Portrait of ECAM - Aymeric BANGE 2017 ISP GIM - Un Ingénieur à l'International

SCHOOL

How did you get to ECAM?

During a mechanics class at Lycée, a student from ECAM Lyon came to talk about his career. This gave me a better understanding of what the engineering curriculum actually meant.However, it wasn't until I had obtained a university diploma in Mechanical and Production Engineering from the IUT in Lyon that I had the opportunity to go into engineering.that I was able to embark on an engineering apprenticeship at ECAM in Industrial and Mechanical Engineering.Finally, as I have a keen interest in continuous improvement, I completed my ECAM training with a specialized Master's degree in Continuous Improvement Management, also on a sandwich course.

What stood out for you during your training?

Mainly, the applicability of the courses in the workplace. Indeed, the general and technical modules are very practical: industrialization, project management, materials, quality...

After that, my work-study placement was with Samson Régulation, a mid-sized German company with a plant in the Lyon suburbs.As the person in charge of logistics projects, I learned a lot, not only about the technical side of things, but above all about the "savoir être" of working for a company.To round off these 3 years, I did an internship in England, in a forge, as a quality control specialist, mainly to improve my English and get to grips with the international scene.

Finally, having obtained my engineering diploma, I decided to take the "Continuous Improvement Manager" Specialized Master's course, and changed companies to join the Solvay chemical group. During these first two experiences in the field, I made mistakes, I was often wrong, but you learn from your mistakes, which is also the role of apprenticeship. When I started the Continuous Improvement Management master's degree and returned to Solvay, I felt perfectly equipped to succeed in my integration and continue my learning process.

ECAM training gives you access to a multitude of companies with a diploma recognized for its academic quality.

ACTIVE LIFE

What motivated your choice of career and how does it relate to your studies at ECAM?

It allstarted withthe "operational excellence" module in the engineering curriculum, a subject covered in the specialized master's program. I realized what I really wanted to do: lead and train teams in problem-solving and guide them in their quest to improve performance.

After spending 3 years in a production and manufacturing environment, I joined Solvay in the group's administrative and IT entity. My desire and challenge was to apply traditional "manufacturing" methods to "administrative" processes: payroll management, invoicing, purchasing, IT applications and infrastructure, finance, human resources management... All these functions are for the most part invisible but essential.

In a group of international stature, my first experiences were key to integrating and becoming operational quickly. After a year in Lyon, I was given the opportunity to continue my career in Lisbon, Portugal, as part of a VIE (Volontariat International en Entreprise) contract, still with Solvay and still in the same Quality & Continuous Improvement team.

Video dating from October 2019 which allowed Aymeric BANGE

second prize at the VIE Grand Prix at the French Embassy in Portugal

What didyou find useful / not useful / lacking in your training path for your professional life to date?

When I take stock of all the theoretical knowledge I've learned, obviously little of it is useful in my day-to-day life. On the other hand, the training has enabled me to build up a critical, factual mind that enables me to make decisions every day. What was lacking was "life skills" training, but not theoretical courses, real-life situations.

Finally, what does an engineer mean to you?

An engineer is a person with two key qualities: the ability to gather and consolidate a multitude of technical or human data, and the ability to get multi-disciplinary groups to work together to achieve a common goal. So to be factual with a scientific approach and to be a driving force behind cooperation between people.

Any other personal/professional challenges you'd like to mention?

International experiencesarevery enriching. My first one in England exposed me to something other than a Franco-French working and living environment. Even if the work experience was ultimately disappointing, I learned a lot in other areas, notably technical English and cultural integration.

When I joined Solvay, these assets quickly came in handy. In Lisbon, the working language is also English, but I had the opportunity to learn Portuguese. Today, I'm able to take part in work meetings in Portuguese.

THE NETWORK

What does the Network mean to you?

Thenetwork is all the people you meet during your academic and professional career. The network is a web that we weave and to which we add links step by step. It could be a friend from ECAM, a teacher, a work colleague, a manager, a family member... Keeping in touch and nurturing your network is crucial to finding internship opportunities, career advice and even the ultimate end-of-career assignment. In my particular case, I used my network mainly to reflect on important decisions: whether or not to accept a job abroad, or to choose between two or three job offers.

Would you hire an ECAM?

Without hesitation!

What advice would you give to the graduating class?

I have two pieces of advice.

First: I think it's very important to keep learning. Once you've finished university, you tend to stop making the effort to learn. It's important to keep reading, sharing and learning, both technically and humanly.

The second: Be demanding with yourself, set yourself ambitious goals. It's better to fail at an ambitious goal than to be satisfied with an easily attainable one.

The last word

Make the most of the network and bring out the best in yourself through internships and work experience.

Many thanks to Aymeric BANGE for taking part in this "Portrait of ECAM" without reservation, with enthusiasm and generosity.

- ECAM Alumni Association

If you too would like to share with the network :

A journey / A passion / An adventure / A story

Please do not hesitate to contact the General Secretariat

of the ECAM Alumni Association

04.72.77.27.71 or by e-mail to assoc@ecam.fr

All ECAM Alumni News are available in the section

"Headlines on your website www.ecam-alumni.fr

Interview by Vanessa GHISOLFI

Layout by Axel VAUTRIN