Guillaume Bo.'s Blog

My personal assessment

From a general point of view, the experiment was a source of enrichment:  without paler to learn with better knowing, it is first of all a question of knowing the world in which we will be likely to work in a few times, and thus to be located compared to trades, ways of working, situations unexpected.

This experiment before was very based on the participation of a person belonging to the Alcan group:  the fact that these people agree to work in this manner, and thus to devote time to its apprentice, reveals a broadmindedness very often essential for people who work in leader groups:  the coach is not really an example that the pupil must follow, it is rather the reflection of what will be awaited from our share in company. Thus the prospects for this program are not reduced to the observation but rather to criticism and the personal thinking on situations which will make our daily and which will have and be able to manage in the future.

Consequently, it is necessary to acknowledge that from its remarkable organization, its complexity and its concept, the program "Weallcan" falls under a step of curiosity on behalf of the two parties, like in a preoccupation with a constant personal improvement . In this, this program can not do without interesting whoever wants to make a point with his future, and I must acknowledge that from this point of view, this experiment was very enriching.

In few words : what about my coach's job I want you to know?

First of all, my coach is somebody who reflects perfectly the trade that it occupies:  it is conscientious, curious and open of spirit.  I made a point of announcing this because it is according to me quality who guarantees the effectiveness of an engineer within his working group.

But my coach is not only the person who answers my mails every week, in search of information on its trade:  she knew to deliver its opinion to me on my work in a sincere way, which enabled me to carry out my errors, my gaps in my way of working, etc.  In fact, she carried out a role of manager.

And this aspect of its personality contributes in my opinion to the quality of its work, this is why I would like to insist here on the fact that although the trade of engineer can appear technical, it very often passes by the communication within the team and the capacity to filled at the same time the role of managing that of specialist.

In few words : an engineer must be able to adapt himself all the time and in every situation.

To discover still more Alcan: a training course in Cameroun

If you were not convinced that my coach was not somebody of formidable, here is the proof:  it helped me to find a training course... in

Cameroun

!  The goal of this training course will be to determine the causes of heterogeneity of temperature during the cooking of the anodes:  one loses oneself there quickly!  It is exactly what I sought and this training course will have a double interest thus: 

- to constitute me experience in engineering

- to discover more in detail operation of an Alcan facility.

I thus will be able to confront my opinion on the trade of engineer in an atypical place and thus to test at the same time my skills of adaptation and broadmindedness during more than 2 months!

This experience will have been made possible only by the means of my participation in the program and Weallcan and I thus hope well to fully invest myself in this training course in order to prove my serious and my quality of student in engineering. 

Then simply:  I thank all the persons who contributed directly or not to this training course.

The innovation in a centre of R&D

The innovation in a centre of R&D : my coach’s work!

A major objective of Pechiney was to develop unceasingly its technology, its processes, its machines in order to be always the number one in the field. The sale of technology to competitors was a source of returned significant from the group.

In the whole world, a significant quantity of factories use Pechiney technology:  over the 20 last years, all the factories use besides only the technology Pechiney ("Western "world). The innovation was thus encouraged and necessary.  It is the role of my coach with its research centre to propose new solutions (machines, processes), if possible patentable thus justifiable on the market.  Alcan is known as to have repurchased Pechiney for amongst other things its technological expertise and its innovation. It is to say that the innovation is significant in the group. In the centre of R&D, in order to stimulate spirits and to increase lucky finds, was launched a group "innovation" charged to test judicious methods to cause creativity. It is a very recent step, therefore for the moment nothing cannot be spoken about the results.  But the methods on which they will be trained seem promising.  Alcan is thus to return in a way of structuring of the innovation and creativity, which can seem paradoxical but which a priori already bore its fruits elsewhere.

Working as part of a team

Working as part of a team : that is a key point in engineering

Team work is the key of my coach trade. In fact, that starts with the initiation of a project where the pooling of ideas and reciprocal stimulation give birth to the project. Then, that continues in the assembly of the project, where various competences are necessary:  accountants, financial, technical, engineering... 

After that the project in itself is carried out thanks to the contest of several people of different levels:  that which makes measurements, that which organizes them, that which analyzes the results... and that which awaits the results do not forget the last topic !  That is for a project. 

But you also need a "network" which also needs you. To organize tests, to know with which to address themselves, know what occurred at the time of such other project, to recover results, to provide material, etc.  In a nutshell, without team and network, each one should do everything, from where waste of time to see even possible error bus not adapted competences. 

A team, of course, it is also an environment: in case of doubt or of problem, one does not manage to better overcome the bad passage while being surrounded and being supported.  And when all is well, it is pleasant to share the good moments!! 

To conclude, my coach’s work is at the same time managérial and organisational.

Suppliers and Customers

Could you imagine a company such as Alcan without Suppliers nor Customers ? Of course not and that is why we will deal about this right now !

