Vauxhall Undergraduate Profiles

Vauxhall Undergraduate Profiles
Department Page
Marketing 2
Product Evaluation 3
HR 4-5
Finance 6
IT 7
Manufacturing Engineering 8-12
PR 13-14
Global Purchasing and Supply
Chain
15
Business Management and
Operations
16
Health and Safety 17
1

Shawnee Blackmore
Role: Digital Marketing Specialist
Department: Marketing
University and Course: De Montfort University, Business and Marketing
So far, I really feel that my job at Vauxhall is preparing me for the future. I have a lot of support
here from my manager and my mentor, as well as support from my placement tutor at university,
should I need it. The work I do here is challenging and I have a lot of responsibility, so there is no
better preparation for life after university than this!
The best thing about working at Vauxhall is being able to see brand new cars before they are
launched, and even being able to drive the company cars! Undergraduates here also get involved
in community projects as a part of Vauxhall’s CSR; which is great fun, and a good chance to get an
even broader range of business experience.
In my job role, I look after everything to do with the Vauxhall website. It is, in my opinion, one of the
best job roles to get as you can see all your hard work go online for the world to see and be able to
say “I did that!” We work closely with a marketing agency, so I also get regular trips to London (all
expenses paid!) to visit the agency. It is invaluable marketing experience to see how it works both
internally and from the agency side. I also visited Google’s London headquarters recently as part
of a project I am working on to transform Vauxhall’s image on YouTube.
2

Marc Duszynski
Role: Product Evaluation Engineer
Department: Customer Care and Customer Experience
University and course: Nottingham Trent University, BSc Product
Design
Working within the Customer Care and Customer Experience team I am tasked with producing
technical bulletins focusing on reworks and maintenance of vehicles and releasing them out to our
network of retailers.
Recently I have been working on producing a program to intuitively inform dealers of spare wheel
options for passenger cars. Unfortunately it is not as easy as it sounds, with over 50 different
possible combinations for our current model year with data coming from various sources and
people, it’s a mine field. That’s before the program has even been produced. Thankfully with the
skills I have gained at university and through the various training courses here, it has been an
enjoyable challenge.
Further to my job role, I am part of the ‘Green Room’ team, which consists of me and 3 other
undergraduates. The ‘Green Room’ is a project designed to reflect Vauxhalls new ‘Green’ ethos. It
is quite a bit different to my job role but allows me to be more creative, and reflects my course very
well. Also, working alongside other undergrads from different departments and jobs, you get an
understanding of every part of the company.
Having had an undergrad scheme for 25 years Vauxhall is really well set up. You're tasked with
real responsibilities doing real work, in a friendly environment. It’s a huge benefit having lots of
other undergrads, as we all know during our time at university socialising and going out is hugely
important; there is always something going on!!
Taking a year out to do a placement has taught me many new skills and let me understand how a
business works. I choose a slightly different placement role to that you would typically assume
with the course I do. I decided to do this, so that I could understand other aspects relevant to my
course that I would not normally learn, whilst also seeing if I preferred it over those aspects I have
already learnt. This year has been invaluable and I will take a lot away from it.
3

