Industrial and Systems Engineering Internship Story: Michelin

Riley Bishop

Industrial & Systems Engineering

What company did you intern with and where are they located?

Michelin North America, BFGoodrich Plant in Tuscaloosa AL

How did you identify and apply for your internship? Are there any specific resources you used to find the opportunity (i.e. Handshake, career fairs, other recruitment events)?

My recruitment story was rather interesting. I was actually attending the second day of the spring 2023 career fair when a friend of mine in Cupola grabbed me and asked if I wanted to interview with Michelin. She had interviewed with them in the past and kept in contact with them and knew they were holding interviews at the Auburn Hotel that day. I got the last interview spot they had for the day and after the career fair my friend drove me in a golf cart to the Auburn Hotel where I had my interview. 

What was the application process like?

The application process was very simple. After the interview, they told me they were sending me a formal offer for the summer. I had no application other than the paperwork I was required to fill out for the internship about my citizenship and such. 

Tell us about your internship experience. What types of tasks and projects did you engage in? Was there a particular project or part of the experience you learned the most from?

My internship experience was phenomenal, and I wholeheartedly recommend the program. I was brought in as a “Production Intern” where I was working alongside the plant's production manager. I was given many tasks throughout the summer which mostly revolved around improving the performance of one team in the plant called “The Transverse Flow (TVF) Team”. The purpose of this team was to help identify blockages in flow within the facility, perform root cause analysis of those blockages, find a solution, and then identify the next possible areas for blockages. My first assignment was to do a performance evaluation for each of the members of the TVF team. Based on those performance reviews, I was in charge of suppressing 8 of those salary positions. My next project was to redesign the meeting agenda for the TVF team so that the team could be more proactive when it came to seeing potential blockages in production. In order to execute my second task I needed to create a dashboard for this team that would display all of the relevant data/ information necessary to make decisions regarding production. I was able to work alongside the plant’s digital transformation team to create my flow dashboard. I was able to combine inventory data systems, machine statuses, and production rates in relation to the plant's Kanban to create screens for both high-level management positions and production workers. I was also asked to, over the course of my internship, identify automation opportunities within the plant. 

All 16 of us interns had the incredible opportunity to travel to Greenville, SC, where Michelin North America headquarters is located. During our week-long visit, three managers from our plant took us to four other Michelin plants, including headquarters, to facilitate networking across the company. They also organized various activities for us, such as axe throwing, brewery tours, music concerts, intern games, and numerous volunteer events in the community. 

There wasn't a specific project or part of my internship that I learned the most from because every opportunity they gave me was an opportunity to learn something new and to challenge myself. I not only gained valuable Industrial engineering experience but also honed my skills in project management and team collaboration.

In what ways did this internship help you prepare for your next destination after Auburn?

This internship gave me a clear idea of what kind of career I want to pursue following graduation. I have always had a deep love for Industrial and Systems Engineering and knew that was the field for me, but I never knew how much I would enjoy management. My ideal career is to find a role that will combine both my technical skills and managerial skills, which Michelin has offered me. My internship taught me to look not only at the work you will be doing or the pay you will be getting but the environment you will be working in and the people you will be working with. To find a company with a good culture that provides vast opportunities for growth and invests in their employees. 

In what ways did your coursework or other experiences at Auburn prepare you for your internships? Are there specific topics or skills you learned from classes that you put into practice on the job?

There were concepts/ skill sets I used every day at my job that I have learned from my curriculum at Auburn. My classes in Python, Deterministic, Manufacturing Systems, Methods of Engineering, and Simulation were particularly helpful during my internship. 

Do you have any advice for other students looking for internships like yours?

My advice to students looking for internships, no matter what kind of internship, is to really push yourself past your comfort zone. Trying new things, moving to a new place, talking to new people, and even just putting yourself out there can be scary. But, the earlier you do it the better you set yourself up for the rest of your career. Make sure in an interview that the person interviewing you gets to know more about you than your resume because at the end of the day, they won't remember everything on your resume but they will remember how you made them feel in that interview.