ITW Food Equipment Group

Engineering Assistant

January - May 2023 • Troy, OH

What I liked

I really enjoyed the atmosphere at ITW and how welcoming and helpful everyone was. All the people I worked with were eager to help me learn how to be a better mechanical engineer. I really enjoyed being able to work in the lab and get some hands-on experience rather than sitting at a desk all day. Overall, I really enjoyed working here and was glad to gain co-op experience from such a great company.

What I wish was different

The first couple weeks were a bit slow starting out. It would have been helpful to have been given larger projects right off the bat to work on throughout the term. Additionally, I would have liked to work with the other co-ops more; it would have been nice to collaborate on some projects. Sometimes I did not have enough tasks assigned to me and I would find myself bored, but this could be solved by going down to the lab and asking what I can help out with.

Advice

I would advise to try to be as social as possible with the people you work with. It can be a little intimidating at first working with such experienced engineers, but it is important to ask questions and communicate about projects. I learned that my mentors preferred that I ask questions because then it showed my interest in the topic. Also, I would recommend going into the co-op with an open mindset because there is such a broad range of projects to work on.

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engineering assistant co-op

August - December 2022 • Troy, OH

What I liked

I like the different areas to work on for example building prototypes, software, testing, writing reports, and giving feedback on the test results. I feel like an important part of the team and not like a burden to be with. The company is very organized and professional but friendly at the same time. You have a lot of opportunities to learn about lab equipment and how to use it correctly. Staff in the company are more than happy to help you out and it's a relaxing environment.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more opportunities to have more CAD modeling and draws of new models but that is more for the second work term. Work on more software and troubleshooting for the product. Understanding each machine's purpose and uniqueness better in the beginning. Understanding leadership hierarchy in the company in the beginning as well.

Advice

Have a basic knowledge of hand tools, measurement, and lab safety rules including electrical safety. Know the basic functions of excels like graphing, calculating, and data collecting. Work on your communication skills like talking clearly and presenting facts to the team in meets at some point in your Co-Op with them. Always have an attitude to work and help the team but also other people if they need help.

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Mechanical Engineering Intern

January - May 2022 • Troy, OH

What I liked

I liked the freedom to explore all different kinds of fields. The company let my enthusiasm drive my work, so anything I wanted to try or learn, they let me. The engineers I shadowed always had great advice and input on my work. Not to mention flexibility on hours and support through the entire semester. I also feel like I gained a lot of connections through working with this company. I got to meet workers of all different departments and learn about what they do as well, so I really had the opportunity to see what field of interest I want to go in to.

What I wish was different

Starting week was a little difficult because you don't have the best idea of what you will be working on yet. There is not a set task that you will be working on and you begin to work on things as they are handed to you. There isn't much room for design work - which they explain that experience is during another term. Which I know do understand because it is difficult to design for the company without understanding how the machine works and all the components within it.

Advice

This job clicks well with any student excited to learn and willing to go find projects to work on. The first few weeks of the term it was so important to show interest in learning anything you could - and I advise keeping that energy all semester. I also would remind students to be resilient during their co-op term. Projects and ideas aren't always going to go as they planned. What's important to this company is that you keep working and find a new angle.

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Mechanical Engineer Intern

January - May 2022 • Troy, OH

What I liked

I liked pretty much everything about working with ITW. Everybody here is super helpful and easy to work with; any questions I had or any help I needed, someone was there. I extremely liked getting hand on experience working with machines; I was down in the lab every day for most of my day. I was able to learn lab equipment and safety, while also applying an analytical and logical thought process to the work. I also really enjoyed the few projects given to me that were solely my own; I set up the testing procedure, compiled the data, and wrote the report. This gave me excellent experience being independent in my field, and learning how to deal with any problems that may arise. It also gave me valuable experience collecting and formatting data, and compiling that into a concise and coherent report.

What I wish was different

There's not much I could have asked from working at ITW. Everything was great, however, if I had to choose one thing I would probably have liked more of a mix between lab work and desk work. I know that it is typically the company's policy to not have co-ops start AutoCAD until their second term at the company, but it still would have been nice to have some of that work. This co-op gave me great lab experience, and a great idea of the logistical problems when it comes to what looks good on paper and what can actually be done, but more AutoCAD engineering would have been another useful skill to have.

Advice

One piece of advice for anyone planning to co-op or work here in the future is that you get out of it exactly as much as you put in. Don't be afraid to ask questions, to learn about the machines, to think of ideas. When I first started, I thought to myself that I would get so disinterested working on dishwashers 24/7. But that wasn't the case! There is so much thought and effort and technology going into this dishwashers that you can spend years here without running out of something new to learn. When I started looking at the separate components of the dishwasher, and what could be done to improve them, I got excited when something we did made the whole of the machine better.

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Engineering Co-op

January - May 2022 • Troy, OH

What I liked

I liked the freedom and responsibilities that I had with my projects. I never had anyone hovering over me constantly and was able to work on projects on my own but was still surrounded by plenty of people to ask for help if I needed it. I liked how nice and approachable everyone was that I worked with and I could always ask questions. Also, I was working on multiple different projects at once and other small day-to-day tasks; I was never stuck just doing the same single project for the entire semester. I also liked how I got to travel to multiple field sites and the company warehouse.

What I wish was different

I wish that some of my projects and task had been a little more technical. It was only my first co-op here, so I know that more technical projects come in later terms. However, I felt that anyone outside of engineering would be able to complete tasks I was assigned. I mainly ran and oversaw tests on machines or parts. I also wish that I was able to work with the other co-ops on projects. Our managers preferred us to work separately on our own projects and tasks instead of joining together and working on the same things together.

Advice

One piece of advice would be to talk to your co-workers and ask lots of questions. I learned things about the field, engineering, and business by talking to some of the full-time employees about their experiences. Some of the employees had also done co-ops at the company and other places, so they know what it is like to be where you are. Also, people who have been at the company long enough to have worked with past co-ops know what your experience will be like. They know some places where you will need help and things that would be helpful to you as a co-op who will one day be a full-time engineer.

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Engineering Co-op

August - December 2021 • Troy, OH

What I liked

I liked how they gave me the responsibility to work on lab tests by myself but also had the opportunity to work with others on tests. It was very easy to ask questions when I had any, and they would always be answered. I was also able to work in a variety of engineering fields. I even learned many new techniques on how to collect and document data

What I wish was different

I wish that I would have been able to work with other co-ops more. I think if I worked with other co-ops more I would be able to make a better bond with them and have a better chance of learning together with them.

Advice

One piece of advice is to ask any questions you may have. Someone will always have an answer for your question and you will never be ridiculed for asking a question. Everyone working at ITW-Hobart is very friendly and will always help you.

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