Lucy Clacker
Role: Undergraduate Programme Assistant
Department: Human Resources
University and course: University of Leeds, Management with Marketing
‘As Undergraduate Programme Assistant, I am primarily responsible for managing the
recruitment of next year’s placement students. I have spent the last month touring universities
around the UK, attending careers fairs and presentations to second year students- perhaps you
met me at one of these events!
A big project for me at the moment is to look at all of the online applications and progress suitable
candidates through to the next rounds. I have had comprehensive interview training, which will
allow me to conduct telephone interviews and run assessment centres over the coming weeks.
Then, when it comes to the new undergraduates starting their placements next year, I will
organise their inductions into the company, as well as providing plenty of support with housing and
settling into departments.
I am also a team leader for Vauxhall’s Undergraduate Community Project. As part of a team of five,
I organise visits to local secondary schools, where undergraduates provide a fun and educational
day of activities relating to the manufacturing industry. This has been invaluable for my project
management and communication skills, and it’s fantastic to engage with young people that could
potentially be Vauxhall apprentices or undergraduates in years to come.
I was surprised at how much responsibility I was given in my role right from the beginning of my
placement. I had a two week ‘handover’ period where the undergraduate I took over from taught
me everything I needed to know, so I really felt supported and confident in my abilities after this.
Support is always available from your line manager, and every undergraduate is assigned a
mentor so help is never far away!
Undertaking a placement has allowed me to develop skills in such a diverse range of areas, and I
certainly feel that I have more direction in my career path now. This time last year, I had no idea
what I wanted to do after I graduated, but my experience at Vauxhall so far has given me a keen
interest in HR which I hope to pursue next year at university.
4

Lydia McDougall
Role: Personnel and Training Officer
Department: Human Resources
Location: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
University and Course: University of Leeds, Human Resource Management
My role as Personnel and Training Officer allows me to be heavily involved with both the Human
Resource department and also the Training department at Ellesmere Port. I have visited a number
of different universities around the UK to promote our Undergraduate scheme including careers
fairs and also presentations to large numbers of students. This along with the presentation
training provided during my induction week has significantly improved my confidence and ability to
present in a high pressure environment. Following this, I am now solely responsible for the
screening of all applicants to Ellesmere Port. Using my in depth training into the system I am able
to process applicants through all the stages of our application process, from initial applications to
the final assessment centres.
I have received copious amounts of training since starting at Vauxhall including Interview training
which will allow me to run both the Phone Interview stages and Assessment Centre stages of our
undergraduate recruitment process at Ellesmere Port. This role offers real responsibility. I am
responsible for the whole of the undergraduate recruitment process at Ellesmere Port, but I also
have all of the necessary support when I need it, including weekly meetings with Ellesmere Port
support and also weekly conference calls with colleagues based in Luton.
When any student wants to do work experience at Ellesmere Port I am their first point of call. All
queries are directed to me and then it is my role to coordinate all of the work experience at
Ellesmere Port. This involves completing all necessary paper work, allocating spaces, organising
work experience within different units, obtaining feedback and taking students around site.
As well as my responsibilities within recruitment, I am also involved with the training department
at Ellesmere Port. I am often required to find and organise training for employees when it is
needed and also coordinate many of the training that happens on site by populating courses and
entering all employee training records into the training database.
This role has provided me with an enormous amount of responsibility motivating me to work at
my full potential every day. Vauxhall’s undergraduate programme has provided me with the most
invaluable experience that will certainly ensure I am more employable in the future. Vauxhall
really believe in the undergraduate placement scheme provide great roles, responsibilities,
training, mentors and support to all of their undergraduates.
5

Seona Alexander
Role: Fleet Finance Analyst
Department: Finance
University and course: Bournemouth University, Accounting and Finance
My role as Fleet Finance Analyst is more of a bridge between the Fleet Sales and Finance
department. My main responsibility is managing the Fleet Baseline channel, for companies with a
fleet of more than 25 vehicles of which we have over 1500 accounts, totalling at least 10% of the
total volume sold through Fleet sales.
My day to day activities keep me very busy, my phone’s always ringing and there’s always an email
to answer! I get many queries throughout the day from the sales team, who will discuss with me
what discounts they are able to offer on vehicles for Fleet customers. I then have to analyse the
opportunity and the profit that would be made from the sale, and then make a decision on whether
I think this will have a positive impact in the long run for Vauxhall. Although the decision making
element of my job can be somewhat challenging, I’ve developed my analysing and problem solving
skills which had made this daily activity a lot easier!
Due to the nature of my course I have also been given responsibilities with the month end
reporting side of Fleet Finance. This has been a great opportunity to apply knowledge I’ve learnt at
university to a real life working environment, and it has enhanced my understanding of real
accounting practice. This has been something I’ve asked to be involved in, as before my role did
not include any accounting activities - if you’re doing a similar course to me this would definitely be
of great benefit to you.
I think what has surprised me most is how people-focused my role is here. I’m constantly talking
with the sales team, and everything is very fast moving so I’m always busy and never stuck for
something to do. I have also been given an enormous amount of responsibility which I never
thought would be the case in an undergraduate placement.
After university I hope to pursue a career in commercial finance, similar to what I’m doing now.
This has completely changed from when I first started applying for placements, the amount of
interaction in this role has led me to realise that this is the sort of job I will look for when applying
for graduate schemes.
6

