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Testimonials |
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I have been very impressed with the Fellowship in many ways. I have learnt a great deal and feel that it has raised my knowledge and profile to a higher level. This has been most apparent during recent job interviews (which I probably would never even have achieved pre Fellowship!!). The key positives for me have been:
- The personal development in terms of identifying weaknesses and addressing them.
- The tools/techniques and language that goes with Lean.
- The practical and valuable content of the lectures provided by the many lecturers from the “real world”.
- The excellent network that is now available to me.
- The support and advice given especially during the Industrial Phase.
- The friendly and sociable atmosphere that surrounds the course.
I do not have any real major negatives. I would strongly advise that external lecturers continue to provide the majority of lectures as this, along with the practical experience, distinguishes the course from the numerous MBA’s now available. Whilst the search for a placement can be a stressful and worrying time I believe that it provides a valuable learning experience and those who were presented with their placements “on a plate” have missed out on this aspect.
Overall I have thoroughly enjoyed the Fellowship and believe that I have learnt a great deal that I will benefit from for years to come. I would like to thank all those involved in the running of the course and will endeavour to keep in touch and provide support to the Fellowship wherever and whenever I can.
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Jeremy Richardson
Intake 66
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My education prior to joining the FMM programme had been all through part-time educational, working from apprenticeship through to gaining a B.Eng (Hons) in Production Management. During this time, I had read and heard about of a lot of the Lean Manufacturing Principles, but most of my experience of bringing about change and improvements, was largely through applying common sense. These activities had largely been in the fastener moving manufacturing industry, in the roles of Product Development and Production Management.
On joining the FMM programme my primary goal was to gain the theory behind a lot of the improvement work I had previously done, such as 5’s, Set Up Reduction, Pull Systems, etc. what I got, was a lot more.
The FMM programme not only gave me the theory behind Lean Manufacturing Principles, it gave me a framework of how it was all interlinked and an order to correctly apply the theory. We were then given plenty of opportunity to be able to put theory into practice with the support of the fellowship, and even after the completion of the programme, I still feel that support is there. The major bonus with the course was that not only did it work on the Lean Manufacturing Principles, it gave as much importance to the skills needed to be able to communicate and be personally affective in bringing about change. It is this, that was the missing link for me prior to starting the programme, and has been the biggest step change in my ability to be able to bring about change.
The principles and tools I have now, I just cannot stop using in all elements of my working life, and I keep reaping the rewards. I would like to thank everyone involved in running the programme along with the fellows who have made it what it is, long may it continue.
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With a career background spanning 15 years in the speciality chemicals industry, I found myself pigeon-holed in a position of middle management and not able to progress to senior management in a large multinational organisation. The Cranfield FMM programme offered me a lifeline to not only redirect my career but also to learn and experience at first-hand the very latest thinking in ‘World Class Manufacturing’. The FMM promised a package combining a prestigious education with relevant industrial experience, further enhanced by full funding. The added attraction of continual support from a Cranfield tutor made the choice to move onto the programme a certain must.
The programme presented me with a highly challenging learning experience during which I frequently questioned my abilities, my personality and my self belief. The benefit of constant support from the other fellows on the programme, reassured me that my previous industrial experience was relevant and that joining the programme was the right choice. The foundation phase provided a focus of my previous process improvement experience with the very latest in lean manufacturing techniques. The sessions on personal effectiveness were particularly valuable to me, in enabling me to understand my psychometric profile and enable me to gain confidence, strength and understanding of the role of a ‘change agent’.
The FMM programme has been instrumental in re launching my career in manufacturing and has allowed me to make the transition from middle to executive management.
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Before applying for the FMM I had spent fourteen years at Xerox in a variety of roles. My background had been in electrical engineering but for the last eight years I had transitioned to the commercial side of the business and held a variety of business development, account management and consulting roles.
I really enjoyed the client facing roles and gained significant experience in manufacturing and financial services industries selling and deploying process re-engineering solutions across multi-functional and multi-cultural businesses globally. Design engineering and manufacturing is an industry steeped in best practice with fairly rigorous scientific practices and processes. This was only really appreciated when transitioning into the comparatively unstructured processes in sales and service industries. This became a focus for me and my motivation in joining the FMM was to get an understanding and skills update of the latest World Class Manufacturing tools and techniques to make me a more effective consultant in the services sectors.
The selection process itself was very demanding and ensures a high calibre of students on the placements. Even at this stage I found myself learning about myself from the psychometrics and the assessment day provided some interesting insights into the skill requirements of effective change agents.
I found the three month foundation phase very stimulating. The Manufacturing Management stream and the business module provided a large toolbox of techniques and principles, but perhaps just as important, a greater appreciation of when and when not to apply them. Also a lot of knowledge was gained from the breadth and diversity of experience my peer group on the Intake provided - sometimes very levelling and humbling but always invaluable and equally important as the academic modules themselves.
The personal effectiveness module is the one that surprised me most. I learned more about myself and where opportunities existed to change my personal style and behaviours to get the most out of myself and others. I got far more out of these sessions than expected and certainly am stronger and more positive about my capabilities and competencies as a consequence.
A key aspect of the FMM is the focus on transferable skills and this could not be truer than in the placement I took with The Fabulous Bakin’ Boys Manufacturing Ltd, taking me directly into the factory operation of a small privately owned business in the food industry.
The placement gave me the opportunity to apply much of what had been taught on the Foundation phase, getting involved with day-to-day operational issues whilst also managing some more strategic projects building the infrastructure for longer term growth.
On reflection, I really enjoyed the FMM experience and personally got a lot out of it. I would recommend it to others and advise not to be constrained by the name of the programme as it is equally relevant to a much wider scope of industry than just manufacturing. The balance of academic learning and vocational practice is unique and I am sure there is huge scope to develop the programme – although increasing intake size would detract largely from the value it provides.
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