Great Hands-On Co-Op
Jake
Experience Information
Employer: Innotec
Job Title: Engineering Co-op
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Innotec is a unique company that thrives in innovation. This company has a small workshop kind of atmosphere with the catch-phrase of "4 Men in a Garage". It is made up of many cells which are essentially small business units made up mostly by engineers. Each cell is responsible for most every business/engineering practice within the cell from machine launch to material ordering. Innotec supplies parts and assemblies for many automotive and appliance industries which give this company a wide range in responsibilities.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
As a co-op student at Innotec, everyday is its own project. Innotec is a company that expects constant innovation, so there is always something to improve on. However, there are two projects that stand out to me from this semester. The first was a solo project that involved me creating and programming an excel document that would replace our old production white board. The goal was to create a spreadsheet that would look professional but be able to be completely independent from a keyboard, as the goal was to use a touch screen monitor. The second project was quite a bit larger and it involved my entire cell. There was a company-wide goal this summer to limit the number on interventions that were required on each machine. Our machines load plastic vanity covers into totes which need to be replaced or stacked every 20 minutes. We originally were planning on building and automating a tote-loader, but the final product ended up being a conveyor system that replaced the totes altogether.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
This was a very hands-on internship, so I was able to learn quite a bit about fabrication and metal working. The work areas at Innotec are quite vast, filled with any kind of tool you could need. Through many projects, I was able to learn how to use many of these tools. In another spectrum, I was also privileged to learn about corporate finance. This co-op experience taught me way more than I could have imagined.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of this co-op semester was being respected as an actual team-member and not just an intern. The relationships I built with full-time Innotec engineers and other engineering interns made this experience even better. However, the most memorable moment of the semester was in the final tests of our new conveyor system when my cell and I looked at each other with complete disbelief when we finally realized what we had finally accomplished.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
I now know that engineering is without a doubt the career for me. I hope to continue working in some sort of automated manufacturing environment. I am glad that I have had this chance with Innotec to learn what I have and I look forward to what I will learn there in the future.