Walker Products Internship (Summer 2022)

Worked as an intern at Walker Products Palmetto Office. I was their first intern and was allowed a wide variety of freedoms in terms of project development and exploration.
Walker Products functions as manufacturers for OEM parts such as ignition wire sets, O2 sensors, coil-on-plug boots. The Palmetto office specifically would receive various components and then assemble them in the back of the house for assembly and then get sent to the other distribution hubs across the United States.

The dynamics of the plant were quite interesting, as the back of the house assembly workers who spoke primarily spanish.

As a result, I was given leadership over various projects during this time period.

High Voltage Heating Equipment System

During my summer 2022 internship at Walker Products in Palmetto, Florida, I played a key role in a crucial transition period for the plant. The goal was to adapt our production processes to accommodate high-performance components, similar to those used by Summit Racing. One of the significant challenges was integrating a new procedure to add a heated rubber sleeve to the boot joint of assemblies quickly and efficiently.

To tackle this, I developed and led a Spanish/English training workshop for around 30 assembly technicians. These technicians were traditionally resistant to change, but my approach was to first understand their perspective. By spending time listening and engaging with them, I helped ease the transition to the new method. The workshop focused on the practical application of this new technique, ensuring that the technicians could adapt to the new process without significantly disrupting production flow.

The result was a successful implementation of the new procedure, which not only accelerated the production process but also enhanced the quality and range of products we could handle. This experience was pivotal in understanding how critical clear communication and empathy are in implementing technical changes in a manufacturing environment. My contribution not only led to a more efficient production line but also helped foster a more adaptable and innovative workplace culture.

The design iterations could be seen below.

Figure 1: Testing it on the ring stand

In the assembly of various components, misprints will occur on the wires but it cannot be tossed out. various technicians would have to spend their additional time working with chemicals that were near lab-grade intensity in order to remove the paint thinner. Despite wearing PPE, issues were likely to build up over time due to exposure.

The challenge was to find a better way to clean parts in the manufacturing process. The existing method used chemicals that were harmful and potentially carcinogenic, which was a big concern for everyone's health. My task was to come up with a cleaning process that would be safer for my colleagues and also more cost-effective for the company.

I looked into different cleaning methods and materials, aiming to reduce the use of harmful chemicals. After some research and testing, I came our final implementation, which was done by adapting a jeweler’s electric polisher and testing it out in comparison with a few of the standard brushes. The testing for this composed of spending roughly 4 days testing the paint-stripping ability with an access to a roll of mis-printed wires in the back of the assembly floor with a variety of different brushes and solvents to test it out. We eventually go to our desired goal of reducing exposure for the workers, but also increased production speed by 50%.

This was a big win for us because it meant we could get more work done in less time and with fewer expenses on cleaning materials. The success of this project showed how a few changes can make a big difference in safety and efficiency. It was a great learning experience for me, especially in seeing how safety improvements can also lead to better productivity and cost savings.

Figure 4: Testing bay in the back of the assembly floor where I tested the various brushes.