Stephanie Brown
Role: IT Planning Analyst
Department: IT
University and course: Newcastle University, Information Systems with
Business Studies
As an IT Planning Analyst, I am responsible and involved in many areas across the IT function. I
spend a lot of my time on conference calls with different people, within the IT Team, across the
globe. Primarily I work within the mainframe and asset management areas, working on cleaning
up the data and reducing costs. As part of these tasks, I talk to many people in Europe to aid me in
my activities and to help them to reduce costs and clean up their data.
As well as the mainframe and asset management aspects of my job, I also do a lot of work with
communications. As an IT Planning function, we are responsible for communicating messages
across the Opel/Vauxhall region, in many different communication channels such as; a monthly
newsletter, a SharePoint site, notice boards and general leadership messages.
Although I have my main day-to-day tasks, as my role is very new, I quite often get new tasks that
can be a one off request, or they can create more ‘long-standing’ duties. For example; I have been
given a task to get in touch with some of the Opel/Vauxhall application owners to find out their
application requirements, learn about how their applications works and then assist them in getting
their application put in our main database, where users are able to access these applications. This
is something that is quite interesting and useful, as it has allowed me to learn about how the
business works, and what applications assist the general running of Opel/Vauxhall.
Something that is so brilliant about the Vauxhall undergraduate placement scheme is the
responsibility that you are given when you first join. You have a two week ‘handover’ period in
which you are taught all about your job, your main responsibilities and how the organisation
works, which is really helpful so you feel fully supported and have the knowledge before you
properly start your job.
Since I have been working for Vauxhall, I definitely have a much better idea of what I want to do in
the future. I now understand what working for a multi-national company is like, and know that it is
something that I want to aim for as a graduate job.
7

Chris Lawrence
Role: Quality & Reliability Engineer
Department: Quality Assurance
Location: Luton Manufacturing Plant
University and course: Aston University, Mechanical Engineering
My role at Vauxhall is the Quality & Reliability Engineer. This role consists of dealing with the
warranty aspect of the production vehicle. This is where previous claims are investigated so a
solution can be generated and then furthermore a prevention method can be implemented for
current production vehicles. These issues generate multiple projects and workshops which I work
on throughout the year. On specific claims I carry out “Layered Audits” which involves reviewing
the current process method being used by production and ensure the operators are following the
standardised procedure.
One project I am currently working on is the technical front end of the production vehicle to provide
an improved fit to the existing methods. So far on this project I have had to reassemble the entire
front end of the vehicle multiple times and even remove the engine to confirm process and
observe for anomalies, opportunities which I would never have without taking a placement.
During my placement I have noticed an improvement in my personal skills and abilities which
otherwise would not have changed if I remained at university. Some of these include:
Communication Skills: Being able to handle situations with co-workers. As I deal with all
areas of the plant including line operators and management I have learnt how to approach
them in different methods to attain information required.
Automotive Knowledge: Working in a manufacturing plant I have increased my knowledge
about methods used to produce vehicles along with a deeper understanding of how certain
components work.
Presentation Skills: Doing presentations on a day-to-day basis has increased my
confidence and increased my ability to present in front of larger audiences including
management.
Some of the benefits I have gained from working at Vauxhall would include the training provided
throughout the year such as problem solving techniques which I can continue to use after my
placement. Other opportunities include chances to view new vehicles such as the Vauxhall ADAM
and even test drive the latest vehicles. Outside of work there is a large undergraduate community
to get involved with, varying from sports clubs with access to the recreational centre or nights out
with other undergraduates from different departments.
So far on my placement I have enjoyed working in the Quality area and by the end of my placement
I believe I will have a clearer understanding of where I would like my career path in engineering to
be.
8

