Name: Sam Schofield

Sam Schofield | Production Operative Application | Blowmould | 05.03.2015

Name: Sam Schofield

Position Applied For: Production Operative

Current Department: BlowMould

Current Manager: Sid Payne

Current Position Held: Production Operative (Pool)

How Long Have You Been In This Position?: 4-5 Years

How Long Have You Been Employed By M&H?: 5 Years

I am writing to you with interest in regards to the position of Full Time Production Operative. I found that the listing for this position meets my ideal achievement right now and I hope to secure a position in this field. It would also be a formative and great experience for me considering it would be my first full time job since completing my AS and A2 Levels. I also feel that I have a lot to contribute to your company.

As a casual staff employee, I have worked for M&H Plastics for approximately 5 Years. 1 Year in Print and from there I requested for something more that would enable me to fit in more comfortably and this was Blowmould, where I have now been working for 4 years on a rotating shift pattern. To elaborate on this, I have already gained the mental and physical strength to cope with the shift patterns, prior to considering my application. I am delighted to say that I have found the correct team of staff to work with. I am determined to pursue a career for the time being as a production operative on my current shift, which is essentially the reason for wishing to be considered.

I believe that one of the reasons I should be considered for full time is simply because I live a maximum of 5 minutes away from M&H Plastics. This would be very ideal for the office team to request me to come in to work with very short notice should they be short on staff to do overtime to run a machine or sort our returned products for defects. I am very punctual and would not be hesitant to accept any short notice offers upon request. I also have a car I use daily to come to work in, so regardless of the weather or reason, there will be no issues in terms of arriving late or anything else relating to this matter.

I have a very high level of awareness and my approach to things is very systematic. I am very sure that I will be able to apply these skills within this role to my advantage, simply because by utilising this skill, it will enable me to straight away locate and acknowledge any essential packing guidelines on the Bus Stop if shown, and pack specifically to the requirements. In addition, foreseeing and eliminating any defective products and because I work to a system, I keep an order to my working method, for instance in this scenario, before I pack on a machine. To elaborate further, I will immediately check first for any special packing requirements. By doing this I am preventing any stoppages in production. I will then more than likely ensure the machine(s) is/are creating production efficiently. Because I have a high level of awareness, to the best of my knowledge, over the years I have been working for Blowmould have I ever known for my work to be called back to sort as a result of defects and I am dedicated to keeping this pattern.

One of the most important aspects we must follow as current workers of M&H Plastics is the 6S Housekeeping. As a company, we have to compete with many others delivering the same work to customers. However, by following strict and satisfying routes, a company like ourselves has the potential and edge on any other company if we provide a better environment of service and maintain our highly reputable level of health and safety.

Maintaining a high level of health and safety in our work environment is paramount to keeping a safe and comfortable to work in company. The most important method of maintaining the health and safety within blowmould is to ensure you are applying all techniques you have learnt in training sessions, including manual handling and safety/risk procedures. Another method that is key is to inform your chargehand if you feel you require further training on a particular area, or if you believe to see somebody working with insufficient training who could potentially be a threat to themselves or other workers on the shop floor. Reporting any potential risks and hazards immediately is extremely important, since safety is gainful and accidents are painful. Asking for guidance if you are never 100% sure is an excellent way to keeping safe without running the risk of injury to yourself or others. Following the PPE regulations within blowmould is most key, as by wearing noise protection earplugs, gloves, sack barrows/pallet trucks (rather than manually carrying), reflective jackets in the forklift tunnels or outside at night when visibility is low and other protective clothing are all great ways of minimising risks. As well as carrying out regular safety and emergency audits to ensure all workers acknowledge what is required of them within their job role. Adhering to all of the above, but not limited to, are the best ways to maintain a high level of health and safety when working in blowmould.

As a production operative, there are many ways that we can ensure we are working to the best of our ability in terms of meeting our customers requirements and correct quality standards. Customers naturally expect us to use the highest methods possible of good hygiene. That is why we must always wear gloves when we are packing. This prevents any oils on our hands, dirt, grease etc staining the products we are packing for them. We can also ensure that we are wearing the provided hats and white coats which prevent any fibres of hair from our head and clothing from external sources i.e. outside of work, falling in to the box that we are packing in. All three of these requirements are very important as we are often manufacturing for pharmaceutical companies such as Boots, Dermal Laboratories etc, and are therefore medical packaging for medicines so we must ensure top notch hygiene. We can also ensure that we are following the customers quality standards by checking the majority of the products being packed 100% for any sort of defects. We can also utilise what information we have on our Bus Stops which indicate any previous defects found (NPR's) on this particular product, as well as checking the required packing specification precisely in regards to how we MUST be packing the products in each box for the customer.

