Manufacturing and Engineering Blogs
Welcome to our Manufacturing and Engineering blog page!
Feel free to post comments and come back to share more experiences with our Manufacturing and Engineering graduates.
Four suppliers in eight months
Posted by Rachel on 11 Oct 06
I finished the graduate programme on 19th May. I handed over my role to another graduate and packed up my desk to move two floors up to the Process and Technology Development Group, where I am a 'Process Development Manager'.
My eight months in Procurement were very busy - not in the least because four of the suppliers I was responsible for ceased trading! Fortunately, I know that I made sure that all the invoices I had outstanding for them had been paid so I don't feel responsible. When a supplier ceases trading there's so much to do - all the internal customers have to be informed, they have to be removed from our systems so no new orders can be placed, any outstanding invoices have to be paid and of course alternative suppliers need to be found (if there aren't any already approved).
During my time in procurement, I had the good fortune to have 25 days training (I think this could be a record) and I have been awarded a Level 3 Introductory Certificate in First Line Management from the Institute of Leadership and Management. This is something that everyone who completes the internal 'Leading To Win' scheme is awarded and I'm pleased that I managed to fit in the time consuming training (four separate modules and project work) into an already demanding role. I've also been trained in financial analysis and contract law, but the best training course has to be negotiating skills, as this course has enabled me to save money outside of work!
I'm glad I chose procurement for my last placement and it has met all my expectations, but I missed being in the factory and so I'm still convinced that I chose the right function. I'm really enjoying being back in a factory environment, helping our next Wave of innovation to hit the shelves.
The first six weeks fly!
Posted by Grace on 11 Oct 06
I've been with Cadbury Trebor Bassett, CTB, as a Manufacturing Graduate for nearly 6 weeks now. The time has flown, which must mean I'm having fun!
WEEK 1 - Arrival on site at Marlbrook (my first placement as Process Engineer for apx 9 months) meant meeting lots of new people. I was shown around the site by a number of different people so that I could understand the process (making chocolate crumb- which looks like broken up biscuits!) from different angles. There was a lot of information to take in, but it was very interesting and quite different to the milk factory that I had previously worked.
WEEKS 2-4: Over the next few weeks I spent the odd day off site on Manufacturing Graduate Visits, these included a trip to Chirk (where the beans first arrive), Somerdale (home of the Crunchie) and Sheffield, the later defiantly the highlight as we got to see 'a day in the life of a Jelly Baby'! We also visited the Regional Distribution Centre for the Midlands where I've never seen so much chocolate!
The rest of my time was spent settling into Marlbrook, gaining further knowledge on the processes and formulating my objectives, which include:
Scheduling and implementing an improvement programme for the cleaning systems they use (called CIP, which you will no doubt hear more about from me...)
Liaising with different suppliers such as boiler maintenance, water and chemical suppliers, to ensure our contracts are delivering what they should for both quality and health and safety, and
Developing a revised mass balance, to help identify and minimise production losses.
WEEK 5 - Three fantastic days were spent at an amazing conference centre, with all the new graduates and the Graduate HR team. The aim of this was for us to learn about the graduate programme and reiterate some of the potentials and behaviours (judgement, drive and influence) that CTB expect from their employees, this was made fun by lots of workshops, challenges and discussion groups, with the odd 'energiser' thrown in case any one was suffering from the late nights getting to know the other graduates.
Now it's back to site where the real work begins...
3 weeks in
Posted by Ben on 16 Aug 06
It's Monday morning and now the start of my third week at Cadbury Schweppes. Within just two weeks I have moved from London to Birmingham, met hundreds of colleagues, started to learn my new role, and adjusted to being at my desk for 7am; a routine somewhat altered from my previous life as a Classics undergraduate.
I have started my graduate scheme in Bournville and my first placement is as the Production Scheduler for Unit Manufacturing. This factory-based role means that I'll be responsible for planning the production of the chocolates that go into Heroes, Roses and Milk Tray, as well as ordering the necessary materials and ingredients. Every day there is a list of tasks to perform, suppliers to call and schedules to check and, since the business relies on a productive plant, the plan has to be flexible enough to cope with stoppages and technical glitches. There is plenty to keep me busy all day, and, since my day begins at 7am, I am still able to leave the office well in advance of the rush hour and hit the supermarket before the rest of the city.
This role is a very big challenge and, especially for someone with no prior experience of manufacturing, there is a very steep learning curve. But since I never wanted a job that I could learn in a week and be bored thereafter, this placement will definitely provide me with the test that I wished for myself.
My training began in earnest last week and I am now able to take responsibility for much of the daily role. I'm three weeks in and I'm already receiving calls from suppliers and queries from colleagues and, occasionally, I can give them an answer.
My initial experience of life at Cadbury Schweppes has been very positive indeed and I'm relieved that it's an environment where questions are encouraged and people seem to enjoy helping each other. Now that I'm beginning to understand what will be expected of me in the coming months, I'm itching to acquire more knowledge and start to make my own mark on the role.
Life on the line
Posted by Kate on 15 Aug 06
I have now been working at Chirk for 3 months in the role of Process Engineer. After spending some time learning how the processes and factory organisation fit together, I am looking at optimisation of specific items of process equipment.
I have finished the benchmarking stage (logging throughputs, feed conditions, exit conditions and physical properties) and I am now looking at trying to further understand all aspects that contribute to equipment performance. To get to this stage I have worked closely with quality control in the lab, operators on plant, shift managers as well as obtaining additional advice and guidance from other process engineers.
A definite plus (and challenge!) of my current role is the exposure to a working factory. I attend morning meetings where any issues in the previous 24 hours production are discussed and it's only by being here that you really understand the daily challenges a production site faces.
My Palletiser
Posted by Rachel on 16 Jun 06
One of the challenges with work, as opposed to University type work, is that you often have to wait a long time to see your results. About a year ago, I was responsible for specifying and buying a palletiser as part of the £40 million investment in the Bournville factory. Today, for the first time, I saw that palletiser stacking pallets in situ.
I spent many hours in meetings discussing conveyor routings, box speeds, access points, fire doors and the like and now to walk into that room and see the conveyors where they were drawn and to see it all working is fantastic. I'm pleased that it looks just as I thought it would (that means I can read engineering drawings) and pleased that it works! I was always slightly worried that there might be some problem I hadn't foreseen and it would always be known as 'Rachel's palletiser' for the wrong reasons. Now that I've seen it stack a perfectly square pallet, I'm happy to be associated with it and see the physical manifestation of many weeks work.
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