Md Shams E Tabriz
Role: Body Shop Engineer
Department: Body Shop
Location: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
University & Course: The University of Huddersfield, Mechanical Engineering BEng (Hons)
My role is to support all the maintenance team within the Body Shop. In terms of size, Body Shop
is the largest unit of Ellesmere Port plant. I support them by providing them information about the
most problematic robot unit, robot cells and sometimes individual robots. I help them by showing
more efficient way of fixing different robots as well.
Beside my day to day responsibilities, I am involved in different exciting projects.
Designed visual air flow detector for the extractor we use in body shop.
Working in improving the cycle time of 23 robots in Door Cell unit. These robots are
designed to run at the speed of 60 jobs per hours. The speed has gone down to 45 now. I
am responsible to find the issues that are reducing the cycle time of those robots and fix
the problem with the help of central maintenance team.
Working on Robot Path Optimisation Project with some other engineers. It’s basically
changing the path that robots use to move and do their job. We are trying to find out more
efficient and shorter path for robots.
Working on solving the dimensional problem of Vauxhall Astra’s front end by using Red X
engineering, which a GM approved statistical problem solving engineering. I am trying to
fix the alignment of front bumper and fender in this project.
Energy Rep of Body Shop. My responsibility consists ensuring a proper shut down at the
end of the week and taking necessary steps and initiative to prevent high energy
consumption in Body Shop.
All these work projects and tasks are really helping me to improve my personal and professional
skills, for example: communications skill, multitasking skill, team working skills, working under
pressure and leadership skills. I believe all these skills will help me to be successful in my future
career.
The best thing about working with Vauxhall Motors is that everyone treats you as an integral part
of their team. Vauxhall gives you real responsibilities whilst providing great support for every
student through assigning everyone a personal mentor. Along with this students are provided with
substantial training that is really helping us to use our theoretical knowledge in real life problems.
9

James Powell
Role: General Assembly Planning Engineer
Department: Manufacturing Engineering (General Assembly)
Location: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
University and course: Loughborough University, Mechanical Engineering
My job, in a nutshell, is to make sure my unit (General Assembly) can make cars. The idea behind
Manufacturing Engineering is to support the production staff, talk to the guys on the line, and find
out what they need to do their job.
My department handles a large number of issues, including planning for new cars, new tools,
parts, changes to the production line and a host of small practical problems. The key to all this is
communication. I spend a fair amount of my time talking to production, Maintenance, Unit
Engineers and the ME department for all of the Ellesmere Port plant, making sure we all have the
information we need.
This sounds like I’m in a job which doesn’t need initiative, but I’ve been given several jobs where I
was told by my department, ‘Anything you need to know, we can tell you. It’s up to you to make it
happen.’
I am involved in is the planning for the new Astra, which is greatly increasing my knowledge of
Manufacturing and Automotive Technology. Before this year, I didn’t even know what a gearbox
looked like. Now I can recognise a fair few of the systems and parts in Vauxhalls produced
recently. In learning this, I have been using advanced 3D computer software used in industry. For
example, the Digital Mock-Up Environment (DMU) is a great asset which I would otherwise not be
able to use, even at University. It allows engineers to take apart a car in a virtual environment, and
in incredible detail.
I will be heavily involved in the Pilot build for the new Astra – the slow build used to find out any
problems with the car’s design, and how easy it is to manufacture – this will give me a unique
opportunity to help in the production of a completely new car and see how it’s made from the
ground upwards.
My training at University helped my communications skills, knowledge of engineering science, and
learning ability, but little specific knowledge. I can honestly say that being able to work well with
many different people and learn from them is more important than academic performance in this
line of work (although it’s best to have a bit of both!).
In this job, almost anything can happen. I really have no clear view of what I will be involved with
creating or organising over the next year – that’s the exciting thing about it!
10

