Gary
Graduate Engineer, Nestlé UK
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I initially applied for this role as Nestlé is a company that has a very good reputation for product quality and customer service with its global brands. Having the chance to work with the confectionery and beverage products I grew up with was an exciting prospect.
I graduated as a Chemical Engineer; so when I started with Nestlé I was unsure of what to expect, as this is not the typical career path for people with my degree. However, from day one I was pleased to find a great variety of challenges that built on my current knowledge from university and quickly expanded my technical and professional skills across a range of engineering disciplines.
When I started at the Halifax factory as part of the Engineering team, I was immediately involved in two of the major site projects - a refrigeration project and a steam generation replacement project. Since then I have been given my own sub-project to manage. It's about to start the trial phase and the results will determine how the factory will generate its heat requirements in the future. The project has given me an appreciation of the diversity in the role of an engineer, and how important engineering is in a food company such as Nestlé.
As an engineering graduate my key responsibilities during my first placements are to support major or minor projects within the factory alongside the engineering and production teams. This can be either as part of a larger team, or on smaller projects such as improvement initiatives. A highlight for me has been researching and purchasing a high-speed camera for use in the Quality Street factory, to assist in the continuous improvement of the wrapping machines.
I'm also expected to develop my knowledge and expertise across the different engineering disciplines, as well as developing specialist knowledge regarding the product range that Nestlé is manufacturing.
Working for Nestlé has already been challenging and enjoyable, so I'd definitely advise an engineering graduate looking for a career offering a variety of work and ongoing development to consider Nestlé. Food manufacturing is a very satisfying industry to work in, because it still has a lot of the familiar engineering challenges that you learn about in university. It feels rewarding to supply well known and loved brands to the public.
Gary graduated from Herriot-Watt University with a degree in Chemical Engineering.
