Category: Carsten

As this internship comes to an end, I can’t help but feeling nostalgic. There has been so many experiences that I cherish greatly and will never forget. I do wish I got more time in Ho Chi Minh chi city, but time is a relatively finite resource and I have to spend time with family before going back for my last year in Gainesville.

As for my internship experience, I think I have learned more these two months then I would have if I spent a whole year in school. Taking responsibility for your actions and trying to create quality products for my company was always a top priority and required us to perform at the level of an employee. Hence we were given the same work tasks as well as a lot of trust by our boss and coworkers. At the end of the internship the relationship established felt less like an internship and more like I was leaving a position to further improve my career. The value I think both of us added to the company was substantial, but the workers definitely gave us more in terms of experience and a feeling of how it is and should be like in a good work environment. The only thing I feel like I could have done better is to try to use my boss to further expand my network. He was gone for quite a while during the internship so I was not able to fully communicate with him. He was however a great mentor and I cannot express how grateful I am to have had him as my boss.

For me, the most important thing I got from this experience is that I now know what I would like to pursue a master’s degree in. Design seems like a fun aspect of engineering where you are able to express yourself creativity whilst maintaining a solid theoretical foundation. Being able to create new items and solve engineering tasks were some of the most fun aspects of my job. It is almost like you are solving a difficult and complicated math problem which involves a whole lot of factors and preferences. If you are able to do it neatly you are rewarded with customer satisfaction, and if you are not you are still able to learn from that experience to further improve yourself.

Below is a picture of the last product we designed before leaving – an origami-like bench

I would definitely say that my internship with Tau Manufacturing has been a learning experience. Coming in there was no telling what I would do or learn but now that I am at the end of the road there is plenty of experiences I would not mind taking up in a future interview. One thing in particular that I am proud of is the project I am currently working on. Let me first explain the concept of what I am trying to achieve: In order to have a sustainable way of measuring performance in the workplace, my boss wants a method of paying his workers for the products manufactured rather than the hours worked. This will not only make it easier for him to judge his employees fairly, but also for them to increase salary based off performance. The issue is that the metric needs to be fairly adjusted to take into account the time difference between making certain parts. To do this our director makes the manufacturing plant responsible for inputting each part made per day per worker as well as the hours worked. This is present in a Microsoft Access database which can be exported into Microsoft Excel. My job is to take the data and make a metric based off the previously experienced productivity. What makes this difficult is the fact that we make specialized planters. There are many things to consider like the size of the mold, if the part has any supports or holes in it as well as the complexity of the shape. For now, I am working on the smaller parts and hopefully I will be able to generate a fair metric by the end of my stay. As I am right in the middle of the action right now it is difficult to reflect on the experience I have learned from it, but I would definitely say my Microsoft Excel skills have improved. Then again it is a lot of work so it has not come for free.

Life definitely flows differently in HCMC compared to western countries. I have only lived and studied in these so an Asian country feels very different. Being here for two months has exposed me to many different situations but I also feel like I was not able to fully immerse myself in the culture due to my appearance. This is completely fine and everyone has been extremely friendly and welcoming so I cannot complain. There definitely is a fluidity in this country I have not found anywhere else. Dealing with it and adapting to it has been a process, but now that I am about to leave I feel like I have a greater understanding of the inner workings of the Vietnamese society.

The planter industry is a relatively small one, with not too many competitors. However, there is also a definite limited demand. Finding customers is one of the troubles we find constantly and maintaining said customers is a top priority in order to expand our business. I think there are a lot of industries that are like this. For example, the aviation industry has a couple of very large companies which are able to produce products to the largest manufacturers. Coming up in both the planter industry and the aviation industry is a struggle which requires years of dedicated effort into networking and quality assurance. This also puts a lot of pressure on us as interns to perform and improve the already in place system. Consequently our boss gives us many tasks outside of normal work to try to improve processes and general optimization.

Tau Manufacturing definitely has strengths as well as weaknesses. Strengths comes in the form of being very adaptable to situations and effectively communicate with companies to try to make it as easy as possible. The workplace as well is very rewarding in the sense that people try to teach you instead of ridicule you for mistakes. Negative sides tie in with the positive due to the chaotic nature of the company. It really is what you put into it that you get out of it. Me and Brandon have dedicated much time during and after work to try to improve our skills to consequently be confident in our decision-making. The learning experience has definitely been a hard one, but now that we are approaching the end of an internship I feel like I could talk for hours about the things I have learnt.