Richard Cumberlidge
Role: Operational Support Engineer
Department: Paint Unit
University and Course: Loughborough University – Mechanical Engineering
My role is based around reducing downtime thus increasing the throughput of the Paint Unit. The
cost of downtime can be approximated at £7000 per minute, it is therefore vital that we conduct a
thorough maintenance programme in order to keep downtime to a minimum. The methodology
behind this is called the Throughput Improvement Process (TIP) which I champion.
Another position I hold is that of Paint Shop energy rep. The associated responsibilities include;
leading meetings, liaising with reps from other units, analysing energy figures and driving through
energy saving initiatives.
I have been assigned the task of utilising a thermal imaging camera to detect potential
breakdowns before they occur (Preventative maintenance). This is the area of my job which I most
enjoy as it gives me license to complete projects directly based around the machinery within the
unit.
Aside from my primary job role, I am part of the UG Schools Project in which I visit schools in the
local area to deliver an activity day aimed at inspiring the next generation of engineers. One reason
I particularly enjoy about this is the opportunity to work alongside the other UGs.
I have found Vauxhall to be a fantastic place to do my placement year as all of my colleagues are
friendly and determined to help me succeed. There is also a focus on working towards a common
goal as an entire plant which creates camaraderie making me feel as though I am really a part of
the team and company.
11

William Irlam
Role: Material Productivity and Control Engineer
Department: Strategic Lean Planning
University and Course: University of Bath, Integrated Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
In the 'Strategic Lean Planning’ department I have responsibilities which include those of plant
launch, for the successful introduction of new models to the plant; and the Global Manufacturing
System, for the best management philosophy and practices which looks at utilizing lean principles
and methodologies.
Since I started at Vauxhall, the different tasks that I’ve been assigned have really given me an
insight into the world of automotive industry. I have already been involved in some sizable projects
including restructuring Press Shop stores to make them more efficient. There is a lot of
preparation and planning involved that has allowed me to gain and develop new skills which I will
take forward in my future careers.
One of the first projects I was able to get involved in that I complete on a weekly basis is the ’Blue Card'
process. This is a method by which car defects are able to be identified and tracked in the plant, this
ensures that when a car is ready for SORP (Start of Regular Production), that any issues are corrected
with the designers in the design centre in Russelsheim, Germany and less time is wasted within plant
correcting these issues for the customer and for the site’s internal process validation issues.
Not only do we work within our departments but the undergraduates also get the chance to work
together on a community project. For this project we aim to inspire and promote the manufacturing
industry to people in education in the local area. In my opinion this has given scope for the
undergraduates not only to make difference in the community but also to make an impression on
management as the project is solely the undergraduates to manage
I’ve also been given the opportunity to be involved in the end of the life of the Astra van. It sees regular
meetings to discuss the management of obsolete parts and the actions placed on departments to
suitably manage their units to accommodate the final production of the van. The developments which
we make at the meeting are always significant I value being part of such an intriguing process. It’s
interesting to be part of the problem- solving process encountering the end of life of a model and the
steps taken to overcome these issues.
Overall I’ve had a productive and pleasurable first few months and I expect that based on the current
work assignments I’ll be busy throughout the whole year. Everybody is very welcoming and a
placement within Vauxhall Motors is thoroughly recommended.
12

