Mechanical Engineering Field Trip Report

Cebu - Bohol

A Field Trip Report Presented to the

Faculty of the College of Engineering,

Mechanical Engineering Department

University of Southeastern Philippines

Bo. Obrero, Davao City

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Course

ME 518 Field Trip/Plant Visit

Kenneth Dwight P. Boja

MAY 2019

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 ABSTRACT

This reports includes all of the tasks accomplished before and even after the
field trip was executed. Pertinent legal documents required by the school are
presented and listed. A detailed field trip schedule or itinerary is also
displayed. The selected plants visited are also discussed with relation to its
importance to the ME field. Specific plant details with their special
attributes that makes them unique are also stated. The breakdown of the
expenses together with the accommodation, food, and travel with supporting
documents are also shown. Also discussed is the effectiveness of plant visits
for mechanical engineering students in improving their perspective of the
career path ahead of them.

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 Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 1
MATERIALS AND METHODS ....................................................................... 4
1. College – Parent consultation ........................................................... 4
2. USeP Requirements ......................................................................... 5
3. CHED Requirements........................................................................ 6
4. Field trip itinerary ........................................................................... 7
5. Discussion of plants visited ............................................................. 8
• Carmen Copper Corporation ............................................................... 8
• Tsuneishi Heavy Industries ................................................................ 9
RESULTS .................................................................................................. 10
Plant Description and Details ................................................................. 10
Accommodation, Food and Travel ........................................................... 13
DISCUSSION ............................................................................................ 15
Cost of Field Trip ................................................................................... 15
References ................................................................................................ 19
APPENDICES ............................................................................................ 20
CURRICULUM VITAE ................................................................................ 23

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 INTRODUCTION

Part of the requirements that a graduating mechanical engineering

student must take is the Plant Visit or Field Trip. According to the CHED

memorandum no. 09 series of 2008 also known as the Policies and

Standards for the degree of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering

(BSME), the subject Plant Visit/Field Trip is listed as a Professional

Mechanical Engineering Course. Faizal, Hafeez, and Shakil (2011) stated in

their study that there is a lot of importance of field trips at higher levels. The

effective learning and the promotion of qualities of leadership, discipline,

and self-confidence among the students are of great essentials.

As an engineering student, the experiences that we encountered

during our plant visits help us relate what we learned in the four corners of

our classrooms as to how the theories were applied to practical engineering.

The plant visits also shows us a glimpse of what the actual work is waiting

for us once we acquire our license. Evident in the student’s writing and in-

class questions, “learning beyond the classroom” activities greatly

contributed in honing their know-how and their ability to analyse new and

upcoming technologies. Correlating theories to practical applications is the

main objective of the field trip (Vollaro, 2002). Furthermore, Upton and

Macadam (2008) expressed that the gateway to improve learning is to focus

on hands-on practices rather than on numbers. They also stated that “Even

the most lucid description of how work flows are managed around a plant is

no substitute for seeing things happen in practice”.

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 On January 28, 2019 to February 1, 2019, the graduating batch of

the BSME students from the University of Southeastern Philippines held

their field trip on Cebu and Bohol. The field trip focuses on the various

industrial plants that are related to the mechanical engineering field. As

stated by welearnindia.com (2015), Learning from textbooks, lectures and

other study material does not suffice for holistic learning. And as future

managers of industrial plants, what is essential for a better understanding

of work process and plant functions are practical and hands-on learning.

The author also stated seven benefits of Industrial Visits for

management/engineering students.

• For students pursuing professional education

(Marketing/Finance/Operations/Supply Chain etc.), industrial visits help

them gain hands-on experience of how industry operations are executed.

• Industry visits bridge the gap between theoretical training and practical

learning in a real-life environment.

• Industry visits provide opportunity for active/interactive learning

experiences in-class as well outside the classroom environment.

• With industry visits, students are able to better identify their prospective

areas of work in the overall organizational function.

• Industry visits help enhance interpersonal skills and communication

techniques.

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• Students become more aware of industry practices and regulations during

industry visits.

• Industry visits broaden the outlook of students with exposure to different

workforces from different industries.

