by Hoi Kit Cheung
Customer Supply Chain Placement
At L'Oreal
Placement (10 Months+)
Business
Describe your role and what it entails.
I am a Customer Supply Chain intern, this involves managing and overlooking the operations from when a customer orders from us, to the point of arrival and even to the point of sale through reporting. No two days are the same, I may wake up expecting to process orders for our customers but then queries arrive due to stock excess, brand managers ask for order information and your entire day becomes different! I love the variation and the learning.
What have been your highlights?
Without a doubt, working on new projects and branching out the L’Oréal Professional Products (PPD) range onto Amazon. L’Oréal PPD aims to have its entire brand range available on Amazon for the consumer to purchase. It has been so exciting and insightful, I have seen everything from the ground up and seeing the whole process end to end is priceless.
What have been your challenges?
Queries! They are always unexpected in their nature, both when they arrive and what they entail. Some days it’s as simple as a small excess and invoicing the customer, other days it’s an entirely wrong pallet of stock. I enjoy the responsibility of being a key contact and being able to support the business – It has shown me there is a whole lot going on behind the scenes.
What advice would you give to a student following in your footsteps?
I would advise never to step back and to always go forward! It’s important to communicate with your manager on anything you want; even though I was in supply chain, I still got insights into commerce and marketing, as my manager knew that I wanted to stay broad on my options for the future. Never be afraid to ask your surrounding team questions and, in fact, they will be glad that you do! I have always been encouraged to be curious and ambitious, and those are two traits that I would encourage all potential interns to try and have at all times.
