Continuous Improvement - Intern / Co-op
Eaton · Pinckneyville
What you’ll do:
Why Join Eaton?
At Eaton, we make what matters work. Our commitment to operational excellence, safety, sustainability, and continuous improvement helps us improve lives and the environment. As a Continuous Improvement Intern / Co-op, you will gain hands-on experience in a manufacturing environment while supporting improvement projects connected to the Eaton Business System, Lean principles, digital transformation, and operational excellence.
Position Overview:
This position is designed to provide meaningful hands-on experience in a manufacturing environment. The selected candidate will be expected to work on-site a minimum of 20 hours per week during the academic term and collaborate directly with Continuous Improvement leaders, operations teams, and plant personnel.
- Support Continuous Improvement projects aligned with the Eaton Business System and site business priorities.
- Collect, organize, analyze, and interpret operational data to help identify trends, root causes, and improvement opportunities.
- Participate in Kaizen events, Lean activities, and Continuous Improvement workshops focused on reducing waste, improving flow, and supporting safety, quality, delivery, and productivity goals.
- Assist with development and updates to standard work, visual management tools, training aids, and process documentation.
- Support Lean tools and methods such as 5S, value stream mapping, standard work, root cause analysis, and Total Productive Maintenance.
- Assist with smart manufacturing and Industry 4.0 initiatives, which may include digital dashboards, data visualization, real-time performance monitoring, or related approved technologies.
- Partner with manufacturing, quality, engineering, EHS, maintenance, and operations teams to support process improvement activities.
- Prepare and present project updates, findings, and recommendations to site leaders and project stakeholders.
- Follow Eaton safety requirements, site procedures, and applicable policies while working in office and manufacturing areas.
Qualifications:
Basic Qualifications:
- Currently enrolled in an accredited bachelor's degree program in Industrial, Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Electrical Engineering; Operations Excellence; Continuous Improvement; or a closely related discipline.
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0.
- Must be entering junior year or higher, or have equivalent academic credit standing, at the start of the assignment.
- Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F-1 to H-1B, H-1B cap registration, O-1, E-3, TN status, I-485 job portability, etc. .
- Must reside within 50 miles of the Pinckneyville, IL facility. Relocation is not provided for this position.
- Must be available to work a minimum of 20 hours per week on-site at Eaton's Pinckneyville, IL facility during the academic term.
- Must be able to work full-time during designated school breaks, as business needs permit.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Coursework, project experience, or prior work experience related to Lean, Six Sigma, Continuous Improvement, manufacturing, quality, operations, or engineering.
- Familiarity with Lean tools such as 5S, standard work, process mapping, value stream mapping, root cause analysis, or Kaizen.
- Interest or experience in Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, data analytics, automation, IoT, dashboards, or digital manufacturing tools.
- Experience using Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and data visualization or reporting tools.
- Experience working in a manufacturing, operations, distribution, laboratory, technical, or project-based environment.
- Prior internship, co-op, student project, research project, or campus leadership experience related to engineering, manufacturing, operations, or process improvement.
Skills:
Position Criteria:
- Work safely and follow established procedures in a manufacturing environment.
- Communicate clearly and professionally with employees, peers, supervisors, and leaders.
- Work effectively as part of a team and build positive working relationships across functions.
- Organize information, manage project tasks, and follow through on assigned deliverables.
- Use data and observation to help identify issues, evaluate options, and recommend practical improvements.
- Learn new systems, tools, and processes in a hands-on environment.
- Maintain attention to detail when collecting data, preparing documentation, and reporting project results.
- Demonstrate curiosity, accountability, adaptability, and a willingness to learn.
Additional Information:
Work Environment and Physical Requirements:
This role will include work in both office and manufacturing environments. The employee may be required to:
- Stand for extended periods of time.
- Walk frequently throughout the manufacturing facility.
- Work in a manufacturing environment that may not be air conditioned.
- Wear required personal protective equipment as designated by the site.
- Occasionally lift, carry, push, or pull up to 50 pounds, with or without assistance, mechanical support, or reasonable accommodation.
- Work near manufacturing equipment, production areas, materials, tools, and normal plant noise levels.
- Follow all Eaton safety rules, Life Saving Rules, and site-specific procedures.
What You'll Gain:
- Practical experience in a global manufacturing environment.
- Exposure to Eaton Business System practices and Continuous Improvement methods.
- Hands-on project experience supporting safety, quality, delivery, productivity, and digital transformation initiatives.
- Opportunities to work with cross-functional teams and site leadership.
- Development through meaningful work, coaching, feedback, and project report-outs.
- Experience that can support future career growth in engineering, operations, manufacturing, quality, Continuous Improvement, or related fields.
Assignment Duration:
12-month, temporary assignment. Final duration and schedule to be confirmed based on business needs and school program requirements.
Schedule Requirement:
Minimum of 20 hours per week of on-site work during the academic term; up to 40 hours per week during summer, winter, and other academic breaks, as business needs permit.