Tim, Operational Excellence, Nestlé UK
When I graduated from Oxford University I had to decide between pursuing a pure engineering discipline in research and development or using the analytical skills I had developed in a more operational role in manufacturing or the military. In the end manufacturing won out, and I joined a graduate scheme at Reckitt Benckiser.
However, just 18 months later, an opportunity came up for me to join Nestlé in the Technical team of Operational Excellence. Since joining, I have had the opportunity to work at a number of different factories. Operational Excellence is a great way to experience a lot of different industrial processes in a short space of time, as well as to learn the skills necessary to effect change as someone external to the area.
I get a lot of satisfaction from improving processes and systems; I get a real buzz walking away from something knowing that it is better because I’ve been there. I also enjoy working with a range of different people and helping them out: manufacturing is a great opportunity to mix both of these aspects of work.
One of the benefits of my role is that I get involved with so many different plants; I wasn’t expecting that to such an extent. It’s great to go back to a place after a few months, catch up with all of the people you met and see the benefits of the work you were doing there last time. The difficult thing is making sure you can deliver something tangible and sustainable.
Although I work for Nestlé, the culture is very different in each factory. You find different groups of people respond to the same challenges in different ways. In this way, they all develop their own personalities and cultures.
I can definitely see a future for me at Nestlé, and I would really like to become an accredited Six Sigma Black Belt soon. I think it’s exactly the kind of tool we need in our processes. Beyond that, I would like to become an Area Manager within a factory at some point, and see my passion for systematic improvement come to fruition.
Tim graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Engineering.
