My Plans For Further Development In Production Engineering

During the course of my undergraduate studies in Production Engineering I had keen interest in the subjects of Operations Research, Machining Science and Technology, Computer Aided Manufacturing, Design of Jigs and Fixtures and Production and Operations Management due to the process oriented and analytical insights these subjects gave me into the current manufacturing world. Designing a jig for a sample job as part of a classroom project pushed me into thinking how a simple tool along with slight automation could effectively boost the manufacturing output manifold. Also, how statistics and mathematics could help decide how transportation and resource assignment should be decided within a plant fascinated me. I have been enthusiastic to apply the theoretical knowledge practically ever since.

The concepts of lean manufacturing and application of a lean supply chain structure in large scale industries have always had my attention. The interest got a direction when I got the opportunity to intern at Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. in the eighth semester of my engineering. I was fortunate enough to be deployed at the Process Engineering Department where I got the chance to learn the nuances of lean manufacturing in heavy engineering from a very close range. We were constantly encouraged to look for Kaizens that we see can be implemented in everyday routine be it on the shop floor, the cabins, even ergonomically! That is where I learnt small steps towards improvement could play a major role when it came to the ultimate big picture. I learnt that even small contributions should not be neglected. My project during the internship helped me weave my theoretical knowledge on the lean manufacturing concepts with the practical opportunity I got to develop a welding procedure which generated a stronger weld joint using lesser man-hours of effort compared to a procedure that was being used originally in the plant.

During my internship, I was also introduced to BaaN, an ERP system being used by the company at that time. It was my first exposure to an ERP system. I liked how organized it was and helped make major purchase and manufacture decisions easier and quicker with the abundant real time data it provided. Though it was helpful, I felt it wasn’t user friendly enough for managers to come up with solutions. I felt the need for a better system in place which could provide easy to read reports and reduce the time consumed in brainstorming the issues. I had been inquisitive to know if there was some such ERP system available. This unknowingly paved the path for my inclination towards SAP.

I’ve been employed at Accenture Solutions Pvt. Ltd. since the past 3 years and am working as an SAP Sales and Distribution consultant to a mining client. I have been trained for the same at Accenture and am qualified as P2 proficient as per Accenture standards. My role is to understand and analyze business requirements, configure a solution in SAP, test the solution, and deploy the changes to the client’s system. Through my daily interactions with the clients I get the gist of the current industry requirements, trends and the method of analysis they apply to resolve issues. With my current client I have had the opportunity to work for three different nodes under Sales and Distribution, namely- Commodity Trading, Freight Management and Risk Management. By working closely with the clients and through various trainings, I have learnt the types of trades being incorporated to optimize sales and profits and the kinds of shipping techniques used for each of the raw and finished commodities. Working on Risk Management required me to work closely with Business Intelligence and Business Objects teams as well. The experience has taught me how to translate the numbers in the reports in business term and how these numbers could decide their future actions. Though the business models were being polished for better performance, I believe there is a need for research and development at the core mine processing level as well. Having provided optimizing solutions for multiple requirements to the clients on the business front, I realized how inevitable it has become to reduce the efforts being put by the employees at the mining site and to automate and innovate processes in order to optimize business.

With the continuous growth and competition in the manufacturing industry I see the necessity for high quality products to be delivered in the minimum time possible. In order for me to come up with solutions pertaining to lean manufacturing, I would need comprehensive research in the field. I cannot pursue this idea while still in job at the service end. Besides, an academic program under the guidance of able professors would help me identify my specific research interests. Hence I have decided to pursue my Master degree in a research-focused environment.