Rodriguez, who graduated from Cranfield University, will work on a project to specify a "closed loop system" for the recycling of vinyl waste and will also help the company with process improvement projects within their lean manufacturing programme.

The projects will include streamlining material flow through the factory and improving yields from the currying of polypropylene sheets to reduce waste and optimise dimensional requirements.

Rodriguez will also help the company to develop a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reporting system, which amalgamates all its current reports and provides the management team with a user-friendly view of the key areas in the company which they can review on a weekly basis.

Duraweld director Mark Yeung said: "The work David is doing on process improvement is part of our lean manufacturing commitment. The benefits will be felt for many years to come in the quality of our products and improved manufacturing efficiencies.

Rodriguez added: "It’s a great opportunity to work at Duraweld, which is large enough to have well-established reporting and monitoring systems yet small enough for me to see my work on KPIs having an impact."

Rodriguez's work placement is funded by a Leonardo da Vinci grant, an EC programme for those involved in vocational education and training. The programme aims to enhance the competitiveness of the European labour market by helping European citizens to acquire new skills, knowledge and qualifications.