- Major: Industrial & Systems Engineering
- Company: Denso Manufacturing
- Graduation Year: Dec 2022
- E-mail: jrodri27@vols.utk.edu
Profile
Morristown, Tennessee
I did my co-op with DENSO Manufacturing in Maryville, TN for two rotations totaling seven months. I was placed in the Body Electronics Division that assembled parts on a fully automated line for General Motors. I led the cybersecurity rework of parts before shipment and created a new workflow for the rework process. I conducted quality checks during trial runs to ensure that the parts were up to standard for mass production. My main project towards the end of my rotation was to update programming and moving the rework line which ended up reducing the walking distance for the associates by 4.7 miles a week, which was about a 45% reduction. I also assisted the engineering staff with the development of the production process windows through various capability studies on the fully automated production lines. I also was a Summer Intern at the Y-12 National Security Complex. I worked at the Conditioned Based Maintenance Lab which helped maintain the infrastructure of the buildings on site. My project was to improve and standardize the calibration process of the equipment that they oversee. I was able to apply the 5s organizational method to my project and identify the key issues in the current process. I also worked on organizing the repair process when calibration of the equipment fails.
I decided to co-op to gain professional experience and knowledge about the engineering work in the real world. Before I graduated, I wanted to have an idea of what industry I'd like to go into so I could have expectations of what I needed from company for when it is time to look for full time positions.
I learned that your internship or co-op is all about what you make of it. As a new hire there will be slow days, but it is important to always find a way to help your team out in any way you can. It is important to ask and question everything that you don't know or are confused about. Early in my co-op at DENSO I noticed something odd about the rework process and I immediately let an engineer know. It ended up being a bug in the program that would have allowed non confirming parts pass and send off for shipment. That day I learned the impact of noticing the small details in my work and questioning why something passed when it shouldn't have.
As an Industrial Engineer, working at DENSO taught me so much about my discipline. I got to work on time studies, 5s, lean practices, and other topics that I was taught before and after my co-op. When I finished my rotation and went back to school, what I was being taught in my classes was something that I had already experienced and worked on.
Co-ops are a great way to see what work will be after graduating since the rotations can go up to a full year. Internships are great for summer projects and to get an idea of the type of work you will see when you graduate, but co-ops allow for your project to build over time and to achieve and complete something really impactful.
Outside of work and school, I love hanging out with my friends and family. I enjoy cooking and learning how to cook my family’s traditional Mexican and Cuban recipes that I grew up on.
