This week’s featured student is Mason Wortman, a mechanical engineering major from Chattanooga, Tennessee, who worked as a co-op student at Kimberly-Clark Corporation’s tissue mill in Loudon, Tennessee.
Wortman worked specifically in both manufacturing and converting departments for bath tissue. As a mechanical engineering co-op, his tasks revolved around making certain the machine equipment was running effectively and efficiently to ensure that the paper created met company and customer standards. Day-to-day, he worked with Senior level engineers conducting analysis on draws within the drives on converting equipment, to inspecting the Yankee dryers, essential to creating the paper.
There have been many beneficial opportunities for him to grow, and develop, as an aspiring engineer. Wortman had many opportunities to design practical additions to the machines knowing they would improve the functionality of the machines in some way. As many of these upgrades will take place after his return to UT, he has spent many hours creating detailed assembly drawings, and documents, with information that will allow for the installation of these design projects to remain rather self-explanatory even with his absence. This challenge simply reiterates the importance of being able to communicate through all media outlets to effectively meet a project’s goal.