One of the more amazing experiences I have had in HCMC is when I discovered a new favourite dish of mine and how easily accessible it was. Food has always been a huge part of my life and finding things that I connect with gastronomically makes me feel safe in a foreign environment. I have definitely had it in other places as well, and although there are different aspects to comfort, food is a huge one for me. This experience has been amazing in so many ways and I am extremely happy I went.

I think for me the most challenging thing about this internship experience is the fact that our actions have direct consequences for the company we are working for. If we do something wrong and send a customer something unfinished or wrong, we put the company in a bad light plus running the risk of losing the customer. Although Tau Manufacturing is a relatively small company, there are large orders all the time which take weeks to complete. Say one thing is wrong about the design, all the models must be delivered with a flaw or remade. Currently, me and Brandon have been working on a system for packing pallets into containers and the stacking conditions. It’s a very interesting project because it has already been put into use. Two customers have asked for palletizing reports, and from the calculations we made, we were able to give them the numbers they needed.

With this said, not only is the responsibility given to us terrifying, but it’s such a good opportunity to learn to double check everything and to take a role as an initiator. I kind of knew about having to take my own initiatives in smaller companies, but I never knew it would be this rewarding and direct. Maybe I just felt like the initiative part was more a part of your personality, rather than a standard to the job you are undertaking.

My favorite food comes from a small Vietnamese place 8km away from my work. My coworker suggested it to me with the description of rice noodles and pork. It comes in a small styrofoam box and contains a handful of rice noodles, a couple of pieces of marinated beef, pickled carrots and a spring roll. I usually order two extra spring rolls because I find their taste so good. It is the perfect lunch which fills me up more than anything else I have eaten here. It is also relatively cheap. Since it is 8km away, the price of the transportation is almost the same as of the dish. In total it comes to around 80k, with two additional spring rolls. The only downside to it is the delivery time, which takes all in all around 1 ½ hours. It is however well worth both the wait and the price.

The interesting thing about Tau Manufacturing is that there is a constant flow of customers, designs and challenges constantly requesting attention. There is no set program for what a day looks like which is equally exciting and stressful. One day we could be converting AutoCAD pictures into SOLIDWORKS, whilst others we are fully brainstorming ideas about what we could do to improve the techniques used by the company. I would not say I have a set status on my current work projects but rather a constant flow of tasks. One example of this is a hanging wall project we are cooperating with a Singaporean company on. The idea is to attach fiberglass planters onto a metal frame made with rectangular tubing. In order to do this, we have found a separate metal manufacturer we think would do a good job and are currently in the process of getting a quote on the designed frame. This is just one of the many tasks we are undergoing every week. I would love to talk about everything we have done but I honestly do not believe there would be enough time or space for me to write it in this journal.

With regards to my relationship with my coworkers, it is great. My boss is one of the most motivated people I have ever met which is a driving force within the company for everyone to want to do good in their job. We also have a Vietnamese person working in the office which gives both me and Brandon tips for where to go during our free time or lunch. Up until now we have explored several different recommendations, and he has not been wrong with how good they taste yet.

I value the experience Ho Chi Minh has given me. The opportunity to explore my occupation in such an environment makes me consider what I really want in the future as well as where. Travelling to other countries has always been a huge part of my life and I think being able to explore is something I would like to continue to do in the future. Wherever that vision takes me we will just have to wait and see.

The name of my supervisor is Jason Smith. He is currently the director and CEO of Tau Manufacturing for about four years running. He handles most departments and has a say in anything that is done within the company. His schedule is quite full as he must keep everything running smoothly whilst still trying to optimize processes within the company. I have a deep respect for what he does and what he can teach us as interns. There is always something new every day which he tries to involve us in and share his own experiences. Whenever we have questions, he is quick to answer in a way that he thinks we will understand. There is also a common feeling of respect between us as interns and him as CEO.

