This year Fori added some new faces to our intern roster and welcomed back a Fori internship pro.
Read on for our Q&A's with Ruess Rolloff discussing his first year interning with Fori and Nick McHugh who talks about his internship at Fori this time around.
Q: First things first, can you tell us your name, and which department you are interning in?
My name is Ruess Rolloff, and I am interning in the mechanical [engineering] department.
Q: What school are you attending and what is your major?
I currently attend the University of Michigan and I major in mechanical engineering.
Q: How did you come across the internship here at Fori?
I met someone at school who knew someone that works at Fori, and they set me up with an interview.
Q: What types of projects are you working on so far?
So far, I have been assisting with finishing up designs for an RGC and an AGV. In addition, I have been designing guarding for a portion of an assembly line in a factory. I also had the fun task of designing and 3D printing a business card holder modeled after an AGV.
Q: If you could do the internship again what would you change? Is there something you wanted to learn more about?
There is plenty that I would change, but that is just a part of the learning experience. I was unfamiliar with many of the processes early on which led to some simple mistakes in my work that I have since learned to fix. Although I ask plenty of questions, if I were to do it again, I would ask more questions about everything I was unsure about because it could have saved me time by going back and correcting my mistakes.
Q: Have you received training and support during your internship?
I have received plenty of support during my internship, but I do feel as though I received less than adequate training going into the internship. I was expecting a learning curve as is the case with any new job, but it was somewhat of a trial by fire the first few weeks.
Q: Does the workload match your expectations of the internship?
The workload does feel slightly heavier than average at times, but for the most part, is very manageable. The workload feeling heavier than average could potentially be attributed to not being familiar with procedures and falling behind while learning all the systems and processes.
Q: How would you describe the company culture here at Fori?
From what I have seen, I would describe the culture as friendly and relaxed. Everyone in the mechanical department seems to get along well and there are often jokes being cracked. Everyone is also quick to offer help if needed which is very appreciated.
Q: Why do you think internships are beneficial for students?
Internships are very beneficial to students because they give students actual relevant experience in their respective fields of study which goes far beyond what is learned in classes. They are also beneficial because they can help a student hone in on what field they would like to specialize in after graduation.
Q: What’s next for you, any exciting plans for the upcoming school year?
This upcoming school year is my senior year, so I plan on focusing on completing my final credits and soaking up as much information as can. I also plan on enjoying a great football season and spending lots of time with my friends before we graduate and go our separate ways.
Thanks, Ruess! We wish you continued success in the upcoming school year and wherever your career takes you.
Now let's check in with Nick McHugh who returned to Fori after completing an internship in 2022.
Q: Just to go over the basics again, what is your name, and what department are you interning in?
Nicholas McHugh, Controls Engineering Department
Q: What school are you attending and what is your major?
Q: What types of projects are you working on so far?
Automated Guided Vehicle Commissioning/Debugging for The Ford Box, Cab, and Chassis 123 AGVs.
I went to Ford RCP: Started updating AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) for the expansion, working with Pari at the plant, and cleaning up incorrect markings on the ground for RFID pucks.
Q: Have you received training and support during your internship?
Yes, any questions I have get answered. Sometimes I just have to find the right person or come to a different solution because software likes to break.
Q: Does the workload match your expectations of the internship?
Yep, the workload does match my expectations.
Q: How has this experience been, compared to your previous experience interning at Fori?
So far this year’s experience has been better than last year’s. The workload is comparable to last year for me. It was better because I know a lot of the people coming back and I got to go to Ford’s Rawsonville Plant. Going to the plant was cool because I got to see how the AGV’s are used in production. Other than that, it's essentially the same.
Q: Why do you think internships are beneficial for students?
Internships are beneficial because they provide an opportunity for students to gain experience in the field, create connections, and have a chance to learn if a certain career is something they want to do in the future.
Q: Why did you choose to come back and intern at Fori for a second year?
I came back to Fori for a second year because I enjoyed working on the AGVs and I feel like I have an amazing group of co-workers that are supportive and helpful.
Nick, we appreciate you taking the time to talk about your experience at Fori for the second year. Hopefully, we will see you again!
If you are interested in internships at Fori Automation, A Lincoln Electric Company contact our HR team at employement@foriauto.com. We are always happy to mentor and host aspiring talent.
This week as part ofNational EngineersWeekwe celebrated our makers, designers, developers, and tinkerers. Like every one of our integral teams at Fori, we wouldn't get far without our engineers and the important work they do.
