At age 30, Joyakim Davis has just joined the Purchasing and Logistics Department at Carbon Waters. Born in Mauritius and French at heart, this graduate student currently in a coop program at ISLI (Institut Supérieur de la Logistique Industrielle, or Institute for Supply Chain Excellence), is championing a bullet-proof supply chain and bio-based sourcing. His profile below.
You are originally from Mauritius. What made you decide on France for your career?
I spent my whole childhood in Grand Gaube, a little town with beaches on one side and sugar cane on the other, not far from Port Louis. With my bac diploma in my pocket, I bought a one-way ticket to France, because I wanted to have a career in industry. In 2012, I ended up in Saint Quentin, in Picardy, without knowing a soul. Luckily, I had rented a little place and my landlord took me under his wing. I started my career path in chemical engineering and processes, then I attended an engineering school in Pau, before earning a master’s degree in environmental studies in 2017.
In 2018, you were in a coop program at Daher Aerospace in Tarbes, right?
That coop really put me in pole position and allowed me to develop a more businesslike, technological approach to the job. Afterward, I became a contract worker with the Airbus Atlantique service supply chain. It was an 18-month experience that taught me a great deal about career skills and responsibilities. But in this kind of organization, the administrative and decision-making layers slow down innovation and creativity.
So then you discovered Carbon Waters.
Yes, and I immediately felt at home with the company culture. From the very first interview, we talked with Alban about the need to organize and secure the supply chain to avoid any raw materials shortages. The idea of building this department together was a real challenge. And the advantage compared to a big company? How quickly decisions are made! At Carbon Waters, communication is fluid, and all ideas are welcome. There is a culture of creativity and spontaneity. It keeps you on your toes.
What are your various job areas?
I work in both purchasing and logistics. Right now, we are considering deploying ERP software that would manage data flows and tracking of raw materials and our finished products. We hope to be able to source our supplies locally and focus on bio-based raw materials produced in France or in Europe.
We prefer to develop lasting relationships with French and European suppliers and set up co-development projects with them. The ERP project is the keystone for controlling the flow of materials entering and exiting the company, increasing volumes, and deploying a bullet-proof, high-performance supply chain.
Any other projects in the works?
The Carbon Waters team is also thinking about recycling its waste products. When we make graphene, there are always undeveloped, less useful co-products left over. Now these co-products can easily be used in the field of sports or construction to enhance the mechanical properties of materials. We plan on deploying a supply chain devoted to recycling these co-products.
And in your personal life?
I’m a new dad, and I hope I can find the right balance between my private life and my professional life. Between my coop at Carbon Waters, my classes at ISLI, and my family life, I’m juggling schedules. Fortunately, this winter on a well-deserved break, I’m taking my whole little tribe on vacation to Mauritius.