My work life starts off at 9:00 AM at the office. Since me and Brandon are usually the first ones in the office, we brew a large French press of coffee which we sip on for the first half an hour. Most workers do not come into the office until later due to the external responsibilities the business needs or because they worked overtime the day before. This gives us more time to plan our day and what we want to accomplish. Hence when I am drinking my coffee, I usually write a list of what I want to accomplish during the day in my notebook, which I tick off as I go along. Our projects involve customers from all over the world. Just recently we have been tasked with communicating directly with a Singaporean customer wanting a hanging wall mechanism. This has been exciting due to us having a direct impact onto the product which will be made. Jason overlooks what we do and has a final say, but all the work in between is up to us and the customer. These kind of experiences makes me glad I was placed in Tau Manufacturing.

As for an interesting experience I have had I would say the food poisoning I had last week surprised me. I have never had food poisoning before, so it was a very weird experience. There was little motivation to do anything and my body felt completely drained for energy. Together with the puking, not a very comfortable experience. In addition to this, I unfortunately missed work that day which led me to not feeling like I contributed much in what was done that day.

This summer internship placement was in a manufacturing company specializing in planters for international businesses called Tau Manufacturing. Primarily the product is composed of either fiberglass or cement, however we are working with metal suppliers to try to implement into our product as well. My work consists primarily of communicating with potential and current customers about design ideas or any questions they might have. Additionally, I have been tasked with trying to optimize the manufacturing- and working procedure. My tasks leave me with an exciting taste to what life as an engineer really is like.

The first couple of days here has been hectic due to the compilation of information the company has accumulated over the years. There are different planter sizes, strength of materials, layers, planter components as well as two extensive databases providing data about the employees, planter models and materials used. The first day we went over one database which all in all took around six hours to complete. I was not able to remember everything we went over and find myself constantly asking my boss about functions of the database. With this said, it is extremely exciting that a relatively small company has such an extensive overview over its processes. It also makes my task of optimization have relevance and potential to grow exponentially.

Workers at Tau manufacturing are extensively varied when it comes to experience since there is a manufacturing component. The factory contains primarily workers without further education, but skilled in their craft. You can think of the company like two parts of the body, the factory is the muscles, doing most of the work and getting the planters ready for customers. Where I work is primarily composed of organizing the muscles to do, so much like a brain. We have however commuted two the factory twice in the last four days, so we have gotten a thorough introduction to what the company is up to, but our main task is to design and communicate. The working culture of the company is what I think of as ideal. There is effective communication between the members and if there is any need for help at any time, our coworkers are ready to answer in a respectful manner. In total the company is composed of around 30 workers, with around 5 in the office we are located. It gives me almost a start-up feeling to it due to the free-flowing nature of the company, however I have gotten to know the vastness of information and experience the company really holds through these last couple of days. I am definitely happy where I have been placed and I am looking forward to my time being here.

This first week has been composed of multiple cultural experiences throughout South-Vietnam. Although every encounter with Vietnamese culture was interesting and unique, I would like to tell the story of the Cái Răng floating market. It is a market only accessible by boat with street vendors floating from customer to customer. Starting at a relatively early time, we were up and ready at 6:30 before taking a boat up the river to access it. The first picture below shows one of the selling boats that attached itself to ours. This one sold fruit, but there were plenty other who sold coffee, pineapples, mangos as well as other delicacies To me, the experience showed off the variety there is to be found within this country. There are not many places in the world there exists a floating market with such delicious food for a low price. The encounter is one I will remember and hopefully try to revisit in the future.

My impression of Vietnam thus far has been wonderful. Since our group was initially supposed to go Shenzhen in China but relocated to Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam, I came into the experience not knowing much about the culture or place. Nothing could have prepared me for the extraordinary country that is Vietnam. Let me start with the food. Although you have to watch out for certain types of street food, the combination of flavors found in Vietnam is like no other. You can buy a rice paper filled with a variety of ingredients, toasted and folded, for 10 000 Vietnamese Dong. For reference, this is equivalent to around half a dollar. The taste that you get for such a low price is something I have not found anywhere else in the world, Another thing you notice when you walk around the country is the attitude of the people around you. Everyone is extremely welcoming and happy to help. It should be said that there is a language barrier in comparison to other countries. English is not well-known, but through hand gestures and mimicking you usually get the answer you are looking for.

As for what the next two months look like, I have no idea. I would love to explore the culture more through food and events which hopefully I will be able to do. The topic of the Vietnam war would also be very interesting to hear about from a Vietnamese perspective. Although we went to the war museum the first week, a discussion with a native about the thoughts surrounding it would be extremely interesting. Other than that, I am first and foremost excited for what the future holds and what Vietnam has in store for me.