Southview Plant Engineering

Ryan

Experience Information

Employer: Yanfeng Automotive Interiors
Job Title: Co-op Engineering Student
Major: Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No

Description of the Organization

Yanfeng is a large privately held company that specializes in production of automotive interiors. It has over 110 location in 18 different countries, employing more than 33,000 people worldwide.

Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed

During my summer co-op I worked in the assembly department at the Southview Plant. Much of my daily responsibilities revolved around what is known as continuous improvements. I had daily HPT meetings which we would discuss possible improvements that could be made to the lines. I would then take these suggestions and work on implementing solutions. I did a lot of different projects over the summer for several different OEM lines. I was involved in developing a screw shroud to be placed over a door panel before operators drive screws. The purpose of the shroud is to prevent dropped screws from becoming loosely stuck in the door panel during assembly. I also helped create new verify matrix for the 2018 model year productions using a provided bill of materials. New features of the new model year required characters to be added to the matrix. Another large project I worked on was creating job set-up doors for a particular lines. Job set-up doors are used at the beginning of each shift to verify that the array of visual, inductive, proximity, and contrast sensors are functioning properly. I also lightly involved in other projects, such as the shutdown and removal of a line and a vinyl adhesion to substrate study using an Instron machine.

Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience

I learned a lot of terminology commonly used by the automotive and manufacturing industries. I learned how quality checks are done using a array of poka-yokes. I learned how verify matrixes are created. I also gained experience on managing projects.

Favorite Part of the Experience

My favorite part of this co-op experience was learning and working with the all the poka-yoke sensors. These sensors have an enormous amount of applications and will be a great tool for me going forward.

How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals

This experience has definitely validated my career choice. I really enjoyed working on the various projects and solving problems on a daily basis.

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