Ansaldo Nuclear looks forward: with Jenna Taylor

For the past few months, Ansaldo Nuclear has been releasing a series of short articles in which we ask different members of our team what they’re most excited about for the year ahead.

Last time, we spoke with Dan Oldman. This month, we’re talking to Jenna Taylor, Procurement and Project Buyer Manager at Ansaldo Nuclear. Here, Jenna tells us about the subtle nuances of procurement in the nuclear industry, developing the latest member of the team, and the many benefits of CBeebies Land.

You joined Ansaldo Nuclear almost two years ago now. How have you found the transition to the nuclear industry?

It was quite a big change at first. My previous background was in automotive, heavy industrial and medical manufacturing, so the move to nuclear was a natural next step — but not without its own challenges.

Take the automotive industry as an example. It’s very high volume; you’re buying and procuring millions of parts a year, if not tens of millions of parts. So the challenge is overseeing that level of volume at speed. Whereas, with nuclear, often you’re dealing with one-off parts that you might never need to buy again.

That may sound easier but, in many ways, securing that one-off part is much more intricate and intense. Often, they’re critical to safety, which means quality is absolutely non-negotiable if you want to deliver each part right the first time round.

So, it’s been a complete change of mindset really. But I’ve relished the challenge since day one, and still am.

Are there any exciting developments taking place within your team?

Our team is currently split into project buyers and indirect buyers. The project buyers work directly with other teams within the business to buy anything directly associated with a product’s budget (raw materials, electrical components, design work etc.). Meanwhile, the indirect buyers are responsible for company overheads and needs, such as manufacturing machinery, plus keeping all of us happy with things like effective stationery and great coffee machines.

At the moment I’m managing two project buyers and an indirect buyer called Owen, who we’ve recently welcomed to the team. We’re very excited about Owen because he comes highly recommended from a manufacturing background. He hasn’t strictly worked in a procurement role before, but he’s got tons of potential, so I’m excited to coach him as a team and hopefully enrol him in his CIPS qualifications as well.

What advice would you give to Owen in his new role?

The first thing I’d say is to ask as many questions as you can. You can never have too much detail. The more information you have, and the more specifications that you're able to get, then the better chance you've got of that part being delivered right the first time round — which is one of our guiding principles at Ansaldo Nuclear.

The second piece of advice? Don’t be afraid to challenge. If something doesn’t look or sound quite right to you, the best thing you can do is respectfully challenge the person who gave it to you. I’d rather challenge and potentially catch a mistake, than not challenge and potentially order something that wasn’t right.

It all goes back to good communication, and creating the kind of safe space that we have at Ansaldo Nuclear. We know that it’s fine to ask each other questions, because we want the right result at the end of the day. We challenge because we care.

That’s why it’s important to be approachable, so that people feel comfortable coming to you with questions. The only reason we can teach each other is because we’ve had to ask the same question at some point. We weren’t all born experts in what we do, and there’s always room to learn more.

Are there any new skills you’re looking to learn over the next year?

My little boy turned two recently so, for the past couple of years, my formal training has been on hold while I focus on him. But, when I have more time, I’d like to continue with my CIPS qualifications, and to achieve MCIPS chartered status in the next few years.

I’m level four at the moment, but MCIPS is recognised as the industry standard for procurement. So it would be a great accomplishment for me to have. It’s a sign of trust that you know what you're doing, and that you know all the best practice methods for procurement. I’d love to prove that beyond doubt.

From a procurement perspective, what do you think is the most interesting thing about the nuclear industry right now?

For me personally, it’s all about cleaner energy, especially now that the UK government wants nuclear power to meet a quarter of electricity demand by 2050. It may sound like a really long way away, but the amount of work that's going to have to go into creating that infrastructure is quite significant. It's a clear statement from the government that they want to invest in cleaner energy, and I’m sure Ansaldo Nuclear will be looking to support that goal.

In procurement, it’s easy to get lost in the specifics and lose sight of the bigger picture. But, in the grand scheme of things, it’s all building towards that ultimate goal of cleaner energy for everyone. Each material or component we buy or procure is one tiny part of that overall puzzle, so it’s important to get it right every time.

Is there anything else happening at Ansaldo Nuclear that you’re particularly excited about?

One of the biggest changes taking place at Ansaldo Nuclear is that we’re looking to implement a new ERP system. Once in place, this should streamline a lot of our processes, giving us a better user interface and showing more information upfront like our RFQs. It's exciting to know that we're going to be moving forward and getting something that's even better than what we've got now.

Is there anything outside of work that you’re looking forward to?

I’m still recovering from my son’s second birthday at the moment. We took him to Cbeebies Land, so it might take me a few months before I can get back to reality!

Thanks for your time, Jenna!