Valencia Ward

Communication Skills : My communication skills were enhanced during the period I was mentoring students at Stellenbosch University I had to assist students from different backgrounds and I explained various concepts to them I currently have to present to top management and clients on various projects I lead my own team meetings with the Industrial Engineering students and Interns I also have meetings with the production team I have to communicate with different departments on various productivity challenges and negotiate with them I communicate both locally, nationally and Internationally with engineers to ensure problems are solved on our plant

Analytical Ability : I am by nature an analytical thinker I use various analysis techniques to do my work, and it often relies on different software programmes I do cost-benefit analysis for various Capex projects to determine the feasibility of a project I must do FMEA and Process Flow Diagram analysis for our products to ensure we are mitigating the risks during production Fishbone diagrams ensure that I take all the factors into consideration that can be of concern in manufacturing a product I have Value Stream Maps of processes and belong to the Global Radial Seal Team to ensure I’m on trend with our global company

Interpersonal and Flexibility : I show empathy to my team I am flexible with my time and schedules I often come in weekends or at night to work on projects I remain calm when we face challenges with supply chains, customers or pandemics I was one of the few engineers who were working during level 5 of the Covid-19 pandemic and showed patience and a positive attitude during that time Our company could still produce products and remained healthy

Leadership Skills : I am a keen leader and first developed my Leadership skills while working for the University This required commitment, planning and confidence towards both lecturers and students As an engineer I can make decisions on plant layouts that should be ergonomic friendly My decisions often mean that operators must be relocated to another area to improve on the line efficiencies I must decide on equipment installations that are suitable for production activities I decide between outsourcing maintenance activities or using inhouse staff I must decide between renting of equipment or purchasing it At Takata I trained staff on production planning As a Project Manager, I must be a leader in making decisions based on the input of different departments and execute it effectively I currently lead a group of young Engineering Interns, and I must ensure they comply to the company rules I must take leadership in guiding production staff in following standard work instructions and encourage them to work with greater efficiency

Team Management: I am a professional project manager and can set goals and delegate tasks to my team I manage a team and monitor their performance I give feedback on improvement opportunities I've completed the Donaldson Mentorship programme and I'm an active Mentor on our database