Industrial Operations: Manufacturing Undergraduate Review

Heavy project management role, hosting meetings and ensuring that works are organised and carried out safely. Large focus on safety and solving manufacturing facility problems by scoping out projects, justifying decisions o the business, organising large budgets < £1 m and interacting and aligning stakeholders. Strong communication skills required and good mobility to move around site (site attendance required most days).
Responsibilities include:
- writing RFQs and getting quotations.
- conducting site walks and responding to technical questions in a timely fashion
- aligning with departments across the function
- following departmental documentation process and storing appropriately and safely
- attending meetings and acting on assigned tasks
- supervising installations and reporting any safety concerns
-closing projects once complete and conducting Doc-50 (signed handover document) safety process with all stakeholders.

Plenty of responsibility throughout the project management process and safety supervision throughout shutdowns and general day to day safety walks. Managing relationships with vendors and stakeholders is a key responsibility, as well as ensuring they have up to date plans and are kept in the loop with every project stage.
Fairly free to be involved in as many activities as possible and varying levels of responsibility to be assumed. Great opportunities to learn from colleagues, additional role-specific training SHOULD be given regarding general process, project requirements project management, etc. This was not given and has required some trial and error.

Learnt and improved on a variety of skills, many outside of my main role or by finding opportunities.
Technical skills and language developed in my home team, understanding of manufacturing systems and considerations when installing new systems. Developed project management skills and competencies, as well as developed communication of complex topics to a people from a variety of backgrounds. Learnt a lot about safety processes, controls systems, meeting legal regulations and ensuring stakeholder views are considered in final solution plans.
Problem solving activities outside of my role as part of the undergraduate scheme. Really enjoyed the opportunity to work cross-functionally with members of the department. Developed my communication and presentation skills through this, as well as lean six sigma skills and process awareness across the plant.
TIC project workstream, 3D design work and other miscellaneous projects have helped with my understanding of the topics and depth of manufacturing experience. Pushed TIC project progress and allowed for experimental techniques and solutions to be tested in the process. Taught basic 3D design principles to colleagues and created a cost benefit analysis to get a 3D printer for the department to assist with EMA tool development and upskilling opportunities/ kaizen. Allowed for personal growth and resilience, logical thinking and reasoning, business skills and cost planning and leadership/ teaching skills.

Not enough training or guidance was given at the start of the placement. This department is very strategic and moves at a moderate pace, however, there is not really enough time to provide guidance to in experienced learners. Questions were answered well by my team in most cases but generally there was little direction at the outset of the placement.
No management check-ins until January 2025 leading to lack of guidance and confusion at times. This should be addressed and standardised to improve overall experience and development confidence.

Good company culture and support from members of the plant. Some members of my home team have had large projects running and as a result this has impacted the learning experience. Generally, the team have provided a good atmosphere and been inclusive in work time i.e. socialising during breaks, positive interactions during meetings, answered questions were required.
Some teams and functions do not have this same culture and can be very challenging to interact with, which also affects the overall experience.

Excellent experience to be involved in every kind of work imaginable. Leveraging a positive, can-do attitude is key to making the difference in this environment. I have learnt a vast amount, struggled and overcome challenges, developed in both soft and technical skills, improved business and financial handling and prioritisation of workload. Organisation is key to all roles in this factory, and bears responsibility for safety and technical aspects, as well as managing timing of work activities. I will use these experiences in my future, and am very grateful for the opportunity to learn in such a unique environment. I will miss this experience, and would have liked to have the opportunity to return.

Yes