Specialists in their field, kingpins in AKWEL’S areas of expertise, linchpins of its effectiveness, the group’s business units are at the very heart of its industrial performance.
What does your role involve?
I’m responsible for organising and managing business travel for employees in Europe. This includes booking plane and train tickets, finding rental cars, booking accommodation, etc. I manage relations with hotels, travel agencies, car rental companies and the various service providers required to organise employee travel. I am responsible for implementing agreements with suppliers (negotiated rates, contractually agreed services, etc.), and also for monitoring invoicing and following up disputes.
What skills and qualities are needed to succeed in your job?
You need a good understanding of the ticketing business. It’s a role that calls for a high level of responsiveness and attention to detail. A very good knowledge of AKWEL’s travel policy is required in order to meet the needs of the employees while adhering to the rules that are in place. The ability to speak French and English is essential, as I work with all the Group’s European sites. For me, the love of the job is the most important thing.
What do you like most about your job?
I find this job very fulfilling and exciting because human contact is an integral part of the role. It’s a team effort, because I’m in daily contact with my colleagues and service providers throughout Europe, organising a wide range of trips.
What does your job involve?
My main objective is to manage the suppliers within my portfolio and to ensure that QCD objectives (Quality, Cost, Deadline) are met. I have the task of optimising purchases within my perimeter, proposing cost savings and better managing problems or urgent matters such as the shortage of materials we are facing the moment (please see the article in this issue). Being a buyer first and foremost involves teamwork. I’m just one piece in the jigsaw puzzle. I work closely with the Logistics and Quality teams, supporting them in particular when things escalate.
What skills and qualities are needed to succeed in your job?
Over and above the basic purchasing techniques (consultation, negotiation and business tracking) and a good knowledge of the applicable regulations, I find that proficiency in English is very important as this provides the basis for other abilities needed to carry out this job: being able to listen, being credible and being persuasive …
What do you like most about your job?
The possibility of communicating with people all around the world, being part of a team and working together on projects. What I also like is that although at first sight my work would appear to always be the same, this isn’t the case at all. It’s even very exciting and demanding and far from humdrum.
What does your job consist of?
Besides the regular meetings with customers and tracking the projects milestones, as a project manager we need to coordinate, organize and manage all the project activities from the project kick-off to the project closure.
What are the key skills and qualities to succeed in your job?
The most important thing for the success of a day as a PM is to anticipate or to make decisions. There are different instances that may impact a very good plan but we need to adapt, to assess the options very fast and to provide the best solution to the customer.
What do you like most about your job?
As a project manager I like that I can put into practice the requirements that I previously had and apply them in a project. The everyday challenges that may occur during a project keeps you involved and out of routine … no day is like the other.
“I joined AKWEL in 1998 as a quality engineer. In 2013, having held various positions, I was promoted to QSE² Manager. My job is to be the customer’s eyes in the plant. I have to ensure customer satisfaction by ensuring that all the parts produced comply with the quality standards of the group and of its customers. I’m very proud of having rolled out the QSE² system on the Orizaba site: the system guarantees everyday discipline based on a robust process and relevant indicators. Since we introduced this system, our results have been steadily improving. “
After 22 years as PGM, the group gave me a new opportunity with greater responsibilities taking the position of EVPO of America since June 2019. Now, the challenges in terms of manufacturing like Plant Safety, Quality, Customer satisfaction and Human Management in general, have multiplied by 6 and in an industrial environment altered by the recent health and economic crises. Being EVPO, has given me a new approach that leads me to daily learning in each situation and decision made or to be made.
My desire to reach the end of my professional career at AKWEL remains a strong motivation for me. The group’s multiculturalism continues to be one of its main strengths, facing the new challenges of the evolution of the automotive industry to maintain our global presence and meet the expectations of our Customers, as clearly stated in our Mission: “To be a trusted tier-one supplier for our customers, helping them to build autonomous, smart vehicles that are more reliable and more environmentally responsible at a competitive Price.”
“After early experience as a service-provider in the automotive and aeronautics industry and 2 years in China, I wanted to continue working globally. Joining AKWEL, I started as Project Manager then Methods Manager before being appointed Product Lines Manager. My job is divided between team management and development. What really motivates me is tackling challenges every day. This motivation, combined with my skills, has made me the first female Product Lines Manager! “
“I joined AKWEL ten years ago as a project engineer. I have held several posts, from project manager to technical manager and production manager. Today, I am Sales Manager. So I contribute to AKWEL’s development in China. Today, our Fluids and Mechanisms product lines are represented on our 3 sites to meet our customers’ requirements. Turnover here is experiencing strong growth, which increases the opportunities for me to apply my skills. “.