From Gunnebo Trainee to Lean Engineer in Just One Year

Giacomo Cingolani on the production floor in Lavis, Italy

Meet Giacomo, a graduate from Gunnebo's new trainee programme

Giacomo Cingolani is one of the first graduates from Gunnebo’s new Upskill trainee programme, which started last year. He has now begun working full-time for Gunnebo as a Lean Engineer based at our factory in Lavis, Italy. 

How was your year as an Upskill trainee? 
It was a great experience, and very challenging. I was directly involved in a lot of projects right from the beginning. I was given a great deal of responsibility, but I also had great support. Sometimes trainees just do paperwork or make the tea. Not at Gunnebo! 
I helped to organise the transfer of production of certain products from our Cominfo plant in the Czech Republic to our production facility in Kunshan, China, and from Kunshan to Lavis in Italy, where I was involved in the designing the assembly line. I was also involved in new product development, such as the first prototypes of PasSec, Gunnebo’s new airport exit gate. 

What are you and your team working on now? 
I am working on the Lean transformation programme at Cominfo, where I am designing a new assembly line, moving from batch flow to one-piece flow. We are starting a pilot project with one of their standard products, setting up the assembly line to reduce stock, lead time, and the number of operators dedicated to that product. 
Also I am very involved in a layout project at Lavis, where we need to create space to start making a new product. We are re-sizing the assembly line and the carpentry area according to Lean principles, to create 170m2 of space. This will also save the company around €100,000 a year. 

What did you get out of the classroom learning with the ESCP business school in London? 
I could relate all the classes to what we are doing. I particularly enjoyed the consumer value class, because it is very related to the Lean concept, in which value is what the customer is prepared to pay for, the activities the add value. It was very useful. 

Why did you decide to accept the job offer with Gunnebo? 
I took the job because I had a lot of responsibility, which I really appreciated – they really valued me as a trainee. I feel I can grow and get a lot of experience here. One year was not enough at Gunnebo! 
Also there are lots of possibilities to travel: I am going to the Czech Republic now, and to China and the UK when Covid restrictions allow. 

What are your ambitions in your new job?
In the short term, I want to accomplish this Lean transformation programme, bringing the Lean concept to Cominfo. In the longer term, I hope to gain more responsibilities for Lean in our plants, that is my goal. We are creating a Lean team. A new Upskill trainee will join us soon.