Undergraduate Placement

Pirelli is an international group with a global brand presence, and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of high performance tyres. Pirelli are also leaders in various forms of motorsport such as Formula 1 and the World Superbike. We supply tyres to many of the world’s major Motor brands such as Jaguar Land Rover, Porsche, Range Rover, Lamborghini, Bentley and Aston Martin to name a few.

A 12 month placement is available within our Planning Department on our Carlisle site. This role involves supporting the Department and co-ordinating activity on intercompany materials management and ingredient preparation and planning. This role will be predominantly office based, with some time spent in the factory.

A project will be identified during the placement and a mentor to provide support in learning and development. Assistance will be provided in finding appropriate accommodation, but financial assistance for accommodation will not be given. Student must have a valid work permit/visa for the UK.

**Main duties include**:
Monitor stocks of supplied materials, calculating requirements/usage.

Liaise with other Pirelli factories and head office to co-ordinate intercompany compound, components and empties.

Order materials from external companies as required.

Order transport as required.

Creating purchase orders as required

Extensive use of Excel, SAP etc.

Occasional travel required to Pirelli Burton factory.

**Current student insight on the role**:
I really enjoy my role as a planning co-ordinator, due to the level of responsibility that is given to me, as I am not looked at as a helping hand, but rather as an integral member of the team. I am currently responsible for a variety of raw ingredients which are key in the manufacturing process, so part of my job is to ensure that adequate stock levels are maintained, as consequentially a lack of these resources could halt production. My role at Pirelli is enjoyable, as it is just not an office job, but rather sees me out on the shop floor, taking stock levels and also communicating with individuals about the production plan changes. An important part of my role is to send production figures to Pirelli HQ in Milan, this will gives them an idea of how the factory is running, and if we are meeting our monthly targets.

This role has not only developed me as an individual but also as a professional. The role has given me a huge insight into the supply chain variant within a business, which has given me a clearer picture to what I want as a career and what I want to achieve. The role has also given me the opportunity to further develop some of my personal skills such as confidence, attention to detail and being organised. I have also greatly improved my ability to cope under pressure, as while you are in the role, you will encounter unforeseen issues and in these instances you must stay calm, rationalise the situation, and then resolve the issue in the most efficient manner to ensure mínimal damage to the production process. Attention to detail is also one of the key attributes of a planning co-ordinator, as a number or a dot out of place could seriously affect the factory, so it’s crucial to triple check what you’re doing so that errors do not occur.

In regards to professional experience I can honestly say that I feel ready to tackle the real world and everything that comes with it. This placement has given me so many tools to utilise in a variety of roles, that I feel I could go into any industry and succeed. I have learned how to use SAP, which is crucial to my role, but I’ve also gained vast experience and have become extremely proficient with excel. In this role you will learn how to use macros and VBSQL commands to accomplish your tasks. It will be like learning a new language.

From a personal perspective I love this job, I love the people I work with, and there isn’t a dull moment in my office because there is always a joke flying around which makes the day more entertaining. My superiors are also great fun; they are light hearted, cheerful and extremely helpful. They understand the learning process, and will ease you in to the role slowly as there is quite a lot to take in and it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed initially. I also love the fact that there is no pressure to get things right all the time, they understand that, they’re more interested in what you do after the mistake. My supervisor always tells me, you’re not judged on the mistake, but on how you recover from the mistake. One thing that I thought before I came into my placement was that I needed to know everything and that I need to be a natural straight off the bat, but what this job at Pirelli has taught me is that asking for help is okay and encouraged, as I am only on the early stages of my professional career and therefore I’m still developing as an individual.

“Production Planning is the eye of the market within the factory, setting priorities for short and lo