When asked about their backgrounds, projects, and overall thoughts on engineering this is what some of them had to say.
"A unique part of being an engineer at Fori is the creative problem-solving used to update customer manufacturing operations. In recent operations we have been altering our designs to up-and-coming Models of EV automobiles, embarking us on a new era of automobiles and engineering. This is an exciting time with so much changing in the auto industry." - Jacob Landenberger, Mechanical Engineer
"What I love most about being an engineer at Fori Automation is the constant exposure to new projects, ideas, and technology. A recent project I was involved in here at Fori was designing a new torque tube that is mostly comprised of 3D-printed parts. I enjoyed getting to learn about additive manufacturing and seeing what role it can play in the future of automation and manufacturing. It’s rewarding to get to work for a company that is always trying to improve using the latest technology." - Jordan Zak, Mechanical Engineer
"The most exciting part of being an engineer at Fori Automation is the opportunity to work on so many unique projects. In the Sales Department, there are always new opportunities to learn, new jobs to work on, and the need of trying to come up with new ideas or ways of meeting our customer’s needs. Every day there are new applications and challenges with those applications that keep my job interesting. It is always a great feeling coming up with a new idea/concept design, proposing it to the customer, and them liking it enough to write a purchase order for Fori to complete the job." - Ryan York, Fori Automation Estimator/Process Engineer
In addition to testimonials, we were able to sit down with Cristiano Sarmento our Lead Controls R&D Engineer, and Martin Erni our Sales Director. We learned more about them, their backgrounds, and some of the projects they have worked on at Fori, providing solutions for customers through engineering.
Looking toward the future companies face many challenges, domestically and globally, and engineers will be needed to solve more and more complex problems. At Fori, we are grateful for our team of innovative engineers who consistently rise up and meet these challenges. To all young and upcoming engineers, “Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of, who do the things that no one can imagine.” - Alan Turning. Happy National Engineers Week!
Almost every organization wants employees who trust and have confidence in their employer. Nothing demonstrates that trust more than longevity. This past Friday, November 18th, we celebrated three Fori employees with who have been with the company more than several decades. Thank you to all who planned, attended and helped us celebrate these three exceptional individuals.
Calvin Visser celebrated 30 years with Fori Automation and was praised for his can-do attitude and his willingness to take risks.
Stojke Misovski who commonly goes by "Steve", a machinist and another 30-year veteran of Fori was credited with his ability to come in get the job done and his vast knowledge of the equipment. And, last but certainly not least Paul Schumann celebrated 20 years as part of the Fori team. Paul was commended on his dedication, capability and efficiency. A company is only as strong as its' workforce. We are proud to have such a solid and committed team.
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
The summer season is coming to a close and with it the end of summer break. Soon we will be saying farewell to our interns as they head back to school. Kerolless Nasseef joined the Fori team on June, 7 as an engineering intern. He is a current senior at Wayne State University in Detroit, pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering. We sat down with him to learn more about his experience working at Fori and his future career plans.
Hey Kerollees, thanks for taking some time to meet. Let’s start at the beginning.
Q: What motivated you to apply to the internship position with Fori?
Well, a lot of my colleagues in school recommended applying to an internship. I wasn’t sure of the specific field that I wanted, I was looking for controls and embedded systems with programming, those were kind of my interests. I applied to a couple internships and Fori responded right away. It’s close to my house so that helps too.
Q: Did you receive training and support during your internship?
When I started everything was well documented, as far as the processes for doing the job. A lot of it was learning the processes from the information provided and troubleshooting the systems. It was good because it forces you to understand things in a deeper way. And if I needed help with something I was able to ask one of the supervisors that are around to help us out.
Q: Can you explain what you did during your internship?
I was working on the AGVs, the smaller AGVs. Our role was to commission them. There are steps to configure the (AGV) networking to the software and the hardware configuration and then tuning the drives using separate software. There are a couple different software systems that we learned to use, to configure the scanners and magnetic sensors, since they are magnetic guided carts. Then we would take them on the track and test them. For example, we would run them for an hour make sure everything was working correctly then we would add heavy weight. I was surprised those small AGV carts can carry like a ton and a half. Once the weights were added using a crane, we run the carts for 20 hours to make sure everything works. I also got some exposure to the VMS (Vehicle Management System) which is the systems or the brains behind the AGV. I got a lot of exposure to the networking aspect of the system, which is how each piece of the system communicates with another. We also worked with WABs, which are the wireless access points. We would commission those as well. So, those are set up around the AGVs to communicate with all of them. We were given a router and we had to connect those systems to the power and ethernet cable, then connect those to a computer, then follow steps to configure the networking part of it. From there we had to set the specific IP address which allows the AGVs to communicate with the VMS. Through the VMS you can control the AGVs. We would upload ACE tables and those ACE tables are what gives the AGV commands based off a track. The track is designed then given an ACE table that can follow the magnetic sensor and then uploaded to the VMS and the VMS communicates that info to the AGVs. I got to work with a Fori employee and design a track and help create an ACE table which was cool.
