Manufacturing and Engineering Blogs
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Feel free to post comments and come back to share more experiences with our Manufacturing and Engineering graduates.
Sleepy
Posted by Grace on 08 Oct 08
Tonight I am doing my first night shift as a team leader making Easter Eggs. My old house mates used to call me 'Sleepy' so I'm not sure how well I'll cope with the next 12 hours…. Will let you know how it goes!
The Print Run
Posted by Kate on 07 Jul 08
I’m sitting at the gate in an airport after a very long day (it started at 4am this morning). I’m really tired but in a funny kind of way it’s been worth it. I’ve now been to my first print run. The print run is the final stage in the process for designing new artwork for packaging. We visit the printer and approve the final artwork copy which will be used for the first production run. It’s been good to see this final step as I have followed this particular project through from the initial concept. But after such a long day I’m now looking forward to getting home and going to sleep!
Greetings from Denmark!
Posted by Kate on 20 Jun 08
It is now 2 years, 10 months since I joined the Cadbury Graduate Scheme and I am on my 5th and final placement. Having worked in New Process Development, Process Engineering, Procurement and been a Production Team Leader, it was experience of the more commercial side of the business that was missing. So I am now working in the Supply Chain Project Team for Northern Europe. I work with practically every function from Commercial to Production and ensure all new projects are delivered to time following the correct development process. For this placement I have moved to the office in Denmark and I’ve been enjoying the strangely warm and sunny weather here this Spring (I’m told it has been raining at home)! Living in Denmark I get to experience a different country, culture and environment. Learning Danish is a real challenge, there are a lot of words or parts of words that you write but don’t pronounce. Luckily everyone I have met so far speaks brilliant English. I think there will be a lot that I can learn here (not just about the roles of the different functions but also ways of working) and take back to my first permanent role in the UK. I’m just hoping the weather stays nice as there are some really lovely beaches and coastline I want to explore!
A move to the dark side
Posted by Ben on 28 Nov 07
It is Monday morning and Week Two of my new placement as Procurement Analyst for Green & Black's in London. Since I last blogged I have moved from Bristol and have sidled across functions to Procurement.
Cadbury acquired Green & Black's in 2005 but it continues to run as an independent business to Cadbury in the UK, and I am now adjusting to different surroundings and acclimatizing to the fleet-footed pace of a small business. Whilst I settle in, I have decided to make my first project the sampling of our entire product range to find my favourite.
In a business that has grown considerably in recent years, there has been a lot of change in a relatively short time. My role here will be to support the Procurement Manager in developing our relationships with our current ingredient suppliers. This is a world away from my previous role managing a shift on the Cadbury Mini Eggs production line, but I am keen to learn about Procurement and there will be a lot for me to get on with here.
All Green & Black's products are Organic and so I will soon be travelling across Europe to visit suppliers and discover how they produce their goods for us using organic farming methods. This will be a new area for me and I am intrigued to understand that piece of the supply chain jigsaw.
So I'll keep you posted on how it goes...
And just for the record, my favourite so far is the Green & Black's Butterscotch chocolate bar. Try it and you'll see why!
On the night shift
Posted by Kate on 20 Nov 07
I've now finished my second year on the Cadbury Project & Process Engineering Graduate Scheme and find myself working a Sunday night shift on the Hollow Eggs production line. I have been on shift as a Team Leader for just over 9 weeks now and I am starting to feel like things are settling down. I joined the Hollow Eggs plant just as a new development project was in the commissioning stages so quickly learnt how it feels to be on the 'other side' (being part of the team that takes over the project once it has been commissioned rather than the one doing the troubleshooting on first start up).
My previous roles have included Development Engineer, Process Engineer and Procurement Sourcing Analyst but nothing quite compares to this - a room full of people, a challenging production target and a tight deadline (no one can move Easter for you!). I have not managed a large team of people before and have been picking up plenty of top tips from other Team Leaders on shift. I am lucky that the team I have joined has been very supportive and encouraging. I definitely think a Team Leader placement is the only way to really understand the day to day running of a production line, the problems faced and how what happens in the office directly impacts how the factory operates.
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