Of all the plants visited during the field trip, the reporter has great

intent to possibly work for the Tsuneishi Shipyard located in Balamban,

Cebu because of the world class manufacturing practices they apply and for

the technical know-how that the reporter might get from the company.

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 MATERIALS AND METHODS

This section will tackle all the necessary legal documents such as the

College-Parent consultations, USeP/CHED requirements, Itinerary, the class

list, rules and regulations, and brief information about the plants.

1. College – Parent consultation

Shown below is the announcement for the parents regarding about the

educational field trip.

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 Figure 1 College - Parents consultation

2. USeP Requirements
Shown below are the requirements that were mandated by the university.

Figure 2 Field Trip Waiver

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 Figure 3 Class List for Cebu-Bohol Field trip

3. CHED Requirements

Listed below are the requirements mandated by CHED.

• Curriculum requirement

• Destination

•Handbook or Manual

•Students Consent of Parents/ Guardians

•Medical Clearances of the Students

•Personnel in Charge Special Order

•First Aid Kit

•Fess and Funds Breakdowns

•Student Insurances

•Mobility of Students (Vehicles) Owned by HEI, Third Party or

Subcontracting, Franchisee/Travel Agency/ Tour Operator

•LGUs and Other NGOs Permits

•Activity Documents

•Orientation to Students

•Consultation

•Announcements

•Briefing before the trip

•Learning Journals

•Emergency Preparedness Plan

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 4. Field trip itinerary

The whole duration of the field trip is facilitated by WATT, a travel

agency. Shown below is the itinerary for the said field trip.

Figure 4 Field Trip Itinerary

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5. Discussion of plants visited

Selected Date:

Day 3 (January 30, 2019)

• Carmen Copper Corporation – Located in Toledo City, Cebu. Carmen

Copper was once the biggest copper mine in the Philippines. Operations

began on 1935 on the open pit mine called the Biga Pit. The mine site

was elegantly terrifying. Before the proper tour began, we had a very

extensive safety protocol briefing conducted by the tour coordinator of

the company. We were all required to wear our hard hats, safety vests,

and goggles at all times. We first visited their machine shop where a large

number of machineries were being used from a small lathe machine to a

ginormous roller machine. Pedestrian lines must always be followed

during the tour of the machine shop. There we were able to see how they

repair and manufacture parts of heavy machineries. We then visited the

Carmen Pit, the only active pit of the mining company. The Carmen Pit

produces and average of 42,000 dry metric tons of copper ore daily. As

we approached the viewing deck of the pit. We were stunned looking at

the marvel of the giant pit. With the 100 tonner trucks looking like ants

when seen from above. The slope of the pit were relatively grey showing

indications that there is a rich reserve of copper still lying in the pit. The

other two inactive pits are the Biga Pit, the original pit which now serves

as the mine tailings storage facility of the company, and the Lutopan Pit,

which still holds ore reserves of up to 180 million metric tons of ore. The

operation at the Lutopan pit are currently suspended and is expected to

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return operation at 2021. The company has a strong push for

reforestation, which is evident on the surroundings around the mine site.

As a future mechanical engineer, looking at the marvel of the Carmen

Copper Corporation makes us wonder what the human brain is capable

of.

• Tsuneishi Heavy Industries – Located in Balamban, Cebu. Tsuneishi

Heavy Industries or THI is the biggest manufacturing plant we visited

during the fieldtrip. Before the tour began, we surrendered our mobile

devices to the security officer to avoid unauthorized picture taking. THI

manufacture ships that are 10 times larger than the ships the the

Colorado Shipyard makes. The attention to detail for each component of

the ship is very evident by the amount of markings present on the part of

the ship being manufactured. The shipyard can hold approximately 15-

20 large sized ships at a time. During the tour, the presenter explained to

us the process the use in manufacturing the ship. Ship details are made

in Japan and are sent out the site plant in Cebu to be manufactured. The

ships are identical in shape and color but they differ in size. The

company focuses on top quality ships to ensure safety and durability.

The mechanical works observed were among the best compared to the

other companies visited. Details are marked on every corner of the ship

part so that no clumsy mistake that could sink the ship is made. To

describe THI is that it is the pinnacle of precision engineering.

