Engineering Industrial Placement

At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives. With $33 billion in sales, our 93,000 employees connect with customers all around the world. 3M has a long-standing reputation as a company committed to innovation. We provide the freedom to explore and encourage curiosity and creativity. We gain new insight from diverse thinking, and take risks on new ideas. Here, you can apply your talent in bold ways that matter.

Job Description:

We are currently recruiting for 10 Industrial Placement Students to join our Engineering teams based across the UK. We have opportunities across our state of the art manufacturing facilities in Loughborough, Bangor (Northern Ireland), Gorseinon and Bridgend. Successful candidates will have a fantastic opportunity to be assigned to an area of a manufacturing site, to work alongside and learn from experienced engineers, whilst attending training including Six Sigma and Lean training with our graduate engineers and taking part in our Emerging Talent Training programme.

Key Benefits Include:

• 25 days paid annual holiday, plus Bank Holidays.
• Contributory Stakeholder Pension Scheme
• Discount on 3M products
• Reduced subscriptions on various insurance schemes
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Financial support for further education   

Overall Mission

As an Industrial Placement Student you will be part of and learn from the Manufacturing Technology Engineering group, the primary purpose of whom is to ensure the manufacturing plant and business deliver against their annual strategic target in the fields of cost, cash, growth, service, quality and safety. 

Our widely spread and innovative product technology base provides interesting and varied manufacturing challenges that stimulate our world-renowned culture of innovation and creativity.

3M has achieved regional & global recognition for its achievements in manufacturing efficiency, service & environmental awareness as well as its ability to develop & scale-up new products utilising new technologies. 

What we're looking for in you

• Right to live and work in the UK
• Working towards a 2:1 in a relevant degree (Engineering or Science based)
• 120 UCAS points at A-Level or equivalent qualification (300 UCAS points based on previous UCAS points system) including at least one STEM subject.
• Valid UK driving licence is preferred but not essential.
• Good engineering/technical knowledge
• Competent PC user
• Good problem solver
• Pro-active self starter
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Highly motivated with the drive & energy to lead and influence change
• Good team player able to work well with & influence others
• Ability to prioritise effectively
• Strong Communication skills

Job Responsibilities

As an Industrial Placement Student you will be working as part of a highly focused and driven team of engineers. The projects in new ‘growth’ areas will be on new product introduction, line optimisation and product qualification, whereas in the more established areas, the manufacturing engineering team will be focused more on waste reduction, process/productivity improvement and material substitutions.

You’ll become knowledgeable about our developing technologies, the quality systems that surround our manufacturing processes and learn to work with people at all levels of the organisation - from the machine operators to the senior managers.

Example projects that you would typically be involved in:

• Downtime Reduction – Changing between different product types is a lengthy process due to adjusting programme settings and knife set-ups. The project is to quantify DT and target the biggest opportunities to improve.
• Raw Material Qualification –. To ensure that the product is compliant with production, performance and quality metrics, organise testing, make order runs and quality inspection before the change is approved.
•  New Product Qualification - Manufacturing engineers will work with production and the development lab, to manufacture a product suitable for the customer’s specification.
• Quality Improvement – Projects involve working alongside the quality engineering team to understand historical trends and production data to further develop specifications.
• Process optimisation – The project focus is identifying optimum settings and set-up visual management to monitor cycle times. 
• Lean Projects - Reduce pallet space in production areas by lean supply of raw materials to production equipment.

Working at 3M

Unleash your potential.

Our success depends on the energy of our employees and the high quality of their leadership. Most of all it depends on their continuous improvement.

From sales to manufacturing to marketing to engineering, if you're committed to expanding your knowledge and gaining leading-edge skills, this is the place to do it. Professional development at 3M includes excellent training, continuing educational support, mentorship from smart, experienced people and more. That's one of the many advantages of our diverse business model and global reach.

You'll find a strong promote-from-within culture here; it's an important aspect of our emphasis on learning and professional growth. You may also move between business units or even, potentially, to different locations around the world. That's one of the many advantages of our diverse business model and global reach.

Apply now for this exciting opportunity with 3M. 3M is an equal opportunity employer.