Charlotte Pittock-Holdsworth
Role: Product PR Assistant
Department: Public Relations
University and course: Leeds Metropolitan University, Public Relations with Marketing
The PR department aims to gain maximum exposure of the Vauxhall range within key motoring
publications and on-line. My main responsibilities include making sure that: the Vauxhall Media
Site is up-to-date. This is very important as the media use this tool for all Vauxhall product
information when writing their articles so this must be maintained on a regular basis. Another
area of my role is to distribute press releases which go out to all motoring media, it is important
that these are sent out in a timely fashion and are formatted in the correct way. In some cases I am
required to ensure that the media stick to strict embargoes when sending out a press release,
which again is an important aspect of my role.
I also support the team with the preparation of new product launches as well as attending the
launches and being on hand and acting as a PR host. I also research information and statistics for
journalists to support their articles and work as a team with the other undergraduates in my
department to come up with initiatives for internal, corporate, consumer and product campaigns.
This year I have organised various press photo shoots for the 2013 Astra, ADAM, Mokka and
Cascada models. For these photo shoots I gained permission from local authorities to use
locations; booked a photographer and provided him with a full brief. I ensured that the car was fully
valeted; drove the cars to the location; helped to position the vehicle; drove the car to get moving
images on the road and chased up the photographer for images, ensuring that the images were
available online for publications to use in articles.
I have also presented campaign ideas to my director and management team for a Facebook app
and internal employee engagement initiatives. This has enabled me to practice my formal
presentation skills and put my university theory into practice when presenting a campaign plan.
Working for a large company has enabled me to observe the part that communications plays
within an organisation and how departments collaborate on different projects. I have also been
involved in the planning of next year’s product launches, putting forward my suggestions freely
and learning about how they fit into an overall communications strategy.
Since starting my role I have met so many interesting and influential people within the industry. I
have received Excel, presentation and press release writing training, as well as attending
networking events representing Vauxhall and this has greatly aided my personal development.
I now feel that I have a great amount of work experience to share with future employers and the
experience will aid me in my final year of university because I will take into consideration other
challenges and areas of the business when planning future campaigns and projects. I am fully
enjoying this experience and will be sad to leave the company in July.
13

Bethan Rainford
Role: Communications Assistant
Department: Personnel
University and Course: University of Leeds, Psychology (BSc)
I have really been enjoying my role here at Vauxhall. The responsibility you are given is far beyond
what I expected when I initially applied.
Everyone in the office is really supportive and always happy to help.
Within my role I do a big variety of jobs and am never stuck for anything to do.
My weekly tasks include writing newsletters which are distributed plant wide to inform employees
what is going on in the company. I also write monthly health newsletters and have just started a
monthly launch newsletter to raise moral in the plant about the next generation Astra which will
be built here in 2015. I also have a lot of involvement in employee engagement, for example
organising and seeking employee’s rewards and recognition.
Another area I am in charge of running is plant tours, these happen on a weekly basis and it is my
job to ensure they all aspects are planned correctly and run smoothly. The groups of people
visiting the plant vary so one week I could be organising a tour for a school and the other week it
could be for a group of retailers.
There is a lot of ad hoc projects in the role. For example I recently involved in bringing FA
visualization to the plant ready for a FA visit.
14

Chris Boulis
Role: Buyer – Vauxhall Special Vehicles
Department: Indirect Materials & Engineering
University and Course: Sheffield Hallam, Business Studies
As a buyer in the Global Purchasing & Supply Chain, (GPSC). I am responsible for the procurement
of goods and services that meet the requirements of our stakeholders whilst maintaining the best
financial pathway for the business.
I am currently working for Vauxhall Special Vehicles, (VSV), which is based at Millbrook Proving
Ground. VSV is a department that specializes in vehicle conversions with examples of end
products being emergency service vehicles. The UK police force is our main customer and VSV
have obtained over 75% of the market therefore the support for this operation is reflected in my job
role.
More specifically my role involves the sourcing of all the high value parts that are used in the
conversion of a police car/van. I will be given a requirement from engineering/sales to source
either goods or services and I have to process this in compliance with an official tender document
which is sent out to potential suppliers. It is then my job to negotiate, deal with queries and then
decide once the process is complete who to issue the business to. Since joining VSV I have
sourced many parts such as, light bars, livery, riot shields, sirens, guards and even testing
services. This job role has given me the opportunity to work in a sometimes difficult environment
when production lines are at risk which can give you great satisfaction when you rectify the issues
you are faced with.
Whilst at Vauxhall I have had the chance to be a guest at multiple emergency services shows and
been able to arrange many supplier visits which are great to get an exposure to other industries. I
am currently preparing presentations for senior management in addition to my role which has
developed my understanding of reporting and presenting business results in a professional
manner.
So far my experience at Vauxhall has given me an insight into what I would like to potentially
pursue a career in. With the support that you have from your line manager and the experience of
other colleagues you can understand what is most suited for you. My final year of my degree will
be supported by this placement as I will have had a practical experience which I can relate to.
15

