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What does a manufacturing engineering internship do?

Updated January 8, 2025
9 min read
Quoted expert
Jerry Leth
What does a manufacturing engineering internship do

A manufacturing engineering intern is responsible for assisting the manufacturing engineers on the plant's daily operations, analyzing the manufacturing process and procedures, and recommending strategic solutions to maximize productivity and minimize costs. Manufacturing engineering interns shadow the production staff, inspect the tools and equipment of the manufacturing, analyze the quality control documentation, and perform related administrative tasks to familiarize themselves with the plant structure. A manufacturing engineering intern must have excellent communication and organization skills, as well as the ability to adapt quickly to a fast-paced environment.

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Manufacturing engineering internship responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real manufacturing engineering internship resumes:

  • Incorporate PLC logic to automate safety features for stud drop tester equipment.
  • Lead the implementation of a new SPC system throughout several business units.
  • Operate and manage the operation of the SMT production and inspection line, ensuring high quality.
  • Lead numerous Kaizan events in machining value stream and are successfully able to increase the OEE of multiple cells.
  • Develop suppliers to assure excellent quality and MRP metrics.
  • Lead and participate as team member in lean sigma projects.
  • Support for MRB area on ejection seats and flight attendant seats.
  • Assist with design work and blueprint drawings of military transformers and RF assemblies.
  • Complete given tasks by using SQL in order to understand the structure of the database.
  • Learned VBA in order to develop and optimize technical employee skill mapping and assessment tool.
  • Authorize to give MRB dispositions on the repair and overhaul of aftermarket helicopter blade assemblies.
  • Reduce process times by controlling process fluctuations using VSM and create a flexible layout system.
  • Recommend, introduce and train team on the application of PPAP in the plant quality assurance process.
  • Gain plenty of experience in simulation, SQL, and enhance the skills of multitasking and handling urgent requirements
  • Train with the structure and the market pattern of heavy machinery and the using of the ERP system.

Manufacturing engineering internship skills and personality traits

We calculated that 15% of Manufacturing Engineering Interns are proficient in Continuous Improvement, Lean Manufacturing, and CAD. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Listening skills, and Problem-solving skills.

We break down the percentage of Manufacturing Engineering Interns that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Continuous Improvement, 15%

    Contributed to continuous improvement processes; organized tools to optimize manufacturing efficiency and implemented safety measures to avoid risk.

  • Lean Manufacturing, 9%

    Produced manufacturing decision-making information by determining production schedule, labor management and machine utilization in accordance with lean manufacturing principles.

  • CAD, 7%

    Prepare CAD designs and facilitate product modification while assisting engineering staff of design specifications and modification.

  • Solidworks, 5%

    Resolved inconsistency between documented manufacturing tools and fixtures and those used on the floor by redesigning and updating models in SolidWorks

  • Process Improvement, 4%

    Determined and implemented process improvement or process controls for machines through communication with process owners and operators to improve operational flow.

  • Assembly Line, 3%

    Established a tube sub-assembly line with less inventory, better production rate, manpower utilization, machine utilization and space utilization.

Most manufacturing engineering interns use their skills in "continuous improvement," "lean manufacturing," and "cad" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential manufacturing engineering internship responsibilities here:

Creativity. The most essential soft skill for a manufacturing engineering internship to carry out their responsibilities is creativity. This skill is important for the role because "industrial engineers use creativity and ingenuity to design new production processes in many kinds of settings in order to reduce the use of material resources, time, or labor while accomplishing the same goal." Additionally, a manufacturing engineering internship resume shows how their duties depend on creativity: "optimized work in process inventory levels and improved process flow internationally"

Listening skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling manufacturing engineering internship duties is listening skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "these engineers often operate in teams, but they also must solicit feedback from customers, vendors, and production staff." According to a manufacturing engineering internship resume, here's how manufacturing engineering interns can utilize listening skills in their job responsibilities: "communicated with suppliers for process improvement and cost reduction purposes. "

Problem-solving skills. manufacturing engineering interns are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to manufacturing engineering internship responsibilities, because "in designing facilities for manufacturing and processes for providing services, these engineers deal with several issues at once, from workers’ safety to quality assurance." A manufacturing engineering internship resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "resolved gas tank defects in two motorcycle models coordinating with product development center (pdc) engineering group. "

Speaking skills. For certain manufacturing engineering internship responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "speaking skills." The day-to-day duties of a manufacturing engineering internship rely on this skill, as "industrial engineers sometimes have to explain their instructions to production staff or technicians before they can make written instructions available." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what manufacturing engineering interns do: "represented manufacturing department during new product development. "

Writing skills. Another crucial skill for a manufacturing engineering internship to carry out their responsibilities is "writing skills." A big part of what manufacturing engineering interns relies on this skill, since "industrial engineers must prepare documentation for other engineers or scientists, or for future reference." How this skill relates to manufacturing engineering internship duties can be seen in an example from a manufacturing engineering internship resume snippet: "produced photo-based assembly instructions for shop floor workers, including photo processing, labeling & technical writing. "

Math skills. Lastly, "math skills" is an important element of what a manufacturing engineering internship does. Manufacturing engineering internship responsibilities require this skill because "industrial engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." This resume example highlights how manufacturing engineering internship duties rely on this skill: "applied gd&t; callouts for engineering drawings and three-dimensional solid models that explicitly described nominal geometry and its allowable variation. "

All manufacturing engineering internship skills

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Compare different manufacturing engineering interns

Manufacturing engineering internship vs. Senior quality engineer

A Senior Quality Engineer ensures that a company's goods meet the quality standards required. They may work in various industries, such as the automobile, textile, clothing, food, and electronics industries.

