Nestle

Aakanksha Marwah

Briefly describe your major project over the summer.

My main project this Summer has been to analyze the Value Stream for Inbound Materials, specifically broccoli, in the Prepared Foods Division of Nestle. Broccoli has a long lead time as it is imported from Mexico, Guatemala, and Ecuador, which causes it to have a high inventory at Nestle factories and warehouses. The primary objective of this project is to reduce the lead time for broccoli, in turn, reducing inventory levels and working capital. A few of my tasks in this project were to create current state value stream maps for our two largest suppliers, analyze delivery and consumption patterns for broccoli, analyze effects of forecasting accuracy and production changes on inventory levels, identify several works-streams to reduce the lead time, and create future state value stream maps. The various work-streams allowed me to better understand international transportation modes, warehousing options, food quality requirements, and supplier relationship management.     

 What is the most important thing you learned from your internship?

My favorite part of this project has been that I am able to interact with people from each step of the Inbound Material value stream. I have worked with groups from Supply Chain, Procurement, Factory Engineering & Operations, Research & Development, Marketing, and even external suppliers. In a company as large as Nestle, I found that each group has different objectives and priorities, which often cause overall organizational goal alignment to be a challenge. As part of the Strategic Planning team which focuses on the entire value chain, I was able to see the importance of focusing on the overall results, rather than individual operational silos’ success. This, however, makes the work extremely challenging! With so many divisions and roles in such a large company, there are very few people that have an in-depth understanding of the complete organization. My most important learning from this project is that when starting in any new organization, take the time to understand the objectives and understanding of other roles. You never gain appreciation for someone else’s work unless you are able to put yourself in their shoes!

 What do you think was the most critical factor(s) in preparing you to succeed at your internship?

My operations and logistics management coursework has been extremely helpful in having a basic understanding of the field terminology and concepts. Having a previous co-op in a similar field was also extremely helpful, as I now understand many of the different operations of a manufacturing company.

George Vourvopoulos

Briefly describe your major project(s) over the summer.

Nestle has the goal of becoming a Lean organization by the year 2015. In accordance to lean thinking, appropriate lead times allow scheduled production to run smoothly and effectively. One of my two main projects was the reduction of lead times from ingredient vendors. My second major project included working on ten different product development teams. During my internship I had the opportunity to participate on two innovation projects as the procurement lead.

What is the most important thing you learned from your internship?

The most important things that I will take away is how key communication is in every aspect of business, how essential pleasing your stakeholders is, and building strong long-lasting relationships with vendors and co-workers. I’ve seen each of these demonstrated at Nestle and when they all come together you see success within procurement.

 What do you think was the most critical factor(s) in preparing you to succeed at your internship?

The most critical factor in preparing to succeed at my internship was the research I did on Nestlé prior to my interview and after my internship acceptance. By understanding the organization and its culture, specifically the procurement division, I was able to jump right into my internship and avoid the first hurdle of learning how the business operates.