Sarah Rivers: AkzoNobel graduate

Employer: AkzoNobel
University: University of Warwick (2009)
Subject: MEng mechanical engineering

I did a summer placement at AkzoNobel, carrying out a project on heat loss at a factory. At the end I was interviewed and offered a place on the graduate scheme, which consists of four six-month placements. This appealed as I was interested in both design and project management and wanted to try a variety of roles.

Process development at a paint manufacturing unit

My first placement was at our paint manufacturing unit in Slough as part of the process development group. I was given a specific performance metric to monitor – ‘overall equipment effectiveness’ – and implemented changes to improve performance. My time was split 50/50 between the office and the factory floor.

Tackling a troublesome robot

A highlight was initiating the upgrade of a problematic ‘palletiser’ robot, which picks up cans of paint and lifts them onto wooden pallets. It was dropping a number of cans of a particular size, leading to mess and delay.

I gathered detailed information from the operators and made the case that an improvement project would lead to cost savings. I then called in contractors to discuss the options and used CAD to try out different palletiser designs. I’d only had a couple of lectures on CAD at university and so it was time to get the text books out! I put a detailed project plan in place and handed this over before my next placement.

Motivating factory operators about a new system

Another challenge was encouraging factory operators to accept a new computer system. It was not used enough, and with only 40 per cent accuracy. I came up with the idea of a ‘launch day’ for the system, for example giving out T-shirts and cupcakes with positive slogans. There was a huge improvement in usage and accuracy rose to 90 per cent.

Managing a warehouse team of ten

My current role is warehouse manager for the warehouse attached to one of our smaller factories near Newcastle. I’m responsible for managing goods coming in (for example empty cans and the raw materials to make paint), ‘staging’ (taking cans from the warehouse to the filling line) and ‘dispatch’ (loading filled cans onto lorries).

I line manage the ten warehouse staff and deal with requests coming into the team, prioritising these, delegating and managing expectations. There’s lots of interaction with the logistics, planning, export and marketing teams and I spend about 80 per cent of my time on the shop floor.

Adapting my communication style for different groups

Thanks to this role and the move to a new area I now feel more confident about meeting and working with different people and have learned to adapt how I present myself. For example, if reporting to senior figures I aim to be succinct whereas when giving out information on the shop floor I need to go into more detail and explain everything clearly and confidently.

Next stop the Netherlands

Getting experience on different sites is also invaluable for seeing different ways of working. I have practical and financial support to move to different locations – for example I’ve been able to keep my flat in Slough as a long-term base thanks to financial help with accommodation when I’m based elsewhere. I’m off to the Netherlands next to work as a project engineer on new equipment for our Dutch plant.