Manufacturing Engineer Review

I plan in and write documentation for engineering changes to the automated manufacturing equipment to improve performance, safety and quality. This includes liaising with production and quality teams to plan in and approve work to be done. This all done in a heavily regulated pharma environment. I also track and present key manufacturing and engineering KPIs to key stakeholders and managers in the department and then use these to set goals and target issues that can improve our performance. I also carry out smaller projects which always include a problem solving aspect

I have developed problem solving skills greatly and am now able to effectively use standardized problem solving techniques such as fishbone, 5W 1H, 5 Whys, gap analysis and others to problem issues and come up with effective corrective and preventative actions. I have also greatly developed my communication and teamworking skills as working in a heavily regulated environment as an engineer requires a great deal of consultation with subject matter experts, engineering technical authorities and quality representatives.

I was given a decent amount of responsibility during my placement. I was the department lead for our manufacturing performance metrics, which includes OEE (overall equipment effectiveness) and run rates. Senior site members, site leadership team members and external consultants have come to me with requests for information and explanation on how we track and use our KPIs in the department. I also lead my own change controls and deviations which include writing documentation that must be approved by qualified personnel before approval as these can then be referred to in audits and investigations in the future.

I received a great amount of support and guidance during my placement as my team members were very knowledgeable and approachable so I was always able to ask them any questions I had about things from site procedures, engineering problems, and pastoral issues. Whenever more technical issues arose there was always subject matter experts to turn to who could help with solving issues especially around our documentations system and the manufacturing / enterprise resource planning software (SAP).

The company is a very inclusive and welcoming company to work in with excellent support schemes and resource groups that all employees have access to. Everyone is always happy to answer questions or show you what they do in their role which is great for development. The company is also very happy to facilitate development activities for placement students as they have a very strong focus on early talent and career development which can help you to kick start your career.

Overall I have greatly enjoyed my placement and have enjoyed the opportunities to develop myself and my skills. Some days can be slow and may be boring but people are always there to support you in any way that you need. There is a large community of other placement students and early talent which means there are often social events on and opportunities to meet new people so outside of working hours are also fun.

Yes

There are a wide variety of roles underneath one job description so make sure you read the site specific sections carefully and you may be able to request a specific role or enquire more about it if you are unsure. Some placement students were put into roles they were not expecting to fill however they have still been able to develop key skills. The mechanical engineering roles are often based in manufacturing departments or in utilities and facilities but either way you are able to learn about the other and you will find that you will develop the same workplace skills.