Chris Haigh, a student on a work placement at Leicester-based, resistor manufacturing company, Cressall Resistors, won the national award for the Shell Step award scheme for his money-saving initiatives at the firm. 

The presentation took place at the Congress Centre, London, and has been running for 22 years and aims to place talented students, who can be studying for any type of degree, within businesses, in order to progress a key project within the organisation.

Haigh, who has recently graduated in a degree in manufacturing and mechanical engineering, is now studying for a master’s degree in project management. His achievements included producing a number of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for a range of machines and processes, with the objective of improving quality and ease of training.

The work he achieved saved the company £6,400 per month. He also worked on a standard operating procedure in order to produce a competitive quote for a client, therefore, retaining a £500,000 contract between Cressall and the customer.

Furthermore, Haigh developed spreadsheets which helped to reduce stock levels of key components by 45 per cent, which improved the use of space in the factory and helped to avoid cash flow issues. He also produced a SOP video for the company’s Italian parent arm, Telema Spa, which meant they have usage of a machine which was previously dormant.

Placements on the scheme can take place in the summer holidays, during other holiday periods or on a part-time basis during term time. The award scheme is judged on a local basis first, then regionally and finally nationally. There were 614 entries in total, which ran from July 2007 until September 2008. Haigh came first out of 11 national finalists.

Haigh said: “Cressall was the first company that interviewed me as part of the Shell Step programme. I was particularly interested in the lean manufacturing element of what they do there. I think the placement has helped me massively.

“I was intrigued to work for a company in the manufacturing sector because that’s where my educational background is. But, everything I have done during my degree has been theory-based and I was surprised how far away from real life the theory was. I have also picked up other things that you only find out about from the experience, such as time management and professionalism.”

Andrew Eddy, director of Shell UK, said: “Shell Step gives students relevant and meaningful work experience by carefully placing them in small businesses that match their interests. Chris has clearly strived in the working environment and gained new skills. Chris's project has clearly had a tangible impact on Cressall Resistors’ bottom line showing how companies can benefit from such raw talent. Chris is a deserving winner of this year’s award and I wish him all the success for the future.”

Leila Bahaijoub of Shell Lubricants and judge of the contest, said: “Chris impressed the judges with his absolute commitment to the project from start to finish. He looked beyond the brief and went outside his comfort zone, identifying further areas for improvement and consequently delivered great benefits to his host business. In doing so he demonstrated his excellent project and people management skills.”

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