Production Control and Logistics Review

My main role has been to present and analyse daily, weekly and monthly data about certain aspects of the department and support with the improvement and optimization of the production lines, specifically the implementation of a new line set to launch later this year. I have been involved in the full life cycle of a production, from conceptual design to implementation around the plant. I have completed a variety of projects which have required me to work alongside shop floor supervisors, material planners and several other departments. Because of this, I have been able to grasp a deeper understanding of the fast-paced automotive industry and the inner workings of a production plant.

I have enhance pre-existing skills that I developed at university, such as project planning and communication by being involved in departmental meetings and plant meetings. However, I have also developed industry specific skills through formal training courses and informal online training courses. I have learnt how to use industry specific software's such as SAP and ARIBA, which I now use on daily. But I have also become more competent with using more generic software's, such as EXCEL.

At the beginning of the year, a lot of my work was supervised and needed a final approval before anything could be submitted. But as my knowledge of the plant and the inner workings of the production lines grew, I was given more responsibility and became extremely autonomous in my tasks. By the end of the year I was responsible for daily tacking and analysis of the department budget and cost spending's. I was also responsible for identifying and implementing improvement actions.

How the office was arranged meant that I had two managers, the PC&L Manager and the warehouse manager. I was also working directly with the Improvement coordinator. This set up meant that I was supported a lot and always had someone around who would be able to help me if needed. This tended to be the improvement coordinator due to the busy schedules of the managers. However, I was able to contact either manager easily and they would get back to me promptly.

From the beginning, you are introduced to the other placement students and graduates on your site. This made the transition to working a lot easier and less daunting. There were many events set up throughout the year to get you involved within the plant and get to know people you don't directly work with. Each year they have a celebration of the founding of the company, called Faurecia Day in which there activities around the plant for everyone to get involved in.

I have worked within a very supportive and encouraging environment, not just in my department but throughout the whole plant. I enjoyed getting to know the other students and graduates. Overall, I enjoyed the placement and learnt a lot. However, some days were quite stressful - especially at the beginning when I was unsure of a lot of things. Majority of the work I was given was beneficial to my development, but I did feel like some tasks which were given to me were the ones that others didn't want to do.

Yes

Thoroughly investigate the role that you are applying for as the job descriptions can be quite vague and not reflective of the actual tasks you will perform. You get out what you put into the placement.