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 RESULTS

This section will discuss the results of the field trip such as the

resource speaker of each company, the product or operation, their special

attributes, the relevance to the ME field, accommodation and food and

travel.

Plant Description and Details

• Gardenia

Resource Speaker:

Product and Operation: Loaf Bread

Special Attributes: Semi-Automated Process and Hygienic Facility

Relevance to ME Field: Gardenia uses various machineries that are

related to the ME field such as driers, heaters, conveyors and other

automated machineries.

• Duck-IL Korea

Resource Speaker:

Product and Operation: Automotive Parts ; Injection Molding

Operation.

Special Attributes: self-Sufficient Company with smart warehouse

system

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 Relevance to ME Field: Duck Il utilizes CNC machines and injection

molding machines which required deep understanding of materials of

engineering. A mechanical engineer focusing on materials science is a

good fit for Duck- Il

• Colorado Shipyard

Resource Speaker:

Product and Operation: Ship building/Ship repair

Special Attributes: Small yet sufficient shipyard capable of job orders

from small to mid-sized sea crafts.

Relevance to ME Field: The shipyard utilizes various mechanical

processes such as welding, forging, assembly and machining to

manufacture or repair ships and boats.

• Prime Review Center

Resource Speaker: Engr. Pame

Product and Operation: Educational/Review Center

Special Attributes: Comprehensive review with techniques and

shortcuts.

Relevance to ME Field: Fresh ME graduates looking for review center

or for those mechanical engineers that are academically inclined,

Prime Review Center is a good choice.

• Carmen Copper Corporation

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 Resource Speaker:

Product and Operation: Copper/Mining

Special Attributes: Responsible Open Pit Mining. Sustainability and

High focus on reforestation.

Relevance to ME field: Mechanical engineer that are inclined in

commissioning heavy equipment such as loaders, excavators, dump

trucks and other mining related mechanical process.

• Tsuneishi Heavy Industries

Resource Speaker:

Product and Operation: Ship Building

Special Attributes: Precision and Quality Engineering. International

Standards.

Relevance to ME field: More on mechanical works such as welding

forging, metal shaping and assembling and quality assurance.

• SPC Bohol Power Barge

Resource Speaker: Engr.

Product and Operation: Power Generation

Special Attributes: Compact and Flexible power plant. Can be easily

transported to another place in need of power.

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 Relevance to ME field: Focuses heavily on Power Plant Engineering.

Thermodynamic principles heavily apply. For mechanical engineers

that love brain and muscle work.

• Treasure Island Industrial Corporation

Resource Speaker:

Product and Operation: Paints and Solvents

Special Attributes: Strict Quality Control

Relevance to ME field: Has several of machineries such as boilers and

cooling towers and other auxiliary equipment that are utilized to

manufacture various solvent based products.

• Wellmade Motors and Development Corporation:

Resource Speaker:

Product and Operation: Machine Shop, Parts Fabrication

Special Attributes: High efficiency work place

Relevance to ME Field: High focus on mechanical works and

fabrication such as welding, forging, manufacturing and assembling.

Accommodation, Food and Travel

Throughout the duration of the field trip, we stayed at different hotels.

During the first day, we spent our night at Alta Resort at Mactan Cebu, the

food for dinner and breakfast the next morning was served as buffet at the

restaurant. The resort is cozy and had a nature vibe to it. It also has a

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swimming pool to relax. Since there is only around 20 of us in the

mechanical engineering group, we travelled most of the time using the Rosa

Coaster, except for the trip to the Carmen Copper and Tsuneishi were we

had separate vans for the day. The second day and third day, we stayed at

Wellcome Hotel in Cebu City. The food is also buffet in both breakfast and

dinner. We also had our lunch in Buffet 101 for our second day and Vikings

on our last day. On the fourth day, we travelled via a fast cat bound to

Bohol where we had our lunch at the famous floating restaurant and then

we spent our night at Plaza Mountain Resort in Panglao Island, Bohol. The

last day of the trip, we want back to Cebu Island via the Tagbilaran sea

route which took about 2 hours.

