ABOUT

Tell us who you are!

Tonderai, 28, Senior Manufacturing Engineer - Paint, Lotus Cars

So what do you actually do?

I am responsible for continuous improvement of manufacturing process for painting cars using automated robots. This involves implementing improvements to production processes and equipment all with the goal of producing a painted finish to the high standard expected from customers.

What has your career path been?

When I graduated from University I started working as a Graduate Paint Process Engineer for a Tier 1 automotive supplier who were responsible for supplying painted bumpers to Jaguar Land Rover. I spent two years in this role which provided me with a strong foundation for the knowledge that I have now on paint application robots. I briefly left the automotive industry after I finished this role and I worked with residential and commercial glass manufacturer as a WCM (World-Class Manufacturing) Process Engineer. Although I was in this role for a short time, this is where I gained my appreciation for lean production techniques pioneered by the Toyota Production System (TPS) which follows a philosophy to eliminate waste, optimise processes, improve efficiency and innovate.

As much as I enjoyed this role, it also made me realise that my heart was in automotive and my next role was at Aston Martin Lagonda as a Manufacturing Engineer where I worked on a project to install a new paintshop for the companies first SUV, the Aston Martin DBX. I feel blessed to have been presented with this opportunity as I was able to work with a blank canvas with the installation of a new facility and implementation of new processes. Working in this role also brought me back to working with automated paint application robots and using them to develop improved processes for the new car.

Since then, I made the move to McLaren Automotive where I had the pleasure of working as a New Model Manufacturing Engineer on the launch of cars such as the McLaren Senna, Speedtail, 765LT and the Elva. This role had a key focus on the introduction of new models which involved me working with exciting cars that I couldn't speak to anyone about until they were launched (that was the hard part).

I currently work with Lotus Cars as a Senior Manufacturing Engineer where I am, once again, working on a project to install a new paintshop for a new production car.

My career to date has allowed me to work with a variety of reputable companies where all the skills I have learnt have moulded me into the engineer that I am today.

What is the best part of your job?

Seeing the conception of a car at the beginning of a project where it’s just an idea in the form of a computer generated 3D model, to finally seeing the cars on the road in the hands of customers, knowing that I have played a role in producing it.

What inspired you to do your job?

I got into this industry pretty much by accident, despite this I literally haven't looked back since. I studied Chemical Engineering at University and when I graduated, I accepted the first job offer I received. This is where I really developed my love for this role, as my knowledge of materials from my degree helped me in understanding the complexities involved in paint application.

One piece of advice for someone starting in your role?

The automotive industry is an exciting sector that is constantly having to innovate and adapt to meet the needs of customers and legislation. One well known example of this is the emergence of electrical vehicles as the world continues to make efforts to combat climate change.

You don't need to be an engineer to work as a Manufacturing Engineer. All you need is to have the ability to innovate and find new methods of doing a processes. If you are able to dare to dream about new ideas and see them though, you will feel right at home in this role. Keeping 'quality' in mind with all tasks you approach will help you in this role and ultimately you are rewarded by seeing the improvements you make on a finished car.

Final words?

It can sometimes be easy to get caught in the middle of politics in a work place. The best thing you can do for yourself is to not get involved and focus on building positive relationships with the people that you work with as well as being dependable with all the tasks you work on. All in all, this will help build a positive and lasting impression on all the different people that you may come across.

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DAY IN THE LIFE

A typical day for me involves me snoozing my alarm multiple times until I find the strength to wake up. I start work at 7:30am in the morning which is normal for the automotive industry (much to my dismay - I don't like early mornings).

So due to the fact that I am working on a new facility and a new car, I manage my time between both of these projects. With the new facility, my day revolves around ensuring that the facility caters for all of the production needs of the new car. This involves working with other teams throughout the procurement, installation and commissioning of the new equipment.

As with any project, issues are bound to arise so I spend my time putting corrective measures in place to eradicate them as well. Part of the commissioning activity is ensuring the the paint robots will operate the way that they are expected to. As a result, I work with the supplier to improve the robot programs by optimising how they move and how much paint they use.

The other aspect of my daily responsibilities is working on developing the processes for manufacturing the new car. Although there are robots that apply the paint to the cars, there is still a lot of human involvement in preparing the cars for application and the polishing which bring out the glossy shine on a finished car. As a result, I am constantly working with the production team to develop processes that will allow the operators and the robots to work in harmoniously together. I also work on the development of new colours which all require extensive testing before they can be approved to be painted on cars.

Once the car is launched, my role will evolve around implementing continuous improvement of the processes that are in place. Production provides unique challenges as different issues can arise each day, ultimately no day is the same.

When you have cars that are constantly being painted, any delays can have a detrimental impact on production of the car. This will require I work with cross functional teams to eradicate any issues the may arise. One plus side is the meeting room has a direct view on to the test track where you get to seem cars racing around all day.

After all this is done, my day generally finishes at 4:30pm which is a very long day BUT...I get to finish at 11:30am on Friday.