PC&L Student Review

As a material controller, the main aim of the job role is to ensure the plant has enough stock at any time. Therefore, a stock count is required at the start of every week before calculating the required number of parts that need to be delivered into the plant the following week. This data has to be inputted into SAP. After this, I have to organise the transport for the parts, creating transport plans and dock schedules.

From day one there is lots of responsibility, for example transferring consumable stock which has a big financial effect on the plant. Ordering parts for the plant is also a big responsibility as if this is done incorrectly and the plant runs out of parts then production has to be stopped. Projects are also given to placement students which can have a big impact on the company. For example, being in control of a new product launch.

I have developed many skills whilst on placement. Problem solving is a big one as in this role many problems can arise in terms of receiving parts on time, such as strikes at the French borders, and a solution has to be found in a timely matter. Work ethic, functional knowledge and professional business skills, such as writing professional emails, have all developed significantly whilst on placement. Communication skills and excel skills are two things I was already competent at but have also developed exponentially.

The first week of my placement was a handover from the previous student. This should have been a three week handover but due to Covid this couldn't be carried out. Therefore, my senior colleague provided lots of support and guidance. During the early stages he helped me get to grips with my standard tasks. After this he provided support on many other topics such as management skills, coaching skills, professional business practices whilst developing my understanding and functional knowledge around Logistics and supply chain. His support and guidance was one of the main highlights of my placement.

Due to Covid there was very little socialising events. We were unable to meet other placement students in different plants, which usually happens. Also, we could not have nights out so we missed out on the Christmas party, leaving doos etc. There was no sporting clubs or out of office events. However, every year the placement and graduate students participate in a charity challenge, raising money in any way possible for a particular charity. If it was not for Covid I believe the social aspect would have been vastly different.

My placement was very much like a roller coaster. All year it was up and down. There was stages were I was enjoying the work, such as completing projects on new models, cubing trucks and budgeting. However, the job can be stressful at times due to the high level of responsibility. Some aspects that I didn't find as enjoyable were the annual Saturday stock takes and scheduling as this is a long, tedious task.

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