EGR 490 Co-op Rotation III
Rhianna
Experience Information
Employer: Viant Medical
Job Title: Manufacturing Engineer Intern
Major: Biomedical Engineering
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: Yes
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
Viant Medical is a contract manufacturer of medical devices. Several categories of medical devices are built at Viant. There are global sites in Costa Rica, France, Germany, and more, with about 6,000 employees globally. Some sites specialize in process development, manufacturing, and packaging. The Grand Rapids location has about 50 individuals working at the site with members of Manufacturing Engineering, Quality Engineering, Supply Chain, Quality Assurance, Operations, Documentation, and Management.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
I ran cycle time studies for two different production lines, inside and outside of a cleanroom. I had also created and/or edited various documents, such as work instructions, production routers, and visual defect libraries, to make them easier to read and provide better explanations for steps. I had also developed process flow diagrams for two production lines to show the steps for making each finished good from materials coming in to shipping to the customer. Lastly, I have ordered spare parts for multiple production lines using an ERP system to place requisitions and contacted suppliers to fulfill the orders.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I have learned good documentation practices, which are very important in the medical device field. I have also gained experience in problem-solving solving such as brainstorming how to improve line efficiency with time, fixing issues on the production line that stop working correctly, and improving the yield of the production line for a greater amount of good product. I have gained knowledge on many new types of documentation from my previous rotations, such as fixture files for equipment and gauges, routers for production, visual defect libraries for operator reference, and BOMs. I have also learned how to work in a cross-functional team where I have to be in communication with members of quality engineering, supply chain, and operations for some of my projects.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part of this co-op experience was being able to learn about all of the different product lines we have at Viant and being very familiar with two lines. In my third rotation, I have taken on a lot more independent tasks, which have helped me learn so much about the product lines myself that I could go into the cleanroom and try to fix issues without my mentor. I also really enjoyed working with multiple departments on tasks, which really helped me learn the entire production process as a whole and helped me make connections with my coworkers in other departments. I also really enjoyed working directly with the operators on my production lines to help improve their work on the stations, thereby improving the production line as a whole.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
This experience has strengthened my desire to work in the medical device field with new tasks and challenges every day. My co-op experience at Viant Medical has helped me gain confidence in my abilities as an engineer and prepared me for my future as an engineer with the variety of experience I have gained in all three of my rotations.
Internship Format
In Person