If we compare the average manufacturing engineering internship annual salary with that of a senior quality engineer, we find that senior quality engineers typically earn a $48,292 higher salary than manufacturing engineering interns make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both manufacturing engineering internship and senior quality engineer positions are skilled in continuous improvement, lean manufacturing, and process improvement.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, manufacturing engineering internship responsibilities require skills like "cad," "solidworks," "assembly line," and "pallets." Meanwhile a typical senior quality engineer has skills in areas such as "quality system," "supplier quality," "java," and "management system." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Senior quality engineers really shine in the professional industry with an average salary of $100,740. Comparatively, manufacturing engineering interns tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $49,245.senior quality engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than manufacturing engineering interns. In fact, senior quality engineers are 4.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Manufacturing engineering internship vs. Senior process engineer

A Senior Process Engineer assesses a process efficiency, effectiveness, safety, and quality. They also conduct process improvement initiatives and custom product developments.

Senior process engineer positions earn higher pay than manufacturing engineering internship roles. They earn a $52,331 higher salary than manufacturing engineering interns per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Manufacturing engineering interns and senior process engineers both require similar skills like "continuous improvement," "lean manufacturing," and "process improvement" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, manufacturing engineering internship responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "cad," "solidworks," "assembly line," and "pallets." Meanwhile, a senior process engineer has duties that require skills in areas such as "project management," "process design," "sr," and "process equipment." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Senior process engineers earn a higher average salary than manufacturing engineering interns. But senior process engineers earn the highest pay in the energy industry, with an average salary of $107,116. Additionally, manufacturing engineering interns earn the highest salaries in the technology with average pay of $49,245 annually.senior process engineers earn higher levels of education than manufacturing engineering interns in general. They're 6.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for manufacturing engineering internships in the next 3-5 years?

Jerry LethJerry Leth LinkedIn profile

VP/General Manager, MANA

The current Covid-19 pandemic saw a huge surge in virtual meeting platforms. Your purpose as a salesperson needs to be to help your customers solve the problems they face, not to get orders. If they sense you want to help them rather than get them to buy something, they trust you and end up buying from you. Prior to Covid, salespeople created and maintained high-trust customer relationships through face-to-face meetings. That is not possible under the current environment, and salespeople rely more on connecting through LinkedIn and growing customer relationships through virtual meeting platforms. Following the pandemic, while face-to-face meetings return, the virtual meetings will continue to gain importance and relevance.

Manufacturing engineering internship vs. Co-operations engineer

A Co-Operations Engineer ensures that operations-related activities are performed in compliance with company standards and regulations. They optimize the overall efficiency of business.

On average, co-operations engineers earn lower salaries than manufacturing engineering interns, with a $10,429 difference per year.manufacturing engineering interns and co-operations engineers both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "continuous improvement," "lean manufacturing," and "cad," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, manufacturing engineering interns are more likely to have skills like "pallets," "production floor," "strong problem-solving," and "work ethic." But a co-operations engineer is more likely to have skills like "python," "c++," "powerpoint," and "project management."

Co-operations engineers earn the highest salary when working in the energy industry, where they receive an average salary of $51,087. Comparatively, manufacturing engineering interns have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $49,245.When it comes to education, co-operations engineers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to manufacturing engineering interns. In fact, they're 2.9% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Manufacturing engineering internship vs. Process engineer

A Process Engineer is responsible for coming up with innovative ways to process particular raw materials into different kinds of products. They can also modify various existing machines or maintain their quality by monitoring its functions and conducting tests and examinations. A Process Engineer must do numerous analyses and research to gather data that would help determine possible improvements or decisions to uphold. Furthermore, A Process Engineer also has the task of procuring and installing new equipment, collecting and interpreting data, assessing risks, and ensuring that tasks are done safely.

Process engineers average a higher salary than the annual salary of manufacturing engineering interns. The difference is about $29,396 per year.While their salaries may vary, manufacturing engineering interns and process engineers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "continuous improvement," "lean manufacturing," and "cad. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A manufacturing engineering internship uses "assembly line," "pallets," "production floor," and "shop floor." Process engineers are more likely to have duties that require skills in "project management," "troubleshoot," "lean six sigma," and "process equipment. "process engineers enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $87,797. For comparison, manufacturing engineering interns earn the highest salary in the technology industry.The average resume of process engineers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to manufacturing engineering interns. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 1.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.9%.

Types of manufacturing engineering internship

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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