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Plant Director - Early Education
My name is Silvia Ferraris and I'm a Plant Director. A “plant” is actually a factory! We call these factories “plants” because that is where stuff is turned into finished products exactly how plants grow and create garden, flowers and fruits. After finishing high school, I went to the university where I studied Engineering. For the last 17 years, I have been working for a company that is called Cummins, in Italy. Here we produce engines and other parts of bigger machines such as axles and brakes. We then use these parts for trucks and buses. During my studies in engineering and on how to lead teams in places such as factories, I realized that creating machines is very important to having positive change.
Meet the professional
I wanted to became a Plant Director because I love technology and engineering very much and I also like leading people and acting as their leader when we are creating machines. From an early age, I was very interested in how things work, which made me want to follow a career where I could work with complex systems and machines and try to make the process of creating machines easier. Also, I have always enjoyed leading teams, solving problems and making things change for the better. My motivation comes from the belief that success in factories has to do a lot with how well people work together.
My job as a Plant Director is to make sure everyone is safe at the factory. I also oversee how things are made, making sure that the machines and the rest of the products we are creating work well! Moreover, I help organize how parts are brought to the factory and make sure they are made on time. Finally, I am part of the group of people who own and run the factory. Everyday I face different kinds of problems as I have to make sure that we are creating things as fast as possible without having to wait too long. I also help my team members when they are fighting with one another and try to find and then keep in our factory the people who are very good at their work.
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Skills
Problem-solving
"As a Plant Director, I use problem-solving skills to fix issues related to the creation of machines as well as other parts quickly and to make sure that everything works as I and my team planned.”
Curiosity
“I look for new technologies and ideas to make the factory work better and stay ahead in the industry.”
Task orientation
“Focusing on goals and making sure everyone works together to achieve them is very important in this job.”
People management
“As a Plant Director it is very important to be able to lead and motivate my team. This helps me create a respectful environment where everyone can work with others in a nice way.”
Time management
“Deciding which tasks have to be done first and which ones helps my team work better and have better results.”
Empathy
“Understanding the difficulties that my team members have helps me create a supportive environment.”
Advice to take away
I advise students to stay curious and to be risk-takers. Additionally, it is very important for students to learn that problems are appearing all the time, that this is normal and that there is always something creative to do to solve them. I would also tell them not to be afraid to think differently. STEM are not just subjects at schools; they are powerful tools that help us understand and make the world around us better.
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Disclaimer
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. Also supported by Scientix®, an initiative of European Schoolnet.