Supplier Technical Engineer Intern

Job Description

Supplier Technical Engineer Intern | Caterpillar Inc.

The Tone:
This is an onsite internship at Caterpillar Inc. The company builds a better world by creating stronger, more sustainable communities through its work as makers, problem solvers, and future world builders. This role is crucial for ensuring the quality of purchased parts, managing them from initial concept through their entire product life cycle, and acting as a vital liaison between internal teams and external suppliers.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Full-time
• Pay: $26–$43 hourly
• Team: Reports to the supply chain manager and/or the site sourcing manager.
• Mission: Owns technical accountability for assigned purchase parts from initial concept through product life cycle, including all aspects of quality management.
• Tech Stack: Windchill, BAAN ERP, Q Notes, 6 Sigma tools, SARN, RN, CPPD, NPI, CPI, FMEA, PPAP, FAPITP

What You’ll Actually Do
• Lead: Drive the resolution of quality problems and engineering issues associated with purchased materials, initiating root cause analysis and implementing corrective and preventative action plans for Supplier Advanced Reject Notices (SARN) and Reject Notices (RN).
• Coordinate: Act as a technical liaison between external suppliers and various internal customers, including operations leadership, engineering, and new product introduction teams, often through supplier site visits.
• Develop: Manage technical aspects from concept drawing and design review through Windchill activities and BAAN ERP functions, including tooling management, and participate in design and process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA).
• Evaluate: Contribute to the development of supplier quality metrics, analyze performance data and trends, and provide technical input into the supplier selection process, qualification, and ongoing evaluation.
• Implement: Lead the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP), develop the First Article Production Inspection Test Plan (FAPITP), and coordinate with engineering teams on Concurrent Product and Process Development (CPPD) and New Product Introduction (NPI) to prove designs to production and achieve cost reduction goals.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Candidate pursuing or recently graduated with an undergraduate degree, preferably in engineering or manufacturing, with a minimum GPA of 2.8 on a 4.0 scale.
• Experience: Familiarity with manufacturing processes used to produce components and assemblies, knowledge of shop operations, engineering practices (including drawing interpretation, tooling concepts, Non-Destructive Testing, and Functional Test), and technical product knowledge, including metallurgy.
• Skills: Strong analytical problem-solving skills, proficiency in statistical and problem-solving tools, effective written and verbal communication, and well-developed interpersonal skills for consensus-building and handling sensitive issues.
• Bonus: Familiarity with 6 Sigma methodology, project management, Design of Experiment (DOE), quality management principles, and Lean Manufacturing principles.