The world of work…

Rosemary HarperManufacturing Process Engineer,

Solvay

SOLVAY TODAYAN INTERNATIONAL PRESENCE

about 29,400 employees*sales of about EUR 8.7 bn in more than 50 countries

Industrial/CommercialPresenceExport

The The AmericasAmericas34%34%

(USA : 25%)

EuropeEurope59%59%

AsiaAsia--PacificPacific5%5%

* 1,997 people of Ausimont (acquired in 2002) not included

Career so far1995: completed A level equivalent in Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Maths with Calculus, English.

Nov 98: graduated with first class honours in Chemical and Process Engineering from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand

Jan 99: employed as Graduate Process Engineer for Tanvec (now Lend Lease Pharmaceuticals.Sept 00: employed as Process Design Engineer for Great Lakes, Widnes (now Pentagon Chemicals).Sept 02: employed as Manufacturing Process Engineer for Solvay Caprolactones.

Solvay Caprolactones

•The Industry directly employs 240,000 people and supports many more (160 000 in the Northwest)

•430 Chemical Manufacturers in the Northwest

•Annual sales in 2003 topped £32 Billion (£10 billion in the Northwest)

•Products manufactured by the industry are essential to every day life

Industry Facts

Employment Locations

What do I actually do?

Every day is different…- working on the plant- working in my office- working in a group- working on my own

What happened to me?

What happened to me?

Project: New production facility

•A client wants to manufacture a new drug

•The plant design and installation must be to FDA standards

•Project: process design and installation

Project: New production facilityWhat did I do?•Liased with the client to learn the process•Mass and energy balances•Front end design was approved•Detailled design and sizing of equipment, utility calculations•Report preparation for front end and detailled design•Chosing equipment and talking to suppliers•Worked in Worthing to oversee installation and commissioning•Regular meetings with the client to review the project•Wrote and carried out validation documentation to the FDA

Project: New production facilityThe client made the drug and it was approved by the FDA.

Skills used?Team workReport writing/preparing documentationEngineering designSpecifying equipmentHAZOP studiesCommissioning/ValidationReviewing costs

Project: Making a new product

•A customer wants to buy a new chemical •The chemist has experimented on a chemical reaction

I need to take the process from the lab and make the chemical!

Project: Making a new product

What did I do?•Learnt the chemistry from the chemist•Made sure the product was safe and wouldn’t damage the environment.•Visited Germany to see how they had made it•Decided any modifications to the existing manufacturing equipment.•Explained the software sequence to the instrument engineer.•Got the OK from the Environment Agency•Trained the operators •Ordered the raw materials

Project: Making a new product

We made the product – SUCCESS!

Skills used?Understanding chemistryTeam workReport writing for environment agencyEngineering designProblem solving

Project: Sulphuric Acid Addition

•Sulphuric acid used to ensure the reaction safe•Manually poured from 5kg bottles into a funnel twice a day•Very corrosive (can burn the skin)

Project: be safer, save time and save money!

Project: Sulphuric Acid Addition

What did I do?•Found supplier of bulk sulphuric acid•Asked the operators what they wanted•Used CAD to draw the P&ID’s (flow and instrumentation diagrams)•Spent lots of money! •Carried out a safety assessment of the design•Managed the work when other people were installing my project•Trained the operators•Asked the instrument engineer to write the software so it was automatic.

Project: Sulphuric Acid Addition

How much did I spend: £45 000Operators happy as safer operation and saves £50 000 a year

Skills used?•Problem solving•Budgeting•Design on CAD•Managing people •Specifying equipment•Design calculations

What next?

Become chartered then gain experience for business management

My advice

Find out what a job involves -Mentoring-Job shadowing-Networking-Job profiles

Degree results countCommunication - one of the most important skillsThink outside the box – sell yourself

Rosemary HarperManufacturing Process Engineer,

Solvay