First of all, let's talk about suppliers:

For my coach, they are others Alcan factories or of the factories of competitor which bought Alcan technology. These factories provide my coach carrots of anode or raw material samples or data of production. This is used for my coach as a basis for her studies, her analyses and so on. In fact this is systematic and she does not have a particular contact with the factories for that. But they are also the material suppliers since my coach follows with the LRF the quality of all the raw materials carbonaceous (and coal-tar pitch petroleum coke) received in the Alcan factories. This represents several hundreds of annually received samples. The contacts with these suppliers are done annually by a meeting in their factory or one of our sites: they discuss there about delivered quality the last year, possible nonconformities, the possible evolution of quality, etc... These suppliers all are foreign (the last French factory which fed us closed last year to be replaced by a Polish factory). Many are European but there are also suppliers from North America, India... In addition to these meetings, my coach contacts her suppliers as soon as there is a problem of quality in a delivery to ask correction and explanation.

So now let’s have a look at Alcan customers: T

hey are the factories of the group, or the factories of competitor which bought Alcan technology. For them, my coach makes audits proceeded, missions of assitance technical : in fact she is often the "firewoman" of the factories: in the event of large crises, one calls upon her in urgency to regulate the problem. These factories are also the final customers of any development of a new process or a new machine. She is thus in regular contact with them (followed technical monthly magazine, annual audit, and more punctually at the time of the installation of a new technology or when they have a problem). It can be also the department of Sale of technology of the company: it charges her with carrying out projects to develop new processes, new equipment, new analyses to keep Alcan competing advance on technology.

To sum up, my coach maintains with other factories real working relationships: it is Alcan ground of "play" to make its tests. So others factories are not only sources of problems, they are in most of case the opportunity to make links between all of them.

About me

So I you are here right now I think you must be very intereted in knowing more about me...

Well: Th story strat a early day of April, 7th....

Come on I hope I won't be so boaring !

So I live in this s beautiful country of wich everybody is jealous:

 

Wine, cheese, frogs...

How wonderful you must be thinking, and you are right...

But  actually, I must confess that I prefer this point of view of my way of life :

In fact, I spend a lot of time at the student union in oprder to put a bit of fun in our student life:

I play electric guitare in a band ...

... and I take part of the Shell Eco marathon : a competition which aims to make as uch kilometers as possible with only one litter of fuel !!

I am also fond of karate and aikido, but I think picture would be too.. violent !!! In fact I do not have ones...  or perhaps this one:

Well, I can add that also have a real passion for yam and curling, what about you?

And now let me introduce you the two guys who live with me during this  year :                        

                               Romain ...

                                                               ...   and Jerome

So now that you know more about, I offer you this moment of peace that I am used to enjoying :

 

LIVE IN CALM AND PEACE

            SEE YOU !!!

About my coach

My coach is someone !

So it was really a pleasure to meet and know more about Corinne Jouault (my coach you can guess) :

Indeed, she is an engineer in R&D (Research and development): exactly what I have planed for my future. Moreover she is a "blackbelt", which means that she is someone very important (!) and not that she will kick you wether you get wrong with her (somehow...!). In fact, it is a clever idea of Alcan in order to make their employees improve themselves quicker and quicker.

But that is not everything about her, cause even if she lives in Saint-Jean de Maurienne (!)... yes she lives there and I think that a lot of us should go there in order to take the time to enjoy the landscape and so on : birds, trees, and Alcan facilities of course !!!

So now, sure you understood :

MY COACH IS SOMEONE !

My Alcan Day

03/22 & 03/23 : My Alcan Day : At last, but not at least !

So after 9 hours in the train, thinking about my Alcan Day, I eventually arrived at Saint-Jean de Maurienne (France) : a so pretty village lost in the mountains in which Pechiney had decided to install its facilities, and now directed by Alcan.

First approach with Alcan: its welcome. I did not ask anyone but an enfineer was waiting for me and for another Alcan paticipant at the station, which, I must admit, was both convenient and welcoming. In a nutshell: a very good start !

Then, I think it was like every other participants, I mean meet my coach and discover her work, although I think I had an advantage because my coach is the best (see "About my coach").

I will show some pictures very soon but before, I can describe this day (you can not find it boaring if I am good enough at writting !):

So I first talked with my coach abotu her job and I recgnized that I have been very impressed by all her work and very seduced by the engineer job: I believe it must be exciting !

Then we went sightseeing all over the facilities and I have been very surprised by the qulity of the whole. Moreover, everybody was very kind with me and ready to answer to all my questions.

At last, but not at least, she gave me the opprtunity to talk with the people she is used to working with: it was very interesting too, and I can swear that all of us were very clear in their explanations .

To conclude, I must insist on the fact that evrything was organized very well and I am more an dmore seduced by Alcan. It gave the opportunity to have a look at the different aspect of the job and it helped me to make up my mind from a lot of point of views.

So see you soon to discover the pictures I have taken and my comments about them !