2nd Engineering Co-op Rotation
Ryan
Experience Information
Employer: Louis Padnos Iron & Metal Company
Job Title: Engineering Intern
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Padnos is a family owned company that is an employer of over 500 individuals at more than 20 locations that spread from Traverse City down to in Indiana. The company is the biggest recycler of many materials including all types of metals, plastics, paper, and many other commodities in Michigan. Even though Padnos has both a large amount of employees and locations it still has a small family owned company feel. This is because each department in the company is treated as its own "business" which operates under its own manager which answers to the owners of the company. The departments are each small groups ranging from 3 to over 10 people which each have to operate well with each other in order to make the company run smoothly. This is a very different but good operation, and defiantly contributes to the diversity of the company.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
I completed a very diverse range of projects, from designing components of material transporting trailers and boxes, to machine safety and process improvements. One large project I was in charge of was a quality control test to make sure commodity material was not being placed into the waste material due to machine wear and settings. With such a vast spectrum of equipment and locations each day brought new projects that needed to be completed which were completely unique to that location or piece of equipment.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I built a lot upon soft skills previously acquired in daily dealings with co-workers, suppliers, and problems. I had to be able to communicate with the fabrications employees, the supervisors of different departments inside Padnos, the team members that purchased components I needed for projects, and even executives of the company that would make visits to the departments and have questions about processes and solutions. I also had to be skilled in getting unique components order by outside suppliers. I did gain a lot of problem-solving skills also, because when you are designing components for machines that were custom build or have a very unique failure a solution must be found as that is a job requirement of the engineers. I also learned project management as I had to oversee the design, fabrication, and installation of my projects and was held responsible for them.
Favorite Part of the Experience
The part of my co-op experience I enjoyed most was having a hand in projects from the starting point till the project is complete. This helped with both the understanding I gained during projects as well as better exposure to new situations and problems to be solved.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
This experience has influenced my career goals by pushing me harder to succeed in the field of mechanical engineering. It was very enjoyable and gave me and even greater passion for the career. It gave me a taste of what is possible at the end of my schooling which will drive me to push even harder to succeed.