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
To become an Engineer your strongest subjects, need to be English, math, and physics. These were my weakest subjects up to grade 8 so I had heaps of catching up to do.

I had to boost my grades extremely in two years to get into “Motorsportgymnasiet”. This is a one-of-a-kind motorsport college accepting only 14 years nationally. The campus is on the race track. You become an advance level mechanic capable of working on race cars. We had raced on our curriculum. At that time, my aim was to become a top race car mechanic.

Once graduated, I realized that an advanced level mechanic was not enough for me and it was very touching to realign with the requirements for getting into university. There was only 1 university in the country that would have the right “next step” Situated in the coldest North of Sweden. Lulea technical university in Lulea. However, the “Automotive System Engineering” campus was in Arvidsjaur.

A small town in the north Swedish forest. The reason being is because that’s where the Swedish and German vehicle testing facilities were. Every winter, the temperature would drop to below -35 deg, and the car companies would run their cold climate tests on the frozen lakes. That was hard. living three years in nowhere just studying subjects that were never my strength. But had to be done.

I was very focused and knew what I wanted. At that stage, around the 2nd year of university, I started to wake up to the fact that I can succeed in anything I put my mind to and that consistency and discipline are my strength and far more important than just being intelligent. I had at that stage seen far smarter people than me giving up and dropping out.

At that stage, I changed from (just trying to get into college, university, and excel and see my limits). I cranked up my study pace to during some period and at a stage did 200% (meaning studying normal double pace) starting taking on the master of mechanical Engineering courses to graduate faster with an as broad knowledge spectrum as possible.

This was obviously not easy. I just wanted to graduate as fast as possible and learn as much as possible so I never have to turn back to school or regret not studying enough.

Combining my hands-on experience from Motorsport College with Bachelor’s in Automotive system engineering and a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering. I had an education combination that could not be matched by anyone. I was at that stage 2 years away from Ph.D. if I would have continued. However, I deemed myself educated enough to do what I wanted.

I moved to Sydney immediately when I graduated as my family was all living here. Just to find out that Sydney has no automotive industry… All that study and there is not even a suitable workplace in this country, especially in Sydney. That was stressful.

I ended up applying broader away from my intended area of work. After a few months, I landed a job at a company modifying vehicles for wheelchair access. They had big issues with their suspension design, and it was costing them heaps—cars coming back under warranty for repairs.

I tried to help them, but the old Greek boss would not listen. They were doing heaps of wrongs. I tried to put them on the right track for six years. Realizing that they did not have the brains to listen, I wasted my time trying to help them. That was very hard six years as I was mainly utilized for my excellent hands-on and welding skills, and very frustrating to be held back when I knew the potential of the business and industry.

I became a recognized VSCCS certifier for RMS. This means that the government would trust me to decide what cars that have been modified are safe and legal on the road. I would certify vehicle modification of all kinds. Started Gilani Engineering in 2017. It was just me in a 100m2 garage. At least now, I had no one holding me back and no more limits by others. Starting your own business is very hard.

The first thing I did was create my own (now patented) design wheelchair-accessible vehicle. I was by myself for one year before having my first employee and modifying cars, invoices, quote, everything on me. I even build my website. Someone with a disability needs everything to do with helping them, not just car modification.

So, I expanded fast into selling all types of mobility equipment and started working with builders for home modifications. It was tough but just kept growing from there and on the same path today.

The catalog: https://www.gilaniengineering.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/GE_2022_Catalogue_Printable_with_markers_version4.pdf.

I started dealing with the bigger companies and realized that they were not doing anything. just importing products and upselling to me. So, I started developing my own products such as boot hoists that lift scooters and wheelchairs into the back of the car with remote control and also dual controls for driving school.

I am now slowly but surely cutting out the middle hands going from production to end-user in-house. Not a smooth road and is very overwhelming. However, slowly realized. I have no limits… therefore mowing forward faster every day than the day before.

We’ve been impressed with Gilani Engineering, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are now 2 locations. 1 factory 500m2 for vehicle modifications where we create driving and access solutions for elderly and people with disability and 1 showroom/warehouse 500m2.

Even though still a small company with 15 employees but by far the broadest company by any measure around the world. Competitors either focus on car modifications and that’s all they do OR sell mobility equipment like wheelchairs/scooters, etc. OR they are builders creating accessible homes. We do all that and also develop new products which very few do. The business represents me, no limits.

Even the companies that let’s say specialize in vehicle modification send us customers when the job is too hard (impossible) in their opinion or they are just too rich and comfortable to care.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
Maria Nazari, joined the company 2 years after I started it and has helped me to double the pace of growth.

As a jeweler background, she adapted and took o the role of General Manager. She is worst than me in having no limits and she must be mentioned in this article. She deals with all compliance, government, Hospitals, and OTs (health care professionals).

She runs the showroom and warehouse. I look after the factory.

Contact Info:

• Email: info@gilaniengineering.com.au
• Website: www.gilaniengineering.com.au
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gilani__engineering/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GilaniEngineering