Jody Blacklock Email & Phone Number

Chelmsford, Essex

Chair of the Eastern Branch of the Institute of Acoustics

Chelmsford, United Kingdom

Norwich, United Kingdom

I am the lead contact for receiving initial enquiries about noise issues, potentially resulting in site surveys. Once the site survey had baan completed, then calculations would be undertaken, establishing what actions, if any, need to be taken to resolve the noise issues. If appropriate, the initial design of the specific acoustic treatment is conceptualised and the quotation sent off for customer approval. Upon receipt of order, final production drawings are produced and the enclosures/screens are manufactured and installed. Follow up acoustic surveys are undertaken to prove to the local authorities and clients that the acoustic treatment was successful.I also get involved heavily in the acoustic design of buildings, starting from the conceptual construction drawings, liaising with local authorities and architects, through to site visits to ensure good construction techniques are utilised. Once the units are built, the pre completion testing is carried out. This involves playing a loud broadband noise in one property and measuring the sound reduction between the separating walls.Other areas I have been involved in include some of the following; Noise at Work 2005, Approved Document Part E and BREEAM Pre-Completion Testing, Building Bulletin 93 School Acoustics, Planning Policy Guidance 24: Planning and Noise. From these issues, surveys were undertaken and a list of suitable solutions were given in order to help the clients meet the requirements. Equipment frequently used includes a variety of sound level meters, various software, computer aided noise abatement and computer aided design packages.

I was responsible for 23 staff within Kelvin Hughes and my main area of concern was optimising production, so that radar systems were manufactured and tested to a high standard, as and when required and ensuring they were manufactured within budget. In order to maximise these profits, I was responsible for driving lean manufacturing initiatives through the shop floor.New product introduction was also a key area. I was involved in the planning stages, through to conceptual build and measuring the production output when the new product was ready for full scale production. In order to implement such principles as DFMA, I commonised components across product ranges. I was responsible for ensuring that my employees worked safely at all times, and that the company's Health & Safety guidelines were adhered to fully.

My main responsibility was ensuring that the production equipment within the radiator and press shop areas were kept in an orderly and safe manner and that all equipment ran as efficiently as possible. Focus was directed to ensuring machine up-time was maximized, whilst changeovers were minimized through a variety of lean methods (QPS, SMED, KAIZEN, 8D, SPC, FMEA’s and “small group activities”). Visteon operated to QS9000 / TS16949 Quality Standards and used the 6-sigma approach to root cause analysis and problem solving.I was the point of contact for external audits within the manufacturing department for my area. As a result of this, several internal audits were carried out throughout the year, for which I was held accountable for ensuring correct procedures were followed at all times. I managed and implemented a project to successfully reduce the changeover times for the company’s two major product lines and bottlenecks. By introducing SMED principles, the changeover times were greatly reduced.I was heavily involved with the company employee suggestion scheme. Once an employee made a suggestion for a cost saving initiative, the proposal was studied and an analysis was carried out to the feasibility and value of that idea. When introducing new processes or policies, the Trade Union and H&S areas were notified and educated to ensure a successful launch to production.

Once I had made a strong name for myself within the MP&L section, I had proved my worth for managing very heavily unionised staff. I quickly moved into the role of Production Supervisor. Within this role, I was responsible for approximately 70+ employees in the Condenser and Intercooler area. These employees were of varying levels of skills, from operators up to skilled engineers and technicians. We operated a zero tolerance on Health & Safety policies, so I had to ensure that my area always maintained a high level of health and safety within the area. I achieved this by educating and auditing employees at regular intervals. I reduced the labour headcount in my area by instigating some basic lean manufacturing principles, whilst also improving throughput.I was responsible for audits, both internally and externally within the area. I was constantly striving to save money on labour, materials, and processes, for example, I introduced a stock Kanban system for the high usage items, I was heavily utilised in new product launches and trial changes on materials/products. Involved with the training to multi-skill the employees. Ensuring delivery deadlines were met and production schedules were built correctly. Successful and regular discussions with the Trade Union representatives were key to ensuring production improved on a steady basis.

At time of starting, I was responsible for 13 full time hourly staff. 5 were office based clerks and the other 8 were forklift truck drivers. As a cost saving exercise alongside a “Plan For Growth” strategy, we supported and worked through the transition period of reducing our headcount by one clerk and one driver. For this, our supervisory and function knowledge was used and applied. A daily conference with our premier customers to provide updates on production schedules during off-shifts was always held.

My first role was to re-organise the entire manufacturing environment with a view to making the complete process more efficient, in terms of labour, material and processes. For this, I introduced a cellular manufacturing system. I set up a series of Value Meetings, where the group leaders, engineering, quality and sales all met regularly, with a view to engineering out any problems with ergonomics, quality, supply etc. Due to the nature of my role, it was essential that I was self-motivated and a very successful team member/leader. I also took on the role as the Health and Safety Officer for Technotrans.

As the Principle Planner, I was in charge of arranging forecasts, controlling and planning the production for the bespoke mechanical franking machines. I was an active member in the team for migration to the UK of new models for production. This role was customer facing, but also heavily involved in new product development alongside production engineering.

Brackett Green sponsored me through my university years, and upon successfully completing my degree, I took up work with them, mainly based within the production facility in Colchester, Essex. Within this role as Production Controller, I re-organised the production facility within the press shop and welding bays. I was also instrumental in initiating a Kanban system for the stock items. After approximately 1.5 years, I moved within the company to a position as Proposals Engineer. This involved negotiating large scale contracts with clients (up to £1.5m). I also headed up the team to implement ISO9001 throughout the organisation.

Beng(Hons), Manufacturing Engineering

Activities and Societies: Mountain Biking, Swimming Enjoyed studying all forms of engineering, whilst maintaining time for some serious.

Hnd, Manufacturing Business Studies

Activities and Societies: Fencing Team Was a prominent member of the APU Fencing team.