Name: Chris Teasdale
Age: 26
Job Title: Manufacturing Engineer
Recruited: August 2005
Degree: MEng Mechanical Engineering, University of Sheffield

Introduction

I’m now near the end of my second full year on the Edwards Ltd Graduate Development Scheme and feel the experience has been very positive so far. Overall, I’ll be spending three to four years on the scheme, completing four placements of around nine to 12 months each. Every placement exposes you to different areas of the business, at the same time as developing the essential engineering competencies you need to take on a proper role at the end of the programme.

Throughout the scheme you get as much support as you need from a personal mentor and tailored training courses to help you develop the necessary skills. Your mentor is someone who holds a senior role within the company and is there to support and guide you through the scheme, making sure you acquire the competencies you need to achieve chartered engineering status.

Current Role

I’m currently co-ordinating a Product Cost Reduction project; looking at implementing a number of Cost Reduction initiatives to lower the prime cost of a number of pump variants by ~10%. This has involved everything from product redesign and process transfer (e.g. Gravity die to Pressure die castings) to resourcing components, labour reduction and other continuous improvement initiatives.

My responsibilities include evaluating cost reduction ideas, liaising with suppliers, running kaizen projects, raising permits and Engineering Changes, prime cost tracking and submitting Capital Expenditure Proposals – so its been a real learning curve!

Previous Role

In my first role with the company, I was responsible for the design of the cartridge assembly cell for the New Product Introduction Team. I researched various build methods and hardware to facilitate the production of the new Gen 4 pump cartridge range, including component storage, ergonomic issues and lean, “flow” concepts. I also completed initial Risk Assessments and Health & Safety reviews, liaised with suppliers and drafted a Capital Expenditure Proposal to cover the hardware costs of the cell.

Advice to New Graduates

My experience of working for Edwards Ltd has been very positive and I would seriously recommend the Graduate Development Scheme to anyone considering a career in Engineering. My advice to new graduates is simply: get as involved as you can from the start and don’t be afraid to ask questions or seek advice. The more you speak to your more experienced colleagues, the faster you can develop the skills and competencies to succeed. Take advantage of the many worthwhile training courses on offer and use your mentor’s expertise to help you along the way!