Industrial Engineering Placement Review

My day-to-day differed per department, but I often found myself involved with requesting different types of tests for prototypes. I would write instructions, handle the logistics, and then analyse and review the data with my team. This gave me opportunities to write scripts to automate the data analysis, interact with hardware in-person, and present to a variety of groups.

Yes. My technical understanding of turbochargers has grown immensely. My presentation skills, as well as my ability to communicate with others, and prioritise my work effectively in a fast-paced, dynamic environment have benefited too. I am able to use day-to-day softwares such as Excel, Visual Basic, Teams, Outlook OneNote, PowerPoint and Zoom much more effectively, too. This is in part thanks to trainings offered and payed for by Cummins.

Yes! I was responsible for a large number of tests, ensuring the instructions were written correctly, the hardware was marshalled to the correct location, and the data was properly processed. I would often feedback my conclusions to the team, which directly impacted whether we would ship units to customers. I definitely was given more responsibility as my time went on, noticeably in my 2nd and 3rd departments as opposed to my first.

Plenty. Every fortnight, all placements had a group meeting with someone senior, who would look out for all our needs. We had the opportunity to speak about how we were getting on in and outside of work, and I felt able to contact this person whenever necessary. Additionally, I had supportive managers and colleagues. We were even introduced to two recent graduates who we could talk to.

Good. I was pleased to find that the employees at Cummins seemed to align well with the company's outlined mission, vision and values. Everybody was friendly and offered to help. I felt welcomed by the majority, and heard!

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement. Although I completed the entire year working remotely, I felt well-integrated in my teams and had plenty of work. I got on well with the other placements, and made friends with my colleagues. I also was encouraged on-site once the offices re-opened in March, and really enjoyed being there on the handful of days I managed to.

Yes

Make the most of working within different departments. You have the opportunity to learn a lot about what you like/dislike. Also throw yourself at everything the company has to offer. I found doing the Excel & VBA trainings invaluable, and the EEEC volunteering scheme has some great opportunities too.