LINPAC Allibert, global expert in plastic returnable transit packaging and supply chain solutions for the food, retail, distribution and manufacturing sectors, has appointed assembly process engineer Kashif Hussain to support the development of its manufacturing capability in Winsford, Cheshire.
Kashif achieved an integrated engineering degree from the University of Liverpool in 2000 and went on to work in the automotive sector, firstly working for a high volume metal component machining firm north of Liverpool and then as a project engineer for PSB Group Ltd in Stoke, a company which supplies production line packaging systems and which used LINPAC Allibert folding large crates and retrofit bespoke handling solutions for the automotive industry.
From there he joined Leoni Wiring Systems, which supplied wiring harnesses and components to major European car manufacturers. As project engineer, Kashif was part of a small team that introduced and put into manufacture the complete electrical distribution system for the Aston Martin DB9 and V8 Vantage, Roadster. He also worked on many more projects including Land Rover Discovery, Range Rover and Bentley.
He then went on to work at the Aston Martin manufacturing site at Gaydon as a design verification engineer, where he was responsible for ensuring that the wiring harness design met and exceeded the Ford specification. Further automotive experience was gained as a process engineer at Denso Manufacturing UK in Telford, which supplies air conditioning systems for Land Rover, Toyota, Honda, Bentley and many more. Here he was involved in many process improvements and new product introduction projects for Toyota, Honda and Land Rover in the UK.
"Throughout my career I have had a keen interest in manufacturing and production systems from the small sub-supplier through to multi-national OEM's. LINPAC Allibert has always been a familiar name to me and I was asked to look at two key areas here - process developments and automation," explained Kashif.
"Bringing assembly equipment and best practices to a successful production site is always challenging and something I've been looking forward to doing. I intend to use my experience of working with industry tools such as Six Sigma, lean manufacturing principles, line balancing and elements of Just-in-Time manufacture to achieve tangible benefits for the organisation.
"I believe that any manufacturing or assembly process relies on operators that are skilled. My role is as much to ensure the machines and equipment work reliably and efficiently as it is to train, educate, listen to and improve the skills of the people that operate them. After all, the machines and the people using them are all part of the same process."
Danilo Oliynik, general manager LINPAC Allibert UK and Ireland, commented: "Our continued investment in our manufacturing facilities in Winsford involves ensuring we have experienced and talented people on the team who can ensure we optimise our capabilities on-site. The appointment of Kashif will enable us to develop both our people and our process efficiency at Winsford."