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 DISCUSSION

Overall, the preparation for the field trip almost took one whole

semester. In which our Mayor processed most of the papers. We first had to

have a notarized waiver of claim to get our medical certificates at the

university clinic. Most of the preparations were mainly focused on the

payment of the whole field trip. As per all the legal papers and requirements

necessary before the execution of the field trip, it was already discussed at

the introduction of this report.

Upon the conclusion of the field trip, it is confirmed that classroom

lectures alone are not enough to satisfy the need for knowledge of the

students. Especially in the field of engineering, practical applications must

be seen first-hand to appreciate the theories learned in school. Time and

time again, relevant field exposure showed great improvement as per the

knowledge of the career path chosen by the student and more importantly

increase his/her confidence because of the practical application learned

during the exposure.

Cost of Field Trip

Shown in the figures below are the overall cost of the fieldtrip

inclusive of accommodation, food and travel. As well as the airfare tickets

with quotations. Although the field trip itself is quite expensive, it was all

worth it because all we had to do every morning is just to wake up. The

travel agency already handled all of the LGU requirements, the plant

requirements, and all the accommodation we had during the said duration

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of the trip. The overall cost of the field trip exclusive of the personal costs of

the students has a total of P19, 245.44

Figure 5 the available options that travel agency offered

Figure 6 available accomodations offered by the agency

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Figure 7 breakdown of cost of the field trip together with the inclusions

Figure 8 Philippine Airline ticket bound to Davao

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Figure 9 Cebu Pacific Ticket bound for Cebu

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 References

CHED. (2008). Policies and Standards for the degree of Bachelor of Science
in Mechanical Engineering (BSME).

Shaki, A. F., Faizi, W., & Hafeez, S. (2011, June). THE NEED AND
IMPORTANCE OF FIELD TRIPS AT HIGHER LEVEL. International
Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences.
Pakistan.

Upton, D. M., and Macadam, S. E. (1997). Why (and How) to Take a Plant
Tour. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review:
https://hbr.org/1997/05/why-and-how-to-take-a-plant-tour

Vollaro, M. B. (2002). Field Trips: An innovative approach in teaching.

American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference &
Exposition. American Society for Engineering Education. Retrieved
from peer.asee.org

welearnindia. (2015, December 30). 7 BENEFITS OF INDUSTRIAL VISITS.

Retrieved from We Learn India|Wordpress:
https://welearnindia.wordpress.com/2015/12/30/7-benefits-of-
industrial-visits/

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 APPENDICES

Figure 10 ME Students arrive at Cebu Figure 11 Gardenia Cebu plant tour

Figure 12 The students pose at the Duck-iL Korea plant

Figure 13 Presentation of Certificate of Appreciation

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Figure 14 At the Colorado Shipyard Figure 15 Side trip at Kartzone
Cebu

Figure 16 Posing at the entrance of Carmen Copper Machine Shop

Figure 17 The 100 tonner dumptruck with the class Mayor for scale

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Figure 18 Model scale of Carmen Copper Corporation with the Biga Pit and
Carmen Pit

Figure 19 In front of the Tsuneishi Heavy Industry Office

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 CURRICULUM VITAE
KENNETH DWIGHT P. BOJA

Personal Information:

Address : 2523 Mabini Extension, Tagum City

Date of Birth : December 18, 1997

Place of Birth : Tagum City

Citizenship : Filipino

Marital Status : Single

Contact Number : 09393572253

Email : dwightboja@gmail.com

Father’s Name : Lee Fausto C. Boja

Contact Number : 09753150498

Educational Background

Secondary:

Tagum National Trade School (2014)

Tertiary:

University of Southeastern Philippines

BS in Mechanical Engineering (2014-Present)

Seminars Attended:

•2015-2018 JPSME Conference

•8th PSME National Student Conference

Practicum:

Sumifru (Philippines) Corporation

Km. 20, Buhisan, Tibungco, Davao City Philippines

(July-August 2017) 240 hrs.

Marco Polo Davao (Technical Department)

CM. Recto St., Davao City

(July-August 2018) 240 hrs.

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