GURUGRAM:
The internship started with induction at Head Office in Gurugram, where we met our fellow interns from different B-schools across the nation. As I entered the place I could see young professional dressed formally interacting with ease with the experienced ones. The atmosphere was very friendly and welcoming. After some coffee and cookies, we were back to business. We were divided in groups of five very methodically. Experts from various domains like Sales & Marketing, Operations, Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Procurement(GSS) briefed us about functioning and business strategies of Whirlpool. Each session was very enlightening in its own way. The induction day concluded with a team building activity. It was a fun event to check the thought process, ability to take decision and team work. The next day we had to depart to our respective locations.
PONDICHERRY:
I got down at Chennai airport the next day and there was a company cab ready outside, for Pondicherry. Perks of interning with an established multinational company. I travelled on the east coast road(ECR) with outstretched ocean on either side. I was excited about the next 60 days to follow. As I reached Pondy, the driver dropped me at the guesthouse, or let us say PALACE, it was a massive one. Till now everything was very fascinating and over whelming. This was the first-time Whirlpool decided to have summer trainees in Pondicherry so they made sure there was no inconvenience. They provided us (me and my fellow intern) a guesthouse for the entire two months.
The next day I reached office at 8am sharp, the security guard greeted me in tamil. I was waiting for the HR to come and introduce me to my guide and other fellow colleagues. After few generic questions about the stay and travel he asked me something which gave me a reality check. “DO YOU KNOW TAMIL?” He asked. I nodded in disapproval. His sarcastic smile made me realise that this is not going to be easy and soon I realised why. I had my meeting scheduled with the Plant Director, Hari Sir, my project guide Mr. Ramesh, Head operations and my mentor Jeevanatham, Manager Planning. The project assigned to me was ‘Value steam mapping of semi-automatic and fully-automatic assembly lines (Manufacturing Function)’. The meeting went on for an hour and a half where we discussed my project objectives and based on that I was assigned some deliverables. We had healthy interaction about the scope of my project and what areas do I need to focus on. I was asked if I had any questions. Taking this opportunity, I asked all three of them in shaky voice “Will language be a barrier?” All three of them smiled at my uncanny innocence and then Mr. Hari said, “Don’t worry young lad, you will figure it out.” That gave me some confidence.
I started my work from the very first day. The internship programme was well designed and I made my Gantt chart in sync with the designed programme and got it verified.
I was given a place right under the nose of my project guide and mentor so that I can approach them instantly. My typical day used to start with a short meeting with my mentor about the daily deliverables and used to end with a short review over a coffee. I met my project guide once each a week to discuss the process. Value stream mapping had maximum tasks where I had to walk through the assembly line and interact with workers and operators and get some insights from them. The sarcastic HR smile flashed in front of my eyes when I found myself in trouble while interacting, the operators knew only Tamil. But soon I figured out multiple options to tackle this problem. There were some people who helped me with data collection and language translation. I owe my internship to those people. I always made sure I was sticking to my Gantt chart and got everything verified at an early stage.
My internship was a bridge between theoretical concepts and practicality of application. All the operation jargons in my textbooks found some practical use in the plant and I was really enjoying it. I worked with the suppliers and warehouse people and identified the opportunities for improvement and reducing muda. The experience of my mentor and guide was the key factor for my rapid learning. I never hesitated to ask them even the silliest of doubts and they never said no to anything. We also had conflicting thoughts, but that’s how I learnt. I had my mid-review with the plant director after a month where I was appreciated for the efforts I had put in and we also discussed the roadmap for the next month. The panel members in my final review looked satisfied and that was a sign of accomplishment.
To sum it up, my internship was full of learnings and challenges. Apart from the canteen, South Indian food and language, I can’t be enough thankful and happy. I am really happy that I was the chosen one to intern in pondy, because not only professionally but these 2 months have also helped me grow as an individual. The place was a delight to roam around at weekends and late nights. I was smitten by the French culture and its blend with Tamil culture. The beaches, cafes, French pizzas and filter coffee were my companion for these two months. When I started working, in my initial days I just wanted to finish it off and come back to Mumbai, but as time passed the feeling changed. I wanted to stay more. I couldn’t have asked for a better company and a better learning experience.
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About the Author
Mahesh is currently studying in his second year of Master of Management at SJMSOM, IIT Bombay. He is passionate about cricket and is the captain of SJMSOM cricket team. He enjoys music and likes watching movies. Mahesh is also a solo traveller and enjoys spending time with nature.
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