Name:Abhishek Dhaktod

Internship, Co-op or Research Site:Knorr Brake Company

Position Title: Project Management Intern

Major(s)/Minor(s):Engineering Management

Work Term:Summer 2018

Tell us about your internship, co-op, or research opportunity, including your day-to-day responsibilities.

Knorr Brake Company (KBC) is a part of the Knorr Bremse Family located in Munich, Germany. Located in Westminster, Maryland, KBC is a manufacturer of Braking, Door, and HVAC systems for the Mass Transit Rail Industry. As a project management intern for the Rail Services - Brake Division, I work on multiple projects all across the North America supporting Project Manager and their activities such as updating current database such as Bill of Materials, scheduling, procurement and supply chain activities. Currently I am working on a localization process in which I will be responsible of developing an action plan for the Knorr Brake Company to support projects that come under FTA/FRA "Make in USA" regulations. Since the project involves multiple departments and their internal processes, from the base level manufacturing processes, supplier quality assessment to upper level long term planning, I am getting the maximum exposure an Intern would expect.   

Describe the process of obtaining your position. When did you hear of the position and submit your application?

I heard about the position in November 2017 during a career fair organized by UMBC Career Center. I met the HR representatives and since then I was taken regular follow-ups  on the position requirements and status. The career center helped me design a resume specific to the positional requirements since the HR representative clearly told me that my resume was good for almost all available position but, it she was not able to point me in a particular direction. Finally I got an interview call in mid May which and a few weeks later I got a confirmation call.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization?

Project Management is a domain which will help you get maximum exposure in a company. A project manager here at KBC is responsible from the earliest contract stage of a project till the closure or warranty phase. After years of experience, a project manager develops multiple skills like marketing, negotiating, scheduling, managing budgets and customer relationship which is what I am looking forward to in near future.

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

Project Managers usually handle multiple projects and they have huge responsibilities on them. These projects are worth millions of dollars and when an intern helps him/her in accomplishing a task at a faster rate, I believe it is a significant contribution towards the organization.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

The subjects we choose and previous experiences/projects and activities can definitely help someone land an internship like this.

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