Topic > The key skills of my professional development

IndexDemonstration of leadershipCommunication of ideas and plansLean manufacturingProblem solvingData analysisAs a process engineer, communication with different departments of the company, as well as outside the company, is very important. This communication typically occurs via email, phone calls, Skype and personal meetings. It's part of the job to find ways to make the production process as efficient as possible under any circumstances. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay A lack of communication would lead to difficulties in planning and organizing the process and could potentially cause problems for the company. Within the company I often have to interface with the safety, facilities, planning, packaging, quality control and analysis (etc.) departments. All these departments contribute to different aspects of the production process. Within production, I have to work side by side with the operators, cell and cell engineering managers, as well as the other engineers. It is of the utmost importance to gain the trust of the operators who manage the lines. These are the people who understand the lines and processes best and are the first to be aware if there is a problem. I spent the first two months of my internship year getting to know the lines and the operators, helping them manage the lines. I work with managers and other engineers to investigate problems and provide them with necessary solutions. When I make improvements, I also have the opportunity to work with people from outside companies. This involves activities such as requesting quotes, collecting purchase orders, submitting requisitions and organizing trials. As part of several projects it has been extremely helpful for me to contact various companies that may specialize in a particular area of ​​the process to better understand how it works and how to solve a problem. For example, assembly lines use pick-and-place robot systems. These are complex systems that require programming skills not available locally. Normally, programs are loaded onto machines and assigned the appropriate format, which operators and engineers can easily change when switching to a different product. If there are problems with the positioning of the robot or the vision system, I have to communicate these problems to the French company ADMV, which supplies the Powders robots and vision systems. The priority line on site is in Moldings, namely line 416. This is a new assembly line that uses completely new technology and is undergoing many improvements. During the last four months of the internship year, much of my time was spent working on this line with the "Stop-the-Stops" team. This required getting to know and gain the trust of a different group of people in a significantly different department. My work on this line has mainly been to standardize processes, introducing similar standards from powder production. This job required me to shadow operators and evaluate what worked best with certain tasks, as well as understanding the most suitable tools required for a particular product etc. Once I fully understand the process, I would create a standard in the form of training sheets, work instructions, visual guides, color coding and labeling, as well as verbal training. Once finished, I would have the technical traders try the method to see if they agreed with the standard and I would also have another member of the Stop-the-Stops team check them; other process engineers who focuson improving the performance and efficiency of the 416. Demonstrate leadership Being a process engineer requires many responsibilities. The role includes responsibility for the departments in which I work. One of the main concepts used at Coty in expounding "Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)" is the use of 5S – Sort, Set, Shine, Standardize, Sustain. The hardest part is the fifth "S": Sustaining. Often, when a new process standard is adopted, it can be difficult for operators to adapt or adjust to the need to follow a new routine as they already have the methods they are already accustomed to. This is where taking leadership is very important. When demonstrating leadership, it is important to lead by example. When a new procedure is implemented, I make sure to spend more time on and around the lines, helping operators where I can. This way it can be clearer to operators if they see how the new procedure is more beneficial to the process, if they see that it works as expected. If operators can see the advantages, the more they will be inclined to continue using the new procedure. Having good relationships with colleagues is also helpful in a leadership role. This allows for easier and more open communication. Operators will feel more comfortable sharing things they don't agree with or things they find difficult and therefore compromises can be made to make their lives easier whilst maintaining high performance and motivation. It's also easier for me to discuss problems with them; for example, reminding them to wear the correct PPE when carrying out certain activities. As a process engineer, I represent the Powder departments and occasionally the Molding departments in various meetings. The regular meetings I attend are with the planning department and the new product development (NPD) department. For both meetings, I pass information to and from the departments. It is my responsibility to know the problems that have occurred and also what is expected in the future for the lines. In weekly planning meetings, I have the opportunity to ask questions about things that may seem unusual or make compensation requests for downed lines, such as planning to run products on an alternate production line, in case maintenance or shortages are expected by manning.I also provide suggestions for program changes to minimize downtime caused by changes. At NPD meetings I learn about new products introduced on production lines and the challenges to expect in handling these new products. As a process engineer, I give the NPD department a clearer idea of ​​how the new product will work on the line and also think about how to overcome any anticipated problems. Communicating Ideas and Plans Poor communication on a manufacturing site could have highly negative impacts on the business. It is important to present concepts, plans and ideas in a complete and interesting way, so that the message comes across clearly and is received well. Every morning I meet with my cell manager, cell team leader and cell engineering managers. I review the data collected by the departments the day before and present this information to the group. For these meetings we use the Line Boards, displayed next to each department line. This way they are able to present information while standing close to the lines themselves, so it is easier to explain events and ideas to them by being able to show the actually relevant areas of the line. At these meetings, I designed these line boards in such a way that I could visually