SAMPLE INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP REPORT

Please note: This is a sample report only. It is not the report of any one individual and the names and places have been changed.

BACKGROUND

Mountain Electronics is an electronics manufacturing service provider headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario - providing a full range of services including design, prototyping, assembly, testing, product assurance, worldwide distribution and after sales service to customers in computer, telecommunications and networking. During my term, Mountain Electronics expanded from a single facility to a multitude of manufacturing and development facilities located across North America and Europe. INTERNSHIP POSITION DESCRIPTION My position as an internship employee in the Test Engineering Department involved a variety of test-related tasks in automation, process optimization and troubleshooting, with exposure to Quality Assurance as well as the business side of an engineering role. More specifically, test automation involves developing code to control and monitor test fixtures and store test data so that minimum human intervention is required. Process optimization involves coming up with solutions to improve failure screening, minimize false failures and reduce test time. A major element in all of the test programs was the troubleshooting of the test fixtures to minimize downtime and improve test output. My role was often changed with Mountain Electronics. A variety of the tasks I performed are described below. I began employment on a test program with a new customer. This provided the opportunity to assist in the development of test fixturing. Design requirements included: ease of operation; accessibility to critical circuitry for failure analysis (FA); and proper air flow for maintaining operational temperatures. Next I moved to a project with a larger team of engineers where we were under extreme time constraints to bring several test thermal cycling chambers into production. We were required to wire-up an intricate mass of cabling for: serial communications to external computers; ethernet connections to test servers; power supply; data storage; and control circuitry. Once this was completed, the knowledge gained was put to use in supporting the operation of these chambers

during production to minimize downtime and ensure maximum product throughput. This involved shift work and on call duty 24 hours a day. I was subsequently moved to a leadership position for some of the FA teams. I would provide technical support to assist in debugging failures, which the teams could not fix. Failing this, I would seek assistance from our customer product designers. I developed a software tool, with C, to be used by the FA technicians to query the test database for a history of any cards they were working with. At times when failing product amounted to unmanageable quantities, the program could be used to divide cards into categories according to failure type so that they could be worked on more strategically. SPECIAL PROJECTS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS Aside from my daily responsibilities, I had the opportunity to get involved in other projects and activities at Mountain Electronics. One of the ongoing team based projects I was involved in was developing new manufacturing training manuals for all operator sectors site wide. This was a large task, which required major restructuring of the training process across the entire plant. We focused on improving the training process in order to improve operator performance and efficiency, thus achieving better quality products. I also participated in developing courses for the new internship students that were to come at the end of my work term. Since I had taken a number of courses geared towards new Quality Engineers, I was able to provide input on developing and improving these courses for the new interns. I was involved in modifying the content of the courses and teaching a section of the courses as well. As a result of a quality issue with an adhesive used on one of my products, we formalized a small team to tackle this problem. Numerous experiments were performed resulting in a major discovery. This discovery affected not only my product and my business unit but Mountain Electronics as a whole; it allowed for significant process changes. It increased production flexibility and responsiveness, which resulted in significant reductions in cycle time and appreciable cost savings. This contributed to Mountain Electronics competitive advantage and overall customer satisfaction. One major achievement during my work term directly involved the work I was doing on a specific product. At the start of my term, this particular product had a high defect density rate; however, after working with the product for a year and developing processes to improve quality, the defect rate was considerably reduced. This product was then chosen by a site wide team to be used as the ideal model in order to set quality targets across the company. Aside from projects, I also took several courses throughout my internship to further develop my skills, some of which included - quality management courses, root cause analysis and training

the trainer courses. I also got involved in the social aspects of the company, being the Chief Organizer of IIP social events and gatherings throughout the year. OVERALL EXPERIENCE The past year and a half at Mountain Electronics was an excellent opportunity for me to gain some hands on experience in the engineering field. It gave me an opportunity to work as an engineer and not just a student. I acquired many new skills and developed many already existing skills including innovativeness and creativity in design, working in a team based environment, dealing with management and customers, and presentation and communication skills. Although these skills were developed in the work force, I have found that they could easily be applied at school. I have found that my ability to absorb and learn material has drastically improved, as well as my time management ability.

My experience at Mountain Electronics has been invaluable. I thoroughly enjoyed my position and learned a great deal about all the various aspects of a major manufacturing corporation. I strongly recommend the internship program to all students contemplating the idea. Work experience while in school significantly increases the chances of employment after graduation. After all, when an employer compares two rsums, one student with work experience against another student with none, it is quite evident which student they would most likely choose.

Contact Engineering Career Services Room 2085, SEB 519-661-4151 phone 519-661-3757 fax