Enormous value is added to our supply chain through the effective sourcing of our raw materials from all over the globe. Cocoa is sourced from equatorial regions of the world and used to manufacture our distinctive blend of Thorntons chocolate. Increasingly we are working with single origin beans from regions such as Tanzania , Mexico and Java which provides an added challenge for the sourcing team. We also source a variety of dairy products, nuts, natural flavours and sweeteners. This sector requires an in-depth knowledge of how markets behave, including understanding market fundamentals, future markets and variables that affect crop yields.

Our packaging team sources a wide range of bespoke materials ranging from paper-based cartons and corrugated products to oil-based films and trays. This area is logistically challenging, with many product lines changing each season, particularly challenging with changing consumer behaviour and long supply chains.

Finally our team on non-production buyers source goods and services to support our supply chain and sales channel activities. This incredibly diverse area includes sourcing of trucks, production lines, store uniforms, information systems and utilities to name but a few.

£28.4 million was spent on raw materials last year, with £15.3 million being spent on liquid chocolate.

We're revolutionising the way that chocolates are made

It is very rare in today's retail world to find a company that manufactures the vast majority of the products on its shelves, but that is one of the competitive advantages that Thorntons possesses.

A range of processes exist at Thornton Park, including the manufacture of chocolate centres and fillings, moulding and enrobing, spinning to produce eggs and other hollow-shelled products and Thorntons' famous Special Toffee.

One of Thorntons key strategies is to improve productivity in operations, and we've made a great start having recently installed our second robotics line that packs 970 chocolates per minute.

We need the brightest engineers to help keep transforming the way we do things and to keep us at the forefront of food manufacturing in the UK.

Thorntons Supply Chain truly operates in a demanding FMCG environment, servicing our 600 Thorntons stores, our on-line channel and every major supermarket in the UK. The logistics of operating a world class FMCG supply chain are staggering... 60% of our sales occur during the Christmas period so managing our customers demands is critical. At peak times we supply to many of our stores on a daily basis, delivering the right mix of products based on the previous day's sales. In order to do this we have a sophisticated Sales & Operating Planning process that considers sales forecasts, production capacity and lead-times (for both our own manufacturing facility and those of our suppliers), inventory, marketing activity and new product development. This is a highly cross-functional area and ensures that Thorntons supply chain can support the growth in our sales channels in the most profitable way possible.

As a food manufacturer we have an uncompromising approach to quality. This is present across our entire supply chain and is visible in our processes for supplier audits, our on-site Quality Control laboratory, on-line quality systems and the extensive range of testing procedures that we employ during new product development and manufacturing. We have a reputation for quality that we are extremely proud of. Taking this to the next level will test your technical and analytical skills, providing you with tools and techniques such as Failure Mode Effect Analysis and 8D that can be used throughout your career.

Control of our entire supply chain ensures that we are able to guarantee the quality of our products at all times -which is imperative in the food industry. It also allows us to be highly flexible and respond to the ever-changing needs of our customers. At Thornton Park we have a 140,000 sq meter warehouse that can store 13,000 pallets of products in both ambient and deep freeze conditions. We then deliver to our customers with our own fleet of 52 temperature-controlled lorries, ensuring that our stores and supermarket customers have shelves stocked for the new day.

As you may now appreciate, our supply chain is diverse! However, as well as mastering some of the functions within it, we strongly believe that valuable experience is gained by understanding other aspects of our business. Therefore one of your placements will be in an area such as Marketing, Retail Operations, Financial Planning, Commercial Sales, Design or Human Resources.