A fresh perspective for manufacturing

I applied for the digital technology internship via Made Smarter’s website.

I was really lucky to be offered the internship opportunity, and more than happy to accept it. As well as the fact that it was in parallel with the work I was already carrying out, I was very keen to get real-life experience in the manufacturing industry. I began the role in September 2019.

During the internship, I worked on making components using CAD design. I also ran virtual simulations, and identified whether new mechanisms had worked. These were exciting tasks to be a part of!

One specific project that stood out to me was when I was put in charge of manufacturing components from moulds, including fibreglass roofs. To make these roofs bigger, we needed an extra piece for the mould. However, it was going to be expensive. Through my connections at MMU’s School of Engineering, I was able to get this CNC-machined at a significantly lower cost. I saved the business a substantial amount of money – something to be very proud of.

The internship experience was incredibly valuable simply because I had the chance to see how a manufacturing SME works from the inside. Up until the end of my master’s degree, everything had been theoretical; I’d never had the opportunity to go out on-site and see how things were run in real life.

On an actual manufacturing site, there is no room for error. Processes are very strict, and precision is key. Turnarounds were much faster than I expected as well, meaning you really couldn’t afford to risk getting something wrong. It provided invaluable insight.

Since finishing work at Lowlife Products in January 2020, I can 100% recommend that others also take a digital technology internship placement through Made Smarter. It proved to be a crucial stepping stone into employment for me. I honestly wouldn’t be where I am today without it! It really was a great thing to be part of, and I can’t praise everyone involved enough.

I think I got very lucky with my internship – Lowlife were open to trying new things. Having that level of responsibility was something I was so thankful for. There are many businesses out there that have been operating in the same one-dimensional way for a long time. Getting a technology student on board is a fantastic way to bring a fresh perspective and different skill set into your business, helping to save time and money in the long term.