Process Engineer Review

My current role as a process engineer is to support the overall factory through control and untomation delivering results of safety, food quality, production performance and cost by providing a comprehensive, flexible and proactive engineering service to the factory aligned with Nestlé’s operational master plan objectives. I started in the maintenance workshops learning fundamental machining/fabrication skills before spending my second and third years in both the Polo Mint and KitKat departments where I gained valuable hands-on electrical/mechanical maintenance experience on plant equipment. I currently hold the position of Process Engineer in the Factory MES Team and am responsible for maintaining the site manufacturing asset execution systems that keeps the factory running and will soon be co-leading a site-wide migration project towards an alternative control system software. In addition, due to my experience with PLC’s and programming gained during my apprenticeship, I am also responsible for administrating the factory networks and associated projects on the device level.

Since joining Nestle as an apprentice I believe I have developed highly valuable skills which I now consider to be my strengths including excellent teamwork, adaptability, and ownership which is evident from the way I like to dive into projects and contribute new and innovative ideas to their success. I have gained an immense amount of knowledge from my apprenticeship including hands-on electrical and mechanical skills while shadowing engineers working on industrial equipment and also the necessary electrical standards and regulations required to 17th & now 18th Edition IET Electrical Wiring and Installation Regulations BS 7671:2008. I have always been keen to learn throughout my apprenticeship evidenced most recently by taking on a large amount of new knowledge and skills in a short space of time including advanced real-time database management and SCADA systems such as Wonderware Application Server, InTouch for System Platform and the programming of PLC’s which I now use extensively in my new role. These skills are highly valuable to the factory as they form part of the future of food manufacturing and smart engineering and as a result I am contributing to the change I want to see in the factory to have the greatest effect on the way we do business.

I chose to follow the route of an apprenticeship as I wanted to experience engineering in industry practically as well as theoretically in order to get the best overview of working in engineering from the start. This programme has allowed me to do all of this and as a result I have really enjoyed all the aspects of development throughout. Furthermore, the people who I work with on a daily basis are friendly, supportive, and exceptionally experienced in what they do which only further adds to the enjoyment of working in a fast paced food manufacturing factory.

Throughout my apprenticeship I could always see a strong path to follow with regard to the training provided in college as well as the practical skills gained by shadowing the technicians on plant. There is a well organised academy team who are constantly developing the Nestle apprenticeship training programme and they have involved me and others in the past to provide feedback and make the training even better for future apprentices.

I was supported throughout my apprenticeship extreamly well which can be evidenced by my current role which can be quite demanding at times however there is always a network of support from my colleagues and other members of the factory engineering team which I built up during my apprenticeship to hand if I am struggling to complete a task. Some days are challenging and there are fewer people to seek guidence from but I believe that this is good as I seem to learn much better in these situations where I figure out the problem for myself as the knowledged is gained and stays with me.

At the begining of my apprenticeship the support was very involved and there was pleanty of individuals available to help which was a great kick start into my career. As time went on, I gained more experience and the support reduced somewhat but not to a level where I felt unconfutable, rather more confident to attempt things on my own. Towards the end of my apprenticeship, the support was very minimal as I was considered competant to work towards accademic deadlines myself and drive my own achievements with regard to studying my qualifications. This was tough, but looking back it really set me up well to organise myself better and stick to deadlines.

The qualifications studied as part of the apprenticeship provided the groundwork with which to build uppon including the theoretical aspects of my work and some controlled practical experience. This is always vital and my training provider ensured that the best facilities were available in order to achieve excellence in my qualifications. I feel that the qualifications studied more towards the end of my apprenticeship have better served me in my current role rather than the oned achieved at the start however these were still important as without them I would not understnad the foundational principles.

As would be expected from such a large company such as Nestle there are various extra events, sports teams, activities, and social events available throughout the year and I have taken part in quite a few from organised walks, dragon boat racing, speed quizing, and sporting events. As the Nestle apprenticeship is also approved by the IET there is also the additional advantage to being invited to networking seminars, technical events, and talks by experts in the field of engineering.

Yes

It's a great employer with huge benefits. The pay is very good when compared against other apprenticeship of its kind and the opportunities to develop yourself and your career are avaiable so long as you strive to work hard and go the extra mile for the company. The people who work here are also extreamly friendly and supportive and will always help you when struggling.

The business needs keen individuals willing to develop themselves through both practical skills and accadmenic excellence. Demonstrating the right qualities of hard work, tenacity, independence, and inquisitiveness in engineering will be substantially beneficial to any application to join the business and evidence of this is absolutely necessary. Work towards these skills and attributes and you will definitely be considered as a suitable candidate to apply for Nestle.