Luke Bosher
Role: Warranty & Retailer Analyst
Department: Warranty
University and Course: Bournemouth University, Economics & Finance
The Warranty department is a part of the customer care department and is responsible for the
running of the Vauxhall and Opel Ireland Warranty systems, providing system and information
support to the Franchised Retailer Network and internal customers.
Working as an analyst within the Warranty department I am responsible for the provision of
Warranty Data Analysis, for internal review and control, plus providing support to Vauxhall and
Opel Retailers.
More specifically I get involved with many aspects of the department, from preparation and
distribution of retailer warranty analysis and retailer performance overview reports, charts and
statistics. To being the lead in the preparation and participation of the monthly Warranty & Policy
meeting, a meeting attended by director and senior management level of Customer Care. Not only
do I deal with department specific tasks but some responsibilities involve me engaging with other
departments which allow great exposure to other areas of business creating a great holistic view
of the company.
Whilst at Vauxhall I have had the opportunity to visit Retailers to experience firsthand their
perception of the whole process from their point of view. This gave me an insight and further
exposure to other perceptions of the business and really built upon my knowledge here at
Vauxhall.
Up until now my experience at Vauxhall has given me a great idea of what to expect with regards
to a working life within a big organisation, helping me understand what I need to put in to get what
I want out of my future career. With great support from my Line manager and other colleges
around me I feel I have learned a lot and most of all enjoyed the time that I have had here.
16

Sharmila Vijayakumar
Role: Occupational Health and Safety Engineer
Department: H&S
Education: BEng Industrial Engineering (University of Bradford)
Safety is taken very seriously at Vauxhall and company regulations are very strict as safety of
employees is at stake. One of my main responsiblities on site is to coordinate safety in the Press
Shop. That includes risk assessment for new equipment and machinery, to attend daily morning
meeting to communicate accidents and near miss reports, trials for new PPE equipment such as
soiled gloves and evaluate results. When an accident occurs I evaluate the risk and if new
countermeasures are required. I often support my H&S colleagues in their units and get involved
with wide range of issues (e.g. COSHH assessments in paint unit and ergonomic assessments in
GA). I present results and progress during a monthly H&S meeting in the press shop and deal with
other upcoming issues.
I enjoy the most dealing with new equipment as there is huge cost saving involved. Finding new
ways of eliminating risk and coming up with new countermeasures is very interesting and
required good problem solving skills.
My biggest project so far was the new safety video that will be shown to contractors and visitors.
We hired a professional filming company and I provided them with a script and scenes we want
them to film. It was a four day event that involved careful planning and preparation. The video just
needs a final edit and then will be sent to the other sites.
I have recently been trained to do air sampling across the site which involves measuring exposure
to contaminations such as welding fumes and vapour. I prepared Task Instruction Sheets and a
spread sheet that converts the results into a number that can be compared to the legal
requirement.
All engineers are given Red X training at apprentice level and have the option to do a project and
get certified. At the moment, all units have significantly more accidents in certain months and used
this information to find the main cause. The project takes a lot of data processing over 6 months
and I will hopefully see improvement soon.
Overall, I greatly enjoy that I get involved in all the others units and have learnt more about
manufacturing than I have during 2 years at university.
17