While attending the University of Guelph, I worked at Polycon Industries as a fulltime forklift operator. In my role, I was responsible for safely operating a forklift for a
fast-paced automotive paint line. My experience at Polycon Industries was a valuable opportunity to develop and showcase my
teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills; skills that are transferable and valuable in any professional setting.Maintaining a high level of safety and efficiency was crucial to ensuring production targets were met. As a driver in the middle of the production process, I was expected to be
reliable, detail-oriented, and able to work as a team member. As the main paintline in the plant, any driver delays in this department could cause a significant ripple effect across the entire plant, resulting in costly production delays. Our paintline had a
98.5% uptime target (or only 7 minutes of downtime per shift) that we strived to achieve every day.
I undertook various roles to ensure seamless production flow.
When feeding raw parts to the paint line, I proactively forecasted upcoming tasks and planned my movements to ensure that the paint line got the right part styles, in the right quantity, and at the right time.When removing containers from the line, I coordinated with the feeder driver to ensure that there was always space to drop full containers. This required a high level of teamwork and communication, it was essential to track each other's movement and plan our actions accordingly, and we had to be ready to swap roles on the fly if we noticed a bottleneck forming.As a driver bringing raw parts from outdoor storage, I ensured timely delivery of parts to the indoor drivers. This required a high level of attention to detail, as space constraints as well as production delays from the previous shift occasionally caused significant challenges in this role. Identifying potential material shortages and communicating with the production team leaders was essential to ensure our production targets were met. Finally, as a driver pulling empty containers to outside storage, I ensured that containers were stored in an organized and efficient manner for other departments to access.Collaborating with my team was essential to maintaining a high level of safety and efficiency. We needed to identify and address bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the production process. I was required to
communicate effectively, work well under pressure, and be adaptable to changing circumstances. I was also required to maintain a high level of attention to detail and be able to work well in a fast-paced environment.