present the quality, safety and good manufacturing practice (GMP) issues thatthey may have occurred from the day before. I also discuss the units produced and the efficiencies achieved by the lines compared to daily and monthly targets. I occasionally use photos and drawings to show ideas and problems to further aid my explanations. Once the data and problems are presented, as a team we discuss the necessary actions for the following day. Twice a month we have a "Win Room" meeting. In this meeting we get together with the entire management team and other production departments and the process engineers have to present the line data using Pareto charts, photos and other relevant data. Communication during this meeting is important as it allows the various departments to learn from each other and you can ensure that the same standard for processes and problem solving is applied throughout production. Presentations are generally short and concise where only key points are raised and the management team can ask questions and discuss any concerns or ideas once all process engineers have presented for their respective department. Quite frequently, if a problem occurs on one of the machines, the failure mode is intermittent, making it difficult to capture the problem occurring via photos or videos. It can also be difficult to explain the problem correctly without a visual aid. In these cases, I use drawings and sketches to help others understand a problem more deeply. This is helpful because I can make sure I include all the important details of the problem in the drawing. Much of my work over the year was to standardize processes in the powder and molding departments. First, I needed to understand the processes well and determine the correct and efficient ways to complete them. Once the standard is finalized, I communicate it to the team via work instructions and training sheets. My goal was to make the work instructions very visual and primarily image-based. This encourages operators to examine each step and avoids causing them to take shortcuts in the process. I also wanted to design them so that new operators with no experience on the line could follow the instructions without difficulty. The documents were first shared with the team leaders and the most experienced operators and then shared them with the whole team. These are positioned on the lines of the corresponding machines to which the process is applied, making them easily accessible to operators. Lean Manufacturing Lean manufacturing is a concept or philosophy used primarily in production and manufacturing industries. The concept was primarily developed by the Toyota Production System (TPS) [REF] and as a result, TPS was labeled a World Class Manufacturing (WCM) company. Many other companies, including Coty, have therefore adapted to using it as a tool in their production standards. The fundamental idea behind lean manufacturing is to do more with less by implementing systematic approaches and methods to production without sacrificing valuable productivity and minimizing waste {REF}. The different types of waste considered can be remembered using the acronym: 'DOWNTIME'.D – Defects: errors in the quality of the product which lead to additional time for rework. O – Overproduction: producing more than necessary. W – Waiting: the line is not working due to waiting for materials (warehouse problems), lack of staff and other unplanned downtime.N – Non-utilization of staff talent: lack of recognition of a person's skillsT – Transportation: waste resulting from moving thingsI – Excess inventory: more supply than requested by the customer, often due tomisunderstood customer needs.M – Motion: Excessive motion that can make the process more difficult and not add value to the product.E – Excessive Processing: Implemented processes that are repetitive, long-winded, and unnecessary.Lean at Coty involves a number of methods and regular practices that are put in place as standards for on-site production. I have found that using 5S is not only useful in a production or work environment, but also extremely useful in a home or personal environment. It is a system that encourages cleaning and organizing a particular area. This system helps reduce waste resulting from messy and disorganized workspaces [REF]; for example: It can reduce the time spent searching for a format change part. The five “S”s are as follows: In the sorting process, objects are separated into different categories. The process helps you locate and delete unnecessary items. This involves sorting and organizing the categorized items. This can be done by using color coding areas, shadow panels, foam drawers, etc. This helps you easily identify quantities of an item type and increases awareness of any missing items. This “S” indicates the need to clean and inspect the area and encourages good hygiene on site. This is especially important as the product sold is intended to be applied to the face/skin. Standardization is the act of creating written documents to ensure that the first 3 S's are formally adopted as standards for the site. These need to be clarified to all staff involved. These serve as instruction sheets and provide the best example for interested people. The documentation must be accessible but must also be easy to modify only by the process engineer, since it is possible to modify and further improve the standards. This is the most difficult of the 5"S since it is the act of ensuring that new standards are followed continuously for an indefinite period of time after the standard is implemented. As discussed in the section, it can be difficult for people to get used to a new routine. The support process is normally carried out through checks; these checks are more frequent when the standard is new and become less frequent as time goes by spend more time in the factory. Gemba normally takes place after the morning reviews, during which we are then joined by the production leaders. Each morning, during a Gemba walk, we focus on a particular area of ​​the factory of the meeting will go around and try to identify areas that can be improved. This meeting also serves as a way to identify things that are out of standard. Photos are taken as visual aids. After the observation, the team meets to discuss the results with each other. As a team we discuss what can be done to make improvements. Findings during Gemba walks most often relate to 5S issues, but we are also sometimes able to identify incorrectly performed procedures, where we can then find ways to improve the completeness of various procedural requirements. KPIs are the company's method for measuring site performance across all departments; this takes into account planning, finance, production, quality etc. department. KPIs are normally discussed and monitored in detail during Win-Room meetings with representatives from all departments on site. Having these regular meetings and discussions about our KPIs can help drive actions to progress towards achieving critical objectives. When defining objectives)..