Thanks for explaining that so clearly, it sounds like you learned a ton. Let’s change gears and talk about the culture within Fori.
Q:How would you describe our company culture?
I was surprised because I didn’t know what to expect. I thought I was going to be working in a much more managed environment and everyone I worked with was easy to get along with. They explained the processes and let you know what you needed to do to get the work done but no one is breathing down your neck about anything. There was a lot of hands-on experience, and I learned a lot. It was good to see what opportunities there are in this field. It helps too, to know what I should be working toward as far as what software types and what background and experience companies want.
Q:If you went through the internship process with Fori again is there anything you would change or like to learn more about?
I would like more experience with the VMS system, it seemed interesting and there weren’t a lot of opportunities to get involved with it. I think understanding the full system would have benefited me especially now after working on the AGVs in detail and the communication part of it.
Q: Do you think what you did here during your internship will translate to your coursework?
I do think what I learned will help with future coursework. I had to look at prints for the entire AGV, and you know in school you get all this work, but you don’t get to apply it to real world experience. So, seeing it in person helps with making the connection to the schoolwork. Getting exposed to the automation industry was really interesting to me. Some of the courses I have taken have been basic assembly code and I don’t think many companies program in that low level language, so it was nice to learn about the systems that are actually being used. In school they don’t really tell us what is being used in the industry, so it was good to learn. I’m interested in computer science, and it was great because the internship with Fori offered me some interaction with the CL programming language using the Siemens PLCs on the AGV systems. For controls engineers I learned I should know some programming too so that was good. I feel like programming is something that is really intriguing. I’m still trying to figure out what specific field I want to go into, but Fori gave me great exposure to what I can do with my skillset and degree in the future.
Fori provides internship opportunities for students to work in various departments and gain experience in all aspects of automation manufacturing. If you’re interested in our internship opportunities, contact employment@foriauto.com
Can you tell us about your role at Fori? I started at Fori in the mechanical engineering department. Being new to this particular position and industry, I started out as a detailer, progressed to a designer and as of recent have taken on the role of Project Engineer.
What does a typical day look like for you? A typical day consists of overseeing multiple projects. Coordinating designs directly with our customers as well as working closely internally throughout various other departments to ensure the project runs smoothly. It is a very hands on position which I really enjoy! What is your favorite part about working for Fori? For me, it is seeing a project start as a concept/idea, watching it progress through the design phase in 3d cad, then going through the manufacturing process on our floor before finally being delivered to the customer. It is a rewarding experience seeing our final product in the production environment.
What has been the most exciting/important innovation at Fori that you have witnessed? In my time at Fori, the most exciting innovations have been our AGV (automated guided vehicles) systems and technology. Each one is unique per customer request and requirements from automotive to aerospace. It really gives you a glimpse of the future of manufacturing and automation.
Describe some of your favorite projects completed at Fori or your proudest moment? My favorite projects are the ones that require creative solutions. In particular, one of my proudest moments was when we were experiencing complications on a machine in the field and I was able to identify the issue and provide a quick solution.
What advice would you give someone who is thinking about a career at Fori Automation? Fori is a fast paced environment where you can challenge yourself, innovate and advance your career.
What does true leadership mean to you? Working side by side, encouraging and inspiring others. It is providing the tools to maximize success and goals on an individual or team level. What is something most people don’t know about you? I don’t drink coffee.
What have you gained from working at Fori? I have gained many new skillsets in my time at Fori. Most notably, looking at challenges from a different perspective and thinking outside the box. No one project is the same and has its own set of challenges and roadblocks to overcome.
How do you define success? I see success as accomplishing personal goals, challenges or tasks you set out to do. If you can set your mind to something and work to your full potential to achieve that goal, then that is true success - the goal itself is subjective.
When you’re not at work, what are you most likely doing? Mountain biking or planning my next trip out west.
