Penning down my internship experience feels like an adrenaline rush, bringing back the memories of what I suppose was the most intense learning experience of my MBA graph so far. In my engineering days, I had missed the opportunity of sitting for the campus recruitment of Cummins India since I was already placed. So, when I bagged the summer internship at the same company after five years, I was amused at the games destiny plays with us.
I had heard a lot about how amazing (actually uber cool) the Cummins India Office Campus at Pune (fondly referred to as IOC) is and I was really excited about my stint there, only to get the offer letter stating my project location is likely to be in Phaltan, the location where the Megasite of Cummins is coming up. Although stupefied initially, I came to terms with it and was mentally preparing myself for the same. However, the overpowering feeling was that of anticipation of what would be expected of me, whether I would be able to deliver something meaty or would I end up being one of those interns who comes back with just a "global" ppt.
For the first two days, an induction programme was scheduled for all the interns, 74 of us I realised, at IOC.And my God what a campus it is! We interacted with a lot of leaders from different fields like HR, Operations, safety etc and also a few alums addressed the batch. I came to know Cummins follows a strict No Sir, No Ma'am" culture, a collaborative workspace. We were also given free meal coupons to enjoy the delicacies from the huge canteen in between the induction lectures. And this was not even the best part. For those who know Pune, Balewadi High Street, which happens to be the ground floor of IOC, is the coolest place to hangout in that part of the city. It houses some of the best restaurants in town all under one roof!
On the second day of my internship, I was allocated to Cummins Emissions Solution department under the Components business unit. I had two more interns along with me.What had started as nervous interaction (souls in the same soup) turned out to be the most precious friendship within the course of the two months!
We met our line HR and she gave me the best surprise in a really long time as she said that since the full production of CES has not yet started at Megasite, I will be required to stay Pune, and occasionally visit Phaltan.Which meant I will get to experience the best of both worlds!
The initial two days aft the induction was all about knowing the product.I was also taken to the Pirangut plant from where presently the production was taking place. During this course, I also realised that of the numerous BUs and their departments, CES was the department which was presently under the limelight as Bharat Stage 4 became a mandate and hence emission norms became strictor, and CES was all about the after-treatment system. So in a way I was really lucky.But it also meant that there was a production ramp up and that everyone would be busy in it , meaning little time to spare for a poor intern.
Soon my project sponsor allocated me my project, and apparently, it was the most urgently required project of the department and it was the shifting of the operations from Pirangut plant to the Megasite plant. Initially I couldn't even fathom the dimensions of the project, because if it really meant shifting of an entire plant, I couldn't gauge how on earth it was possible in the eight weeks’ period and that too when everyone was busy in the production ramp up. But impossible is nothing if you have perseverance and Cummins was about to teach me that.
I was happy to have two more interns in the same department who shared the same anxiety like me, and we discovered gradually that every intern was in a similar mental state. Short chats at the social hub to relieve stress and occasional hangout at the Highstreet developed a bond that I would cherish forever.We also tried to help each other with our projects through discussions.
I was clarified about the project charter initially and I started collecting data and interacting with people. My project required me to talk with suppliers, OEMs, Operations team of both the plants, HR department, Quality team etc.
Gradually things started to get clearer as I started gathering inputs from all people I and I could objectify what was expected of me.I was required to visit the Pirangut facility every other day for collecting data. I actually started to enjoy the visits and developed a strong bonding with the team because of them.
Soon it was time for the mid review and I got even better guidance from our Department Head. I also visited the Megasite plant and people there were really sweet as they helped me achieve some pf my deliverables in a very short period of time with very limited resource. I never felt that unnecessary bureaucracy was creeping in between me and my work. Also, the plant is a world-class one, very well designed and absolutely spic and span.
I was lucky to be amongst a team who emphasised on my learnings more than my deliverables. Most importantly every bit of help they extended despite their busy schedule helped me materialise my project.
Due to some of the things I implemented at Megasite a portion of operations started operating from there. Now I had to concentrate on asset transfer and an important machine was chosen as a pilot project. I somehow managed to transfer it from Pirangut to Megasite as well as install it in a lead time of 1 day, and I also managed to implement some of the operations tool while doing so. This achievement suddenly caught everyone's attention and because of the interactions during the asset transfer, most people in operations got to know me. I was highly appreciated by my sponsor for achieving the 1 day lead time.Most importantly, child parts became easily available at Megasite (previously transported from Pirangut) which ramped up the production there.
I also interacted with the HR leader quite a bit for training gap identification and it was an enriching experience.
In no time, the dates for the final review was here and the department head was really impressed with how I implemented management tools in my project. I couldn't believe my ears when I received applauses at the end of my presentation.
Over the two months Pune had become a way of my life, a new routine to which I had got used to. When I was about to leave it, I felt the time passed way too soon. The vibe of the city grew on me in a very short time. It is a city which is built on traditions but very young at heart. Moreover, the foody in me can’t help but mention about the innumerous food joints the city provides!
I would like to conclude by saying that the internship is that stint in the MBA life which should be utilised to the fullest, not only for knowledge & experience but also for loads of fun. It may break you initially, but only to make you achieve something you initially believed to be impossible!