FastConsumerMovingGoods ( FastConsumerMovingGoods ( FMCG) FMCG)

Develop and manage manufacturing processes to reduce costs and wastage while maximising productivity.

This industry provides consumers with essential products, such as household cleaning goods, toiletries, cosmetics and F&B, to fulfil daily needs and wants.

With so many products and services, companies are commonly divided into two categories: corporate giants with a wide range of merchandise like Procter & Gamble (P&G) and Unilever; and organisations that specialise in a single category, such as L’Oréal in cosmetics and toiletries, and Nestlé, a renowned F&B behemoth.

Career overview

Because thousands of product units can come off just one single production line every minute, engineers not only need to continually develop technology or improve processes to keep pace with consumer expectations and maximise output, but also manage manufacturing operations in order to reduce wastage and cost.

Engineering graduates typically work alongside experienced engineers as part of a small team responsible for part of a process or project. As many FMCG companies tend to buy production lines off the peg, then customise and optimise them for their own purposes, engineers usually focus on improving lines or installing in-house technology.

Trends and developments

While two major keywords among FMCG employers are “sustainability” and “reliability”, businesses are more interested in keeping consistency by investing in machinery maintenance, automation, unmanned systems and programmable logical controllers to produce a consistent standard.

As machinery breakdowns can incur huge losses in this sector, engineers spend a lot of time developing, improving and maintaining industrial manufacturing processes, machines and systems to accommodate the bulk and speed of production.

The ultimate goal, however, is total automation, where machines and production lines can be left to run and operate almost full-time with little to no human intervention.

In uncertain situations, such as the present pandemic, FMCG remains essential – especially when cases of panic-buying popped up around the world during the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The industry is therefore expected to continue to face substantial challenges in meeting high consumer expectations and possible disruptions in the supply chain.

Career highlights

Good training ground

Manufacturing facilities may be highpressure environments, but they’re also brilliant training grounds for those able to keep up. Engineers face new challenges every day, and graduates will find themselves quickly learning about processes, equipment design and even people.

Career progression opportunities

Opportunities for career progression typically come in a year or two, and include management of a production line and its staff, as well as development and implementation of more effective systems technology.

The dynamic nature of the industry, together with its willingness to embrace change, means that there are many opportunities to progress to interesting roles too.

Required skills

• Able to work well under pressure

• An eye for detail

• Flexibility

• Good interpersonal skills

• Leadership skills

• Sound decision-making skills

• Updated and comprehensive knowledge of the industry