Profiles
Aidan Wigham
Mechanical Engineering, Loughborough University
Central Office Placement Student (2007-08)
“The two months I’ve spent at British sugar have been a steep learning curve. From day one I’ve been learning not only how sugar is efficiently produced, but how big business works.
The hand over period between placement students was a great way of finding my feet, because a year ago they were in my position. This meant that during factory visits they know how to answer my questions. Now that they have left, and I have taken on my own projects, I feel part of the operation services team. This team has a wealth of knowledge, and are always happy to share it with you.
So far I have been involved in a number of projects, ranging from health and safety, where I was using my knowledge of mechanical equipment to asses failure modes…
to energy, where I am developing a power consumption target with variable correction…
to environmental, where we will be taking samples and measuring the composition of exhaust air…
to development, where I’ve been working with external consultants and contractors on the design of a bioethanol plant.
These projects are giving me a wide experience of the different fields of engineering, taking me out of the office to perform trials, audits and research and are developing my time management, business communication, and problem solving skills.”
Stephen Lord
Mechanical Engineering, Loughborough University
Central Office Safety and Environment Student (2007-08)
“I have only been with British Sugar for two months now but am amazed at the level of work I have been involved in. In my second week I was given a project to identify which emissions monitoring company should receive the contract for all of our UK sites. I found myself presenting information to senior managers, dealing with directors of several different companies, and having an influence on decisions potentially worth £100,000’s right at the start of my placement.
I am involved in several engineering projects, such as taking over work on optimising boilers and power generation in Poland potentially delivering significant savings in energy costs. I am also carrying out throughput trials at several factories and many other projects giving me a broad range of experience.”
Chris Norburn
Mechanical Engineering, Loughborough University
Central Office Energy Placement Student (2007-08)
“I’ve only been on placement for 2 months and already I am involved with projects at all the factories in the UK and with some in South Africa. The best part about this placement is that none of these projects are the same; there is such a variety and range of work.
Being based at central office enables you to work on all these projects, but it does not mean you are stuck in the office on average I am out of the office at least one day a week at factories or meetings with consultants.
British Sugar although a food producer has a huge range of other engineering projects, involving power generation, combustion equipment and biofuels, to name just a few. As I said the variety available to you at British Sugar is huge!”
Tom Barrett
Chemical Engineering, Loughborough University
Bury St Edmunds Process Engineering Placement Student (2007-08)
“Although I have only been working with British Sugar for just over two months, I already feel like I have learned an enormous amount. There is no real way to draw comparison between the time I’ve spent in University and my time working on site for a big processing company. It’s a different world, with a completely different pace of life.
Here at British sugar; be it in the office, the control room, or even the factory floor – I never find it difficult to approach someone when I’m lost or confused about a problem. Everyone is happy to help me out with any questions I might have, or at least point me in the direction of the right person to ask! It is never too hard to find a solution with such a friendly, helpful staff. I never feel like I have to be too serious, but at the same time; working for the company makes me feel far more professional.
In my role as Placement Student for the Improvements Team, I’ve already been trusted with a wide variety of tasks and responsibilities. Bury St Edmunds is now the new home to an extremely advanced piece of plant. This decalcification rig is a unique opportunity for a chemical engineer like me to utilise my course to better understand the workings of the process so that I am able to explain it to others and help in its operation and optimisation.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Bury St Edmunds site already. I certainly feel that much, much more is still to come, and I’m really looking forward to the coming Campaign and the promise of interesting projects to come.”
Tawana Muchatuta
Chemical Engineering, Loughborough University
Central Office Process Engineering Placement Student (2006-07)
“My time at British Sugar has seen me involved in a number of exciting projects, some of which came with a price tag well over 2 million pounds. There are always opportunities to get stuck in and the staff at British Sugar are helpful and were willing to explain anything and everything I did not understand, even when I asked twice! In addition the contractors I had the pleasure of working with, on and off site, were just as friendly.
The right attitude got me doing project business studies for colleagues in various departments. Part of my role was factory support. I developed a design and costing for capital expenditure on a heating system that used waste heat to improve the effectiveness of effluent treatment in the off-season. This was new and very different compared to anything I have previously done. The responsibility was great but so was the support and knowledge I gained. I was also part of the team that did a feasibility study on a new decalcification system, which was subsequently installed and saw me become a key member of the commissioning team.
I have been involved in dealing with big name companies based both in the UK and abroad, this is likely to continue for my successors as result of British Sugar’s future plans.
The year has been far more enlightening and stimulating than I could ever imagine and believe me when I say there are more engineering challenges in sugar manufacture than you think and of course, sugar manufacture is not the only thing that British Sugar does!”
Luke Field
Mechanical Engineering, Loughborough University
Central Office Energy Placement Student (2006-07)
“I’ve learnt a lot in my first two months here, but there are still huge areas of the sugar-making process I know nothing about. The sheer scale of it is mind-boggling. That (along with the fantastic projects you get involved in) makes this a great place to take an industrial placement year. “
“British Sugar is one of the biggest energy intensive companies in the UK, so as this year’s ‘energy student’ I’ve been right at the heart of things. And with climate change being such an important issue, it gives me a real sense of pride to know that the work I’m doing is helping to make a difference. I’m certainly not just here to make up numbers.”
“Even though I’m based in Central Office in Peterborough, I’ll tend to be out at least one day a week, visiting a factory or going to a meeting anywhere in the country. In fact, I’ve already spent entire weeks out of the office, which was unexpected but really enjoyable. But I’ve also been given plenty of support to go with the responsibility. I haven’t met a single person who isn’t happy to help me out or answer any questions I might have. And being so warmly welcomed into the team has made me want to make the most of the experience – I’m confident that I’ll get as much out of this year as I put in.”
Matt Roskams
Mechanical Engineering, Loughborough University
Central Office Engineering Placement Student (2005-06)
“Looking back over my placement year, I cannot believe the variety of work I have been involved in. From contractor management, to design work I have seen so many different aspects of being an engineer all in the short space of a year. I am extremely glad I chose British Sugar as a placement company as they go to extreme lengths to ensure you meet all your requirements for your placement year as well as ensuring you have a wide range of work and responsibility.”
“My work has included inspection and assessment of equipment in potentially explosive areas; evaluating performance of equipment and investigating its poor performance with the use of consultancy; monitoring factory performance and presenting to Engineering Managers, attending conferences and presentations, and much more.”
“The atmosphere and ethos within British Sugar is simply superb, and everyone is approachable and always willing to help. As my year has been so successful, I have decided to apply to the Operations Management Graduate Scheme, and hope to rejoin the company following my final year at University.”
Luke Taplin
Mechanical Engineering, Loughborough University
Central Office Engineering Placement Student (2004-05)
"My placement year at British Sugar has now come to an end. Looking back, I was involved in a huge variety of different projects and the amount of responsibility I was given was simply amazing. For example, I worked on boiler upgrades, carried out test work and fuel trials, did shift work, attended recruitment fairs, helped to conduct knife trials – and a lot more besides. The work I was involved in definitely made a significant contribution to the business and, in some cases, delivered visible cost savings."
"All in all, the year gave me a fascinating insight into what it will be like to work as an engineer after I graduate. And because I enjoyed my placement so much, I decided to apply for a place on British Sugar's graduate scheme.”