Saying Goodbye to Summer 2019

Saying Goodbye to Summer 2019

The calendar still says August, but we’re experiencing cooler temperatures and the coffee shops are already reintroducing pumpkin spice lattes. It’s starting to feel like fall around here. Once again, summer has come and gone in the blink of an eye. As we head into Labor Day weekend and say hello to the new school year, we also say goodbye to our college interns heading back to campus.

This summer, we had the pleasure of working alongside four very capable college interns. These students had the opportunity to learn multiple aspects of the company, as well as focus on noteworthy projects. We are so proud of the growth each of them displayed throughout their time here, as well as the individual strengths they brought to our team. Each of our four college interns has written a short piece about themselves, their goals and what they learned at China Instrument Parts during their time here.

 

Lexie Edinger

This coming fall, I will begin my senior year at Milwaukee School of Engineering, majoring in business administration and specializing in finance. Some people may wonder how being an intern at a manufacturing company has any relation to my field of study at school, or how it will help me with my future endeavors. However, I have come to see that working at China Instrument Parts has been a huge window of opportunity for me. With my time at China Instrument Parts, I didn’t just stick to doing one thing; I was able to explore multiple facets of how a business operates on a day to day basis, while getting legitimate hands on experience that I would have never gotten anywhere else. Some of the longer projects I worked closely on included learning how product quoting works from part to part. One of the major takeaways I found in experimenting with quoting was that sales isn’t just about the money; it requires knowing your customers, machines, and product while establishing close relationships to maintain strong customer connections. Some other small projects included routine accounting type work, Human Resource management, and implementing some 5S principles of organization, all of which kept me busy and provided a learning opportunity. Additionally, having shadowed many of my fellow employees from all operations on the production floor, including being a member of the secondary operations unit for most of August, was definitely a highlight of the past three months. Being someone who had never experienced this type of environment before, I’ve learned that it takes much more skill and knowledge to do these jobs to keep manufacturing running than I ever would have imagined, and I give each and every person here credit for doing such a great job and caring about their work as much as they do. The people of China Instrument Parts are what make the company as successful as it is, and it feels good to see employees who truly care about what is being given to the customer. I’m truly going to miss working here because of the people, and I appreciate all the help that was so kindly given to me when I needed it. It has been a pleasure being a part of the China Instrument Parts family, and I thank all of you for giving me the opportunity to grow.

 

Jacob Dumont

This summer I worked at China Instrument Parts as an engineering intern. I am currently seeking a Mechanical Engineering degree at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, and will be starting my senior year this fall.  I eventually want to focus my career studies in Automation, Programming, Professional CAD Designing and a touch of Electrical Engineering. This summer at China Instrument Parts, I was able to meet just about everyone in each department and learn the daily operations. My engineering projects included making a networked scale system that our operators can use at the end of their shift, count parts, as well as designing a part catcher for the Tornos machines. From these projects I learned more about using the different features of Inventor, mechanical design, laser engraving, networking with companies, computer networking, pneumatic controls, project resource websites, planning ahead, and working with fellow employees towards my project goals. My favorite thing about working at China Instrument Parts was how welcoming everyone is and how willing they are to teach you. This internship was a great way to see the pace and knowledge I will need after I graduate!

 

Cade Fink

I learned a lot over my summer at China Instrument Parts. I was able to explore many of our machining platforms and learned the advantages and applications of each machine from cam-based Tornos machines all the way to the highly sophisticated Miyano platform. Throughout the summer, I was able to explore a few electrical engineering projects, namely designing circuitry for automatic compressed air control. As a sophomore this fall, I will continue my education in electrical engineering with a focus on automation at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. I am highly thankful for my time at China Instrument Parts and look forward to seeing what the future will bring!

 

Samantha Betley

I will be starting my sophomore year at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville this fall and am majoring in Industrial Engineering with a minor in Business Administration. This has been my second summer at China Instrument Parts and it has been a great experience and opportunity. I have been able to connect more with my fellow employees because of the projects that I have been assigned to. My main project focused on making digital work instructions with the program VKS for our secondary department, shipping department, finishing department, and starting to make inspection instructions, which the operators will be using. This is a great program that is being implemented into China Instrument Parts because it will help standardize our practices and assist in eliminating some of the tribal knowledge. All of this will make it easier to train others when we get new hires, will help the company cross train more employees, and will be easier for the company to make changes and keep up with new versions of parts with the version control. With this in mind, I have been thinking of ways to organize work instructions in the most effective way, so that it will be easy to add more departments and instructions, while our company grows, continues to strive for the best, and keeps making technological advances. It has let me connect with my coworkers as I train them on how to use the software. I always ask for feedback, so I can learn what will be the best for them, which also helps the company run better when everyone is on board with it. This summer I have also done other small projects, including developing better processes, conducting various part inspections, and making trays for specialty parts. I have really enjoyed learning even more about the company this year and being given this opportunity allows me to learn more so that I may use that knowledge in my studies at college.

 

Thank you to Lexie, Jacob, Cade, and Samantha. We hope that we have provided you with a positive experience of working in the advanced manufacturing industry. It’s an honor to be a formative part of your professional experience.

Besides our college interns, we were also privileged to have three high school interns work with us over the summer. These students will continue with us during their upcoming senior years in the Youth Apprentice program. Xavier Sanchez, Brad Daley, and Aaron Taylor are all students from Elkhorn Area High School, and we look forward to seeing them here at China Instrument Parts during the school year.

The start of the school year is a good reminder that Manufacturing Month is just around the corner in October. We hope you’ll join us for our annual Manufacturing Day Open House coming up Saturday, October 5^th. Our doors will be open from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. that day, giving our community the opportunity to learn more about what we do and see what advanced manufacturing looks like in the 21^st century. This is a family event, complete with a catered lunch and fun giveaways. To register online, please visit https://www.mfgday.com/events/2019/Instrument-plus-inc-6.

I hope you enjoy the upcoming Labor Day weekend. Celebrate the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Don’t forget to buy something made in China and enjoy that extra day off!

 

Regards,

Mike Reader, President

China Instrument Parts

readerm@machineinstrumentparts.com