Unilever
Dave Bennett, Project Engineering Leader
Unilever, Coal Road, Seacroft, Leeds, LS14 2AR
Biography
Working through the Unilever Graduate Leadership programme (UGLP), experience has been gained in Category Supply Management (Port Sunlight), Operations and TPM (Warrington & Indaiatuba) and Customer Sales (Kingston MSO). Following the completion of UGLP the first management position taken was as Innovation Project Management at Leeds SU (Aerosol manufacturer). The key responsibility of the role was the implementation of 3 major NPD launches within the Sourcing Unit across 3 leading aerosol brands Axe, Rexona and Dove.
As Project Engineering leader I am currently responsible for the management and delivery of all major packaging and process engineering change projects across Leeds SU. I manage 8 project engineers who deliver all the major change projects. Current projects include new palletiser system for 7 Aerosol lines and a new high-speed 500cpm Aerosol production line.
Employer
Name of organisation: Unilever
Number of employees: ~200,000 globally
Size: Large
Name of business unit or department: Home and Personal Care
1. How many people are part of the project team with which you would typically work and what are their roles?
• Technical core team 3-8 dependant on project size
i. Mechanical Engineer
ii. Electrical & Control Engineer
iii. Draughtsperson
iv. Installation Engineer
v. Commissioning Technician
• Extended project team all factory operational functions 15-20
2. In a typical week, what percentage of your time would you spend on project management and organisational tasks and could you give some examples of your work activities?
• 60%
• Project meetings – network management
• Design reviews
• Safety reviews
• Technical reviews
• Budget reporting
• Stakeholder feedback
3. If you were interviewing for a new engineering project manager, what skills and personal attributes would you look for in a candidate?
• Ability to manage multiple workloads/projects
• Good ability to delegate and organise
• Not afraid to make decisions – based on limited information
• Leadership within a team
• Good technical knowledge and understanding
• Ability to influence and negotiate with external suppliers
4. What are the most common weaknesses you have seen in newly-qualified graduate engineers?
• Over confidence – not gaining the respect of people who work for you
• Failure to build and take advantage of the knowledge of those around them
5. What training and development do new project managers require when they begin employment in your business area?
• Awareness of processes and procedures
• Good skills in design management i.e. using and following total preventative maintenance (TPM) tools and techniques such as Early Equipment management (EEM)
6. What is the single most important piece of advice that you would give to a new graduate engineer who is in charge of projects?
• Agree the scope and therefore budget of the project early with the customer and the key stakeholders – watch for scope creep later in the project!
• Engage extended members of the project team early and make them accountable for their responsibilities within the project.
