About the role#
This internship connects physical assembly operations with digital manufacturing systems. You will work alongside manufacturing engineers, production operators, and quality teams to support and optimize the Apriso Manufacturing Execution System (MES) within a commercial HVAC assembly environment. You will spend your time on the production floor to observe how digital systems interface with equipment, troubleshoot execution issues, and use manufacturing data to improve safety, quality, and productivity.
What you'll do#
- Assist manufacturing engineers in sustaining and improving daily shop-floor execution using Apriso.
- Support production line workflows by implementing electronic work instructions, reference documentation, process flows, and new functionality.
- Troubleshoot operational MES issues on the assembly line to minimize production downtime.
- Update standard operating procedures (SOPs), standard work instructions, and troubleshooting guides.
- Train operators, team leads, and support staff on new MES workflows, digital screens, and mobile terminals.
- Document system change requirements, bug reports, and user feedback.
- Participate in Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives by extracting and analyzing production data.
- Support engineering teams in implementing digital poke-yokes and automated quality inspection gates.
- Assist with time studies, line balancing, and workflow optimization.
- Participate in software sprint testing and verification.
- Assist engineering staff with engineering change notices (ECNs), product transitions, and new product introductions (NPI) within the MES routing master data.
- Maintain an active, visible presence on the manufacturing floor.
- Gather feedback from front-line operators regarding interface usability and workstation ergonomics.
- Adhere to all plant safety standards, PPE requirements, and 5S workplace organization practices.
What you'll need#
- Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical/Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Science, or a closely related technical field.
- High technological aptitude and a desire to work in hands-on production environments.
- Basic familiarity with manufacturing processes, automation, or software logic.
- Confidence in Excel functionality and high attention to detail.
- Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
- Prior exposure to Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) such as Apriso is preferred.
- Foundational coursework or experience with database fundamentals (SQL), programming or scripting (Python), or industrial networking is preferred.
- Understanding of Lean Manufacturing principles such as Kaizen, 5S, Standard Work, Poka-Yoke, and Value Stream Mapping is preferred.
- Previous internship, co-op, or academic lab experience in a manufacturing, assembly, fabrication, or controls environment is preferred.
Location & details#
- Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
- Modality: On-site (5 days per week)
- Employment type: Full-time
- Compensation: $20.50 - $28.00 per hour
