About the role#
This internship provides hands-on experience in an HVAC, chiller, and compressor test facility. You will work alongside engineers, technicians, laboratory planners, and operational leaders to support improvements in safety, quality, delivery, and test capacity. Under the guidance of a Continuous Improvement Engineer, you will own a defined project from initial observation through pilot implementation and final presentation.
What you'll do#
- Lead one scoped improvement project using PDCA or DMAIC methodology.
- Develop project charters, SIPOC, stakeholder maps, baselines, root-cause analysis, and countermeasure plans.
- Conduct Gemba observations, employee interviews, time studies, and process mapping.
- Analyze operational measures such as test readiness, setup, teardown, turnover, downtime, and lost test hours.
- Create Pareto charts, trends, Excel tools, dashboards, checklists, and visual controls.
- Support focused Kaizen or structured problem-solving activities.
- Pilot countermeasures, collect employee feedback, and compare before-and-after results.
- Create control and sustainment plans with named owners and review cadences.
What you'll need#
- Currently pursuing a bachelor degree in Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Technology, Quality Engineering, Operations Management, Data Analytics, or a related field.
- Sophomore, Junior, or Senior standing.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
- Ability to collect, organize, and analyze information.
- Strong problem-solving, organization, and collaboration skills.
- Ability to work safely in both an office and an active industrial laboratory environment.
- Coursework or project experience in Lean, Six Sigma, PDCA, DMAIC, statistics, or project management is preferred.
- Familiarity with tools such as SIPOC, process mapping, time studies, 5 Whys, fishbone diagrams, 5S, or visual management.
- Experience with Power BI, Power Query, Minitab, SharePoint, or Microsoft Lists is a plus.
- Previous experience in manufacturing, laboratory, maintenance, engineering, or student design teams.
Location & details#
- Location: Plymouth, Minnesota
- Employment Type: Full-time
- Modality: On-site
- Compensation: Paid position
- Note: Work visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
About Daikin Applied Americas
Daikin Applied Americas operates within the industrial machinery manufacturing sector. Based in Minneapolis, the company provides HVAC solutions, energy management systems, and facility controls. It functions as a subsidiary of Daikin Industries, which was founded in 1924. The parent organization maintains a global presence with over 96,000 employees and production sites in more than 90 locations.
How to get in at Daikin Applied Americas
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