Engineering Co-op at Gill Industries
Jack
Experience Information
Employer: Gill Industries
Job Title: Engineering Co-op
Major: Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Gill industries is a tier 1 and tier 2 global supplier of mechanisms in the automotive and office furniture industries. We provide our customers with products such as head restraints, latches, seat recliners, seat frames, strikers, and tilt mechanisms for office furniture. The company has 1000-5000 employees in 12 locations around the globe.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
The co-op program at Gill Industries involves 6 rotations through various departments. I began my employment operating a welding cell, then worked for the materials department, performing cycle checks and small inventory projects. Next, I was transferred to the press room, where I was not given any tasks/projects, but I observed the presses and stampings and helped my coworkers troubleshoot problems with the 1000 ton press. I then worked in the Quality Engineering department, in which I worked on multiple projects in Microsoft Excel and Plex, involving start-up checklists and quality checks. Finally, I worked with the Product Engineering department, performing various small and large projects, involving design, prototyping, testing and benchmarking. I will spend the last three weeks of co-op working in the Process Engineering department.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
Before working at Gill Industries, I did not have any manufacturing or engineering experience, besides studying engineering at Grand Valley. In just three months, Gill has provided me with general knowledge in welding, assembly, dies/presses, 3D printing, locking mechanisms, as well as the general layout of a manufacturing plant. I have also improved my communication and organization skills while working at Gill Industries.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of my co-op experience was the first project that was assigned to me when I joined the Product Engineering department. I was given the task of designing a device to snap a clip in to a cable assembly, while simultaneously gauging that the clip was fully inserted. I worked with another co-op to generate a few designs in Creo Parametric, and 3D print prototypes. We then performed some tests and made improvements. One of the product engineers is now working on producing the real device. I had a lot of fun with this project because I love designing products. Observing my design as a fully-functioning prototype was an amazing experience. I hope to be given other projects like this in the future.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
This experience has narrowed my career interest in the engineering industry. Observing the high-tech machinery on the plant floor was very interesting. However, I enjoyed working with the design of the products at a much greater level. I enjoy being fully engaged in creating something meaningful from scratch. Thus, I would like to focus my career on design. As I am not exclusively interesting in the automotive industry, I am open to working in other industries as well.