http://www.us.nlmk.com/nlmk-pa/

NLMK Pennsylvania

Operating Efficiency Engineer Intern

June 2018 - December 2019 • Farrell, PA

What I liked

There was a wide variety of work to do if you showed the initiative. Additionally, it was great experience to meet a diverse workforce and speak and present to groups that included hourly workforce through general managers.

What I wish was different

Middle management had either a poor understanding of or an ambivalent attitude towards the lean principles that we were attempting to implement throughout the company. This meant that managers on cross functional teams had to be pushed by me, as the intern, or by the OE Manger in order to complete many of the projects. The relative insignificance of lean in area managers eyes made some projects difficult to complete, and impossible to sustain. The union management relationship also seemed strained with significant distrust between the two sides that created unnecessary friction when trying to complete job duties.

Advice

Show initiative and try to learn as much as you can. Ask a lot of questions. I think I didn't ask enough when I first started which made learning more difficult later on. If you're an intern they don't expect you to know how the company works, they expect you to learn, so be an active participant in that process.
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