The time spent as a 2017 Operational Transformation intern for MacLean Curtis was an adventurous and educational experience. The initial sight of the enormous manufacturing machinery, and those that were larger than life, caused a chill down the intern’s spine. Not because they’re dangerous, he said, but because with the correct safety protocols, they were some of the most interesting pieces of machinery he had ever laid eyes on. The functions they yielded were simple, yet complex, with the micrometers of precision they had to retain. The machines’ operators were friendly. He was comfortable approaching any of them and asking about their respective machines or their jobs.
Along with adventures on the floor, the OT intern’s time working in the office was full of creative and educational experiences. Working beside the OT Manager, he received experience beyond school work and basic interning, experience that will benefit the next several years of his life and beyond. As he stated, “these were experiences that I could not have had if it weren’t for MacLean Curtis. From walking around the floor, taking pictures of various operators’ Loop 1 Boards, to starting a project myself, I gained experience that goes beyond fetch-and-retrieve jobs some internships provide.”
Lean Basic Experience
He commented on how lucky he considered himself to be to have taken part in the Lean Basic Program. Many businesses implement Lean to educate their workers on company needs and increase productivity. He especially loved this program because it gave him various business and life lessons. He even went home and applied Muda reduction techniques to his morning routine, which made his life more productive and faster.
Apart from all the intriguing lessons learned in Lean, he found it interesting to gather various perspectives from different people — machine operators, maintenance workers, program instructors, and a new, recently college graduated engineer. This internship and experience with Lean opened his eyes to the value of seeing different points of view.
MacLean Curtis Internship – Educationally Positive and Experience Rich
Time spent with MacLean Curtis was educationally positive and experience rich especially working with such assignments as an Excel project for a Safety Training Matrix. Everything he learned at MacLean Curtis directly correlates to what an engineer is and does. “Before this experience,” he said, “my definition of an engineer was someone who excelled at math and science and ‘created’ things. I learned about what an engineer’s days are like, such as pitching complex ideas, working in groups, helping others, and most importantly of all, loving what they do.” Engineers he met were happy with what they were doing for the company and still found time to enjoy hobbies and spend time with their families and friends — win-win situations.
The experience at MacLean Curtis influenced this OT Intern’s future plans and goals. He was admitted to the University at Buffalo in mechanical engineering in the fall of 2017. He went from being someone who had no idea what he was going to do in five years to being able to plan out his future. He expressed thanks to everyone who took time from their lives to enlighten his life. MacLean Curtis is a place he can see himself returning to someday.