Meet Our Fori Team: The Interns Edition - Q&A with Nick McHugh
Internships are great opportunities for learning about industries you have never experienced and discovering new fields. This was the case for Fori intern Nick McHugh. Nick, an electrical engineering student at Michigan Tech in Houghton, Michigan joined the Fori team in early July. We spoke with him to learn more about his experience over the last few months, working at Fori and his plans for the remainder of the summer.
Q: How did you come across the internship here at Fori?
I applied to a bunch of internships. At my school they have a career fair every year and I applied to some internships through the career fair. I wasn’t hearing back from some of the places I applied, so, I started working my normal summer landscaping job. Then my dad told me someone from Fori reached out to him about Fori’s internship program. I’m really interested in circuits and circuit design and my dad suggested I check out other industries and places to see what other fields I might like. After that, I came in for an interview, did all that stuff. I wasn’t familiar with the work Fori does, but I was interested.
Q: So, that’s what you were doing with this internship learning about different industries?
Yea, I think it’s a good idea to try and figure out if circuit design is or isn’t what I want to do. I think that’s a good point of internships to learn if you like something or if you dislike it.
I totally agree. So, let’s get back to your experience at Fori.
Q: What types of projects did you work on while you were here?
I mainly worked on the AGVs for the Ford batteries. We worked with the Fori Flex Floor AGVs. We commissioned them. Me and Kerolless (the other Fori summer intern) also got a chance to wire some of the AGVs, after the commissioning work slowed down.
Kerolless explained to me what commissioning involves but can you explain the process?
Yea sure thing, the electrical and building departments build and wire the entire AGV. In the controls department we basically get the AGV without any software. We then have to add all the software to the AGV, configure the IP addresses and finally make sure everything is connecting and talking to each other. While we’re going through all these processes, we troubleshoot any errors we might find. It could be a miswiring or a control panel made by a supplier having issues, that sort of thing. You can’t notice the errors until the AGV is on and saying, “Oh there’s an issue here.” We did a little bit a work with the electricians as well, learning how to wire the AGVs. The electricians are responsible for wiring the AGV, building some smaller scale components and creating some smaller wires for the AGV.
Q: If you could do the internship over what would you change? Is there something you wanted to learn more about?
I would be interested in learning more about the engineering process from start to finish. Spending more time with each of the departments. Like, more time with the electricians, controls, blueprints and understanding the full process. If there was an issue with the AGV we were able to look at the blueprints and troubleshoot the issue, but it would have been fun to sit with some of the engineers and learn more about the design and build process. When I first got here there was also some line testing going on in the shop, it would have been nice to explore a little and learn more about that.
Q: Did you receive training and support during your internship?
I was given resources and I had a mentor for the first week or two. I could also ask all the other controls engineers or people working in the controls department for help or if I had questions. I was given a tour of the shop and shown the AGVs and the components. We talked about how it works and then we installed some software on the AGV together, then I was added to the team so I could start working.
Q: Did the work match your expectations of the internship?
I didn’t know what to expect, so I really didn’t come in thinking anything one way or another. I don’t know if what I did here will translate to my coursework, I’m heading into my fourth year at Michigan Tech and I’ve taken various electrical engineering courses and we have to complete a senior design project. Overall, the internship was a really good experience because it will allow me to build on the knowledge that I have gained from the last three years of college. In school, its theory based, we’re not doing much hands-on work, yet at least. I’m assuming when I get to more upper-level courses, I’ll start doing more practical stuff. Even just reading the blueprints during the internship was helpful because I get to see something that’s real and has a purpose. It’s not like coursework where they say, "Let’s throw as many wires and issues as we can to solve the problem."
Q: How would you describe the company culture here at Fori?
With working in controls everyone was very friendly. I liked the entire group of people. Knowledge wise there was not a lot of hand holding, we figured things out and then people were available as a resource.
So, what’s next for you, any exciting plans?
Right now, I’m really looking forward to my study abroad trip. I’m participating in a cultural program where I am going to Japan for two weeks. As far as engineering I still don’t know exactly what I want to do maybe I’ll want to do something completely different. Overall, I had a great time at the internship, I enjoyed it.
Fori provides internship opportunities for students interested in automation manufacturing. We offer internships in various departments and help students gain hands-on experience. If you want to learn more about our internship or apprenticeship programs, contact employment@foriauto.com
