What the NPT is
The NPT is a special team of around 50 engineers from different nationalities and academic backgrounds. It is basically an internal consultancy group.
Its consultants work on overseas assignments directly with Nestlé’s operating companies. Their aim is to improve operational productivity by focusing on factory-related activities and by sharing Best Practices.
If you correspond to this profile, search and apply for "Nestlé Productivity Team - Graduate Programme" through Job Opportunities.
How the NPT works
NPT consultants spend ten to eleven months each year overseas, working on five to six month projects in countries throughout the world.
Once the NPT consultants arrive on site they analyse the existing situation, determine opportunities and solutions, and support the implementation of their proposals and the company’s best practices. In so doing, they also act as an essential benchmarking tool for Nestlé’s overall industrial performance.
Typical NPT areas of activity
The NPT is about hands-on change – not merely analysis and consultancy. By definition it works in a fast-paced and innovative environment.
Since 1988 the team has been working on around 200 major projects, all aimed at improving industrial performance and establishing new Factory Reference Models and Best Practices. In this way, the team makes a significant contribution to ensure the long term high performance and profitability of Nestlé’s operational companies around the world – across all product categories.
Typical types of NPT activity include:
- Assessing current performance with best-in-class performance, and implementing best practices.
- Studying historical data and information flow, measuring volumes, quantities, speeds, line capacity and efficiency.
- Conducting interviews, collecting ideas for improvement, developing the best solution, testing and demonstrating it through practical trial.
- Assisting in implementing the solution, and helping management and staff to accept change.
- Providing personnel with the tools and techniques needed to improve operations.
- Increasing first-time product quality, communication and teamwork, line performance, system utilisation, simple structures and service levels, and using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
- Decreasing material losses, administrative work, superfluous stock levels as well as material, labour, transport and warehouse costs.
NPT Career Development
As a new NPT member you can have up to six weeks training at the International Headquarters, and then immediately start your first mission abroad. On-the-job training continues during your first projects.
During your four years in the team there is continuous training to develop your technical, managerial and leadership skills, giving you the necessary tools to be promoted from Team Member to Group Leader and ultimately to Project Leader.
As a Project Leader one of many opportunities you may have is to lead Target Setting Teams – teams of experts who conduct several four weeks assignments in order to establish operational targets based on Best Practices. The four-year NPT experience can lead to many interesting positions in the areas of: production, supply-chain, internal industrial consulting and R&D – either as an expatriate or as a local employee in a Nestlé Market somewhere in the world.
Is the NPT right for you
Well, that depends on you. But the people who enjoy working on the NPT and are most successful tend to share certain characteristics.
They like to spend ten to eleven months a year travelling around the world working in teams. They are extremely flexible and mobile, and adapt easily to different working conditions during the first four years with the company. They are able to “live out of a suitcase”.
They have a strong team spirit, an affinity for other cultures and a willingness to work with people from different countries and backgrounds. They tend to have an open mind, a broad outlook, and varied interests. They have the ability to be a leader, to negotiate and to communicate with tact and diplomacy. They have an entrepreneurial spirit, are self-driven and are good at working as results-oriented “change agents”.
If this sounds like you, and if you are a creative, motivated and hard working engineer with a degree in food technology, industrial, mechanical or chemical engineering or a related subject, then the NPT could be the place for you.
You need to be fluent in English and two other major languages. Some practical work experience through internships or work placement is also recommended.