A day in the life of Baxi Commercial Division

The amount of students anticipating to enter the business world is increasing, as more and more opt to do business degrees. This is my account of the engineering and business industry, from what I learnt during my 3 day placement at Baxi, one of Europe’s largest heating solutions business group.

I’m sure you’ve probably seen ‘The Apprentice’ on BBC 1. One of the excruciating parts of tasks is being thrown into a completely unfamiliar situation and having to learn fast; this is exactly the challenge I faced during my time with Baxi. Admittedly, prior to this experience I didn’t know my heat exchanger from my flue exhaustion pipe. However, in retrospect, I’ve realised that I have accumulated much knowledge during my 3 day placement, which now seems more like a crash course of engineering, law and business.

 
[Crash course in engineering: Me with Nick Perry, Managing Director of Malvern Boilers]

You may have seen energy ratings on appliances such as boilers and washing machines that range from A to G. The government are tightening legislation so that eventually only boilers with an A rating can be legally sold. This affects the way boilers are designed, as they have to be ready for such laws. On the other side of the story, the legislation may not be enforced. Malvern Boilers learnt this the hard way by producing and preparing to release their ‘NeoFlow boiler’ to coincide with changes in law. Except for the fact the law was never actually enforced in the end!

>> Applications Manager Jeff House stands next to the ecofriendly SOLARflo. There is a demand for renewable products, (not just in the boiler industry) mainly due to government and media pressure.

CAD/CAM is the tool of the trade for most designers. It’s used to model anything from cars to toys. At Baxi’s site in Preston, it is practical to use computer models as prototypes; it is cost effective and allows them to instantly find any potential problems and weak spots. It took their designer a good few years to model the whole boiler!

>> Continuous Production. The production line is buzzing! The staff each have their own task to complete and are trained to do other tasks just in case someone else is off sick.

Interview with Rebecca Johnson – Marketing

What qualifications do you have?
I have a Bsc (honours) in Biomedical Science (2:1) from Hull University and a MBA (Masters in Business Administration) from Nottingham University Business School.

How did you get into marketing?
I always enjoyed both science and business subjects at school so ended up doing a degree in both! It was when I was working whilst doing my Masters part-time that I decided a career in marketing was for me, as I enjoy both the creative and strategic parts of the job.

Are there any other relevant experience you need for the job in Marketing?
To work in Marketing you need to be very well organised, and be able to juggle lots of projects all at once! You need to have good analytical skills, a head for figures, a creative mind, diplomatic skills, and above all an ability to communicate effectively while keeping everyone you are dealing with onside – a good team player.
 
What key skills do you need for Marketing?
You need to be able to work with all departments and outside agencies very often under pressure with tight deadlines, so being able to prioritise is key. The ability to think creatively is important in order to create or take advantage of available marketing opportunities

Good achievements or proud moments?
Interviewing Arkwright scholars and then seeing them achieve their awards on stage is very satisfying. Running the Baxi Commercial Division World Cup 2010 competition – I phoned the winner to tell him he had won a trip to South Africa and tickets to the World Cup final – it was a great moment to be able to tell someone they’d won such an amazing prize.
Devising a new corporate look for all printed literature and seeing it applied across the board, as well as arriving on an exhibition stand before the show opens and seeing the company’s ‘shop window’ displayed at its best is great, especially when you know all the hard work has paid off! Being at an Awards presentation when the Company is announced the winner is always going to be up there too!

Best the thing about working for Baxi Commercial Division?
Definitely the variety of what the job entails – no two days are ever the same, and the people, as we have a great team.

What advice to give to people who want to go into marketing?
Get as much practical work experience as possible, plan to continue with professional qualifications after obtaining a degree and utilise all possible professional/commercial networking opportunities.

What do you do to relax?
I don’t get much free time but I like going to the cinema and to concerts and travelling!