Manufacturing Engineering at Haworth
Kevin
Experience Information
Employer: Grand Valley State University
Job Title: Manufacturing Engineer
Major: Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Haworth is a privately owned company that provides its customers with office space solutions. These solutions can vary from desks and cubicles to wall and floor construction. The Haworth corporate offices are located in Holland at One Haworth Center. Attached to the corporate offices are a distribution center and three plants; the steel plant, panels plant and the wood laminated products plant.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
During my time at Haworth I worked in the laminated products plant where the worksurface, casegood products and some panel components are made. I was able to attend a couple of Kaizen events where a team was brought together to tackle a project within a relatively short period of time. During these events I was tasked with creating and developing CAD drawings of the plant layout and help with determining ways of overcoming problems and improving productivity.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I gained a substantial amount of manufacturing knowledge from an engineering perspective. I learned the entire process from raw material to finished product and packaging. I also learned about key productivity indicators and the process of improving the productivity of manufacturing processes. I improved my CAD drawing skills and improved my skills in working with a team during longer and continuous projects.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of this co-op experience was seeing the effects of my projects, not only on the productivity of the plant, but also on the operators out on the plant floor. My co-workers provided a great working experience that encouraged hard work and open communication. I felt that I could voice my opinion without any harsh feedback while still being taken into consideration.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
In the future I would like to see the effect that my projects have on both their surroundings and the people that it interacts with, assuming that these projects are physical objects. I also discovered that manufacturing engineering is a great career path that I had not entirely considered from the beginning.