We can also be confident we are reaching the required standards of the customer simply by staying focussed on the job required to the best of our ability. This means not trying to juggle many tasks at one time or simply, rushing. Customers would also appreciate it if we could keep our quality very consistent for each and every one of their orders. As a manufacturer, we depend on our customers and therefore MUST make them our priority. The quality and cleanliness of our work area should also be of high quality. The old term of "first impressions last" symbolises itself very well in a workplace like ours. If a customer is walking around on the shop floor and notices an untidy department, it is fact that they will then start to look for other areas of defects with the company. If a department is tidy as soon as they walk through the door, immediately they will only have positive thoughts. This is why it is extremely important to follow our 6S Housekeeping scheme.Finally, in terms of my personal skills and what I feel I could bring to the company range from natural skills, to skills that I have already learnt whilst working for M&H Plastics, and also skills that I am building on even more.

I am very experienced and qualified in Microsoft Applications and other software and computing in general, so therefore using the Gemba system has been a breeze for me personally. I have been a computer fanatic from the age of 10 (11 Years+) and ever since, I have had a keen interest in technology and I would see myself as a suitable candidate to easily adapt to our modern changes within M&H Plastics. I also see myself as a very friendly individual, and in my humble opinion, employees love to see this attitude around a company as it makes everyone feel a lot more comfortable to approach me or vice versa, especially for any new employees joining the company that would perhaps require some help on the shop floor.

I also believe to have learnt overtime great interpersonal skills as well as a great level of communication. I am able to communicate very fluently and this would definitely help M&H Plastics in the interest of the companys reputation. Being approached by any customers would be a great experience, but I know I have the communication skills and adequate company knowledge to deal with any questions fired at me.

I also have a great sense of sight, and not only do I have a great vision to achieve higher, but in terms of physical aspects I am able to visualise any defects on a product being manufactured very easily. I use a variety of different ways to 100% check my work, whilst using a great timing system to ensure that I am keeping up with the work load I have been given. I believe that I have acquired this skill not only before working for the company as I studied A Level Forensic Science and had to identify such miniature elements and other things, but its a skill I've strengthened over time working for M&H Plastics.

I see myself as someone to be a fast learner, as well as being capable of having the ability to work under pressure. I have always naturally been a fast learner as I am a very practical individual and I prefer a lot of hands-on work, and I am able to approach these things with interest and confidence, whilst simultaneously appreciating any feedback to work on. Both of these skills will carry a very important role in this working environment simply because as a factory, we are very fast moving and its a critical problem for anything slowing the production down.

Whilst in school, I was able to hand in all of my coursework on time, whilst working for a family member at the weekends. If I can work under pressure and still make deadlines, I will be able to take on new challenges with confidence.

As an individual who has a desire to always achieve greater, I see myself as someone who has a very strong work ethic and a passion for excellence. I am also a very hard working team player, and both of these skills will be essential when working together to create production, as well as maintaining a great reputation within the company. For example, I am required to come in early or stay on for overtime due to production overload and would gladly accept this to help with the business aspect of the company, and also this would help with our important 6S Housekeeping scheme where everybody needs to work together.

My goal has always been to be very organized for many years. Whilst at school, I was able to make an efficient time management system to support both my deadlines for work at school, as well as my job to work alongside my family member in his company. As a result of learning to be very organized, I will be able to bring my organizational skills to my full time work position. I also see myself as to being very proactive and self motivated. All three of these skills will be very handy when I have a lot of work load. For example, relating it to my work environment, I will ensure that I have a decent supply of boxes to make up, as well as scrap trays to use as well as sufficient plastic bags on the roller. I will also ensure that any special requests made to me by the QC, Supervisor or Manager is dealt with in a timely manner and will carry out all responses to the best of my ability.

The remaining three of my most valuable skills I have and what would be a great addition to the company is that I am a very honest and trustworthy worker. I am also a great critical thinker, so I will be able to easily solve and react to any issues fast should I encounter them. Honesty and trust is very important in any company, especially this one as any issue I recognise could potentially be a very important one. This includes anything I may have seen, such as a worker packing defects accidentally, or personally I may have accidentally packed, or even in terms of health and safety where an issue needs to be reported and like myself, be a trustworthy candidate to do this. I have reported many problems in the past as a casual staff member i.e. failed door on lump waste bin, leaking panels/fans in the roof, misbehaviour on the shop floor, and also mispacking of products by both other people on my shift and prior to my shift.

If I am chosen to be offered full time employment, I will work much harder than I have ever worked before, and it will be in my interest to make this portray. Currently I am working as a casual staff Production Operative, and I feel now that as I have become much older in comparison to when I first started, it is essential for me to find security in living and would therefore hope to be considered as a full time employee at M&H Plastics. I hope that my application will receive a favourable reply from you.