NWIRC is seeking a Continuous Improvement Engineering Intern for a company in Erie County. Our client, Maple Donuts of Lake City, PA, operates seven (7) independent production lines to manufacture a variety of packaged and frozen baked goods; Maple Donuts is one of the largest independent producers of donuts on the East Coast. Their historic growth can be attributed to an emphasis placed on maintaining high standards of product quality, excellent customer relationships, superior job performance, and the unwillingness to compromise these standards. The continued growth and further enhancement of the company’s fine reputation depends on each employee’s desire to maintain and improve the set standards. The company is in need of a student intern, highly proficient in Lean tools and techniques, to be a part of our team’s effort to improve operational capabilities and efficiencies.
The qualified engineering intern will assess current state production processes of one production line at a time to identify opportunities for process improvement and cost reduction. Specifically, the qualified candidate will:
- Seek to identify and reduce waste – identify types and sources of waste, quantify the waste by type/source, develop waste reduction proposals and test accepted proposals quantifying results.
- Process/product change overs (front end and packaging) – document current process set up and time associated with product/equipment changes, identify areas of opportunity to reduce change over time and test accepted proposals quantifying results.
- Labor utilization – review labor effectiveness in packaging areas through
observation/time motion study and work flow/material set up analysis – develop recommendations for staffing or set up changes to improve labor utilization and/or ergonomic issues through improved material set up or product handling – test accepted proposals quantifying results.
Candidates are required to be currently enrolled in an accredited college or university and shall be pursuing a four-year or advanced degree in Industrial, Manufacturing or Mechanical Engineering, or similar technical field; be highly proficient in Lean tools and techniques; and able to work at the Lake City facility approximately forty (40) hours per week during the summer break. Minimum required cumulative GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale. Additionally, the ideal candidate shall have completed coursework in time study and work-flow analysis, have excellent communication skills with the ability to interact with line workers to understand the manufacturing process, have a willingness to work directly on the shop floor with a strong desire to work with people in a team-based environment, possess a strong analytical mind and scientific approach, and be a responsible, mature, team-oriented individual with great attention to detail and a willingness to learn.
The internship will run May 2019 through approximately August 2019, with flexible work hours. A minimum pay rate of $15.00 per hour, depending upon experience, knowledge and skills.
Qualified candidates are required to apply online at www.nwirc.org/internship. Please direct questions about this continuous improvement internship opportunity to Michael Griffith at mgriffith@nwirc.org.