A second chance

Anirudh came to the University of Sheffield in 2016 when he joined to do a BEng in Materials Science and Engineering, studying modules in his first year such as Biomaterials and Digital Skills for Materials. During his second year he didn’t do as well as he’d planned which meant that he couldn’t be approved for the MEng course in Materials Science. At this point, Anirudh decided to take a year in industry to refresh and get real life experience of how he could apply his theoretical knowledge.

Anirudh is currently working for Guardian Industries based in Goole, a global company which makes glass products to improve quality of life, reducing energy usage, fuel efficiency and increasing comfort and connectivity.

60 seconds with Anirudh Bandaru

Why did you decide to do a year in industry?

I wanted to gain industrial experience and build a relationship with an industrial partner. It was also important for me to contextualise skills learned at university. After I received disappointing 2nd year results I also wanted a change.

How did you find your year in industry opportunity?

A family friend helped put me in contact with the business.

Tell us about project(s) which you have been most involved with whilst on year in industry?

Continuous improvement programme on float line - 5S, Root Cause Analysis, Six Sigma implementation
Working on Reliability and Total Productive Maintenance Program helping improve efficiency and quality of maintenance work. Helped deploy a major furnace repair worth £2 million.

What do you like about the company you have done your year in industry with?

Guardian Industries have an interesting process of glass manufacture. I have also found that there is opportunities to work in different departments. Guardian also has a strong company culture which I have enjoyed being part of.

What has been the most challenging aspect to undertake a year in industry?

The biggest challenge is learning how the business functions and adapting to internal work processes, as well as adjusting from the university schedule.

What has been your favourite part of completing a year in industry?

The reward from seeing projects executed well and seeing the effect your improvements have made to productivity.

Which part of your degree has helped you with undertaking a year in industry the most?

All modules build excel and numeracy skills which always help.

What do you hope to do after you graduate?

Work in project management or operations management with a process/materials focus.

Courses in Materials Science and Engineering