Royal Technologies - Plastic Injection Molding
Dylan
Experience Information
Employer: Royal Technologies Corporation
Job Title: Engineering Coop
Major: Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Royal Technologies is a Hudsonville based company that specializes in plastic injection molding, foam molding and assembly. Royal has a total of six facilities, four in Hudsonville with the others in Cullman, Alabama and Mission, Texas.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
The theme for my summer at Royal was "learn the company from the ground up". I accomplished this by learning a variety of positions. The coop started with me working as an operator and then quickly becoming a scanner/auditor. I was then moved to the utility position where I got to change molds on the injection presses and learn more about how the presses worked. A supervisor role brought more chances for troubleshooting issues and learning more about team management. Later I moved to assembly and assembly supervisor. Time studies and management were used to help maximize efficiency.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I learned a lot about plastic injection molding as a whole. Aside from learning the mechanics behind how the system works. I also learned how to troubleshoot problems and best practices within the industry.
Favorite Part of the Experience
The "hands on" work. Every day I was on my feet moving around and getting my hands dirty. I rarely spent time at a computer. During my time as a utility I constantly had a wrench in my hand and was getting greasy. I loved it. Also, the people were amazing. There was a steep learning curve trying to understand a machine and process I was very unfamiliar with. Everyone was patient with me with regards to questions and making mistakes. I rarely got anything right the first time and someone was always there to ask a question to or lend a helping hand.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
This has definitely opened my eyes up to the plastics industry. I didn't originally take a job a Royal because they were in the plastic industry, I took a job at Royal because they are a great company. However, after working in this industry for the summer I have found the work I have been doing quite interesting. All of the troubleshooting and processing can be quite fun.