"Lean candidates" in the production FMCG

The concept of Lean, as well as concepts such as Continuous Improvement, 5S, Kaizen, Just in time, Poka-yoke, Kanban and others have long been known in the domestic market in candidate recruitment and selection fields. It is a specific work method, a production methodology based on continuous improvement by increasing efficiency and reducing losses, whether it is about reducing time for a particular operation, reducing write-offs, stocks, unnecessary worker movement in production and the like. The methodology as such originates from Toyota and has shown significant positive effects, so it has long been a standard working method in manufacturing companies operating in the automotive industry.

With the major inflow of these companies into the domestic market, it has become common to look for candidates who know and apply the Lean principles, both in production and in maintenance, supply chain, etc. In the last few years, there is an evident demand for candidates whose main job is to improve the process and efficiency, and whose positions can have different seniority and name, from Lean specialist, coordinator or manager, through Continuous Improvement, to various internal company names or abbreviations to fit the names of individual processes in these companies.

Greater interest and need for these profiles started with companies manufacturing parts for the automotive industry, and it is not unusual that international companies in this industry need to hire Lean Manager, Pillar Leader, WCM expert, etc. in their local operation plant in Serbia. The question is to what extent these practices originating from Japan and the automotive industry are actually widespread in the consumer goods industry and in general in production in Serbia outside the automotive industry, and what is the demand for and interest of the candidates.

As a company primarily dealing with recruitment and selection of various specialized profiles in numerous industries, Manpower has extensive experience in recruiting candidates for many production positions. In our experience, although it may be called differently, Lean is not unknown either in FMCG, or in other production companies in Serbia, from packaging, tobacco, pharmaceutical to metal processing, construction materials industries, etc. We can even say that most international companies outside the automotive industry in Serbia have implemented certain practices to improve process efficiency, either in individual functions or at the company level, but also that many domestic companies are increasingly attracted to these work methods.

On the other hand, there are certain differences between "Lean candidates" in companies operating in the automotive industry and beyond. Positions such as Lean Manager, Lean Specialist, Continuous Improvement Manager, etc., let's call them by one name - Lean Expert, as such, are much more common in the automotive industry. These are experts who specialize in Lean and that is their primary job. Sometimes working in Lean in the automotive industry implies not only expertise but also a certain type of prestige, and often candidates have higher financial expectations compared to those outside this industry. In FMCG companies that have implemented Lean, it is diffuse, and there are many leaders and experts in different functions, from production to maintenance, etc. who, in fact, deal with Lean in parallel with their "primary" jobs, i.e. their primary jobs are imbued with Lean. Although their job titles often do not contain the word Lean, they are experts in the field as well. We can say that Lean experts in companies operating in the automotive industry have a kind of consulting role and are engaged in making proposals to improve efficiency, while Lean experts in the consumer goods industry, but also other manufacturing companies outside the automotive industry, actually perform other functions and deal with Lean and continuous improvement system in a practical way.

As for the preferences of Lean candidates for work in companies within or outside the automotive industry, there are no specific constants. Candidates are open to consider the transition from the consumer goods industry to the automotive industry and vice versa, if they are currently interested in changing jobs and if they find the position itself suitable for them in terms of seniority, location and the like. However, lately, there has been a somewhat more frequent transition between companies within the same industry, or from companies outside the automotive industry to companies in the automotive industry, as a result of higher financial expectations of candidates from the automotive industry.

The need and demand for Lean experts will not diminish in the future. The arrival of new investors, new companies in or outside the automotive industry that have already implemented Lean, but also the improvement of processes in companies present in the domestic market, can only further underline the importance of these experts in production environments.