Category: Hasina

Interning this summer has been a great experience. I have learned many aspects of the company ABB and worked on a few projects. Given the allotted time for this internship, I feel that I was a good intern. Much of the training for the design program was hastened in the beginning of the internship so that we can start working on projects. Because of this, I often had to ask for help from coworkers and my supervisor to understand how to go about programming and designing simulations. One project went unfinished, yet I would say I was a good intern due to the effort put into each project. I was deeply engaged in my work and displayed an interest in the company. I also tried to get to know everyone on the robotics team. The team has a tradition of having dinner once a month, hosted at one person’s home; I attended the dinner for June and briefly attended the dinner in July. It was an incredible experience to meeting the families and be welcomed into their culture.

Overall, this summer has been eye opening. I have grown both professionally and personally. Engineering in southeast Asian is the same as engineering anywhere. A few weeks ago, I attended an engineering convention with my co-workers in which companies from many parts of the region gather to show off their new products and devices. I also spoke with people of the partner companies of ABB. I had a very good time speaking with each of them and gaining perspective of how companies operate in different countries. I am definitely opening to global relocation for my future career.

I strongly recommend an internship abroad for future students. Being in the workplace of a developing country has allowed me to see the company goals to better the city and the engineering industry. If I were to study abroad, I would spend more time studying a book rather than the people that make this country what it is. I have made great friends along the way and I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. Vietnam you will be missed!

This summer has been an incredible journey. My internship has taught me more than I had expected to learn, and it has allowed me to network with many different people. The best moment of it was attending the customer site visit, that I have previously mentioned in another post. The customer was a steel frame manufacturer whom had purchased two ABB robots to automate their welding process. The site was a factory setting in which hundreds of men, with the exception of about three women, worked on fabricating the steel frames and configuring the robots. I walked in with the ABB robotics team, dressed in the company hard hat and coat. Despite the unformed ensemble, I was easily noticed which is no surprise to me; after several weeks of living in Vietnam, I am used to people staring at me due to my strikingly different skin tone. However, in this instance it was due to me being a woman in engineering and an intern at a well respected company. It was a weird place to be in, but I consider this the best moment of my internship because it threw me out of my comfort zone. As I shadowed my co-workers during the configuration of the robots, I spoke with a few of the people of the customer company about the robots and about my interest in engineering. I felt as though I was proving why I was there, because most of the women in their workplace are janitors. This experience allowed me to gain a greater perspective of working as a woman in a male dominated field.

Overall, I have accomplished a few of my professional goals while interning this summer. I have designed and developed a tool to assist with customer request, and I have strengthened my communication skills. Working in HCMC has changed my perspective on life. Many people  I have encountered here are content in their daily lives and find happiness in the small things. I was once focused on finding a good paying job, and was convinced that it should be in America  and happiness would follow. I look forward to finding a future job that mirrors the calm environment of ABB and the cheerful spirit of Vietnam.

My internship with ABB has been in the robotics & discrete automation industry. I have learned many things about this industry such as the customer service, design projects, and troubleshooting. ABB is partnered with several companies who create the tools that are used in unison with our robots to automate different processes. Therefore, customer service involves multiple parties. For example, in preparation for the customer site visit mentioned in earlier posts, we first went through several meetings with our partner Fronius. A representative from the Thailand office of Fronius came to our HCMC office to train the robotics team on the operations of their tools. The meeting was hosted in English, so I was able to sit in. The Fronius rep first went through over the many types of welding, then went in detail over the tool functionality, and ended with how to attach their tools to ABB robots and program the system. In that meeting, I observed a mutual respect between both companies as they learned more about each other. Following the training meetings, the Fronius rep accompanied us on the customer site visit to program two prior installations. The companies worked together to explain the two robot welding systems for the customer who wished to automate his traditional welding jobs. From this, I learned that the group projects done in college don’t end in college; more often than not, there are three parties involved in a business operation. Especially in a company such as ABB who develops multifunctional robots.

I have also learned about the design projects in the robot industry. A customer will request a design to automate a system in which the engineer needs to design the tool and the system layout. I had the opportunity to shadow a co-worker’s project and develop my own solution to a project he was tasked with. Working with the other UF intern, I designed a gripper tool to pick and place the given workpiece in several CNC machines. After designing the tool, we had to design the pathway for the robot to move the workpiece through the system. The design project was more about organizing a robotic system than innovating a new product as it is in other industries. The only newly created product was the gripper tool designed to fit the workpiece. Other than than, we used robot studio to format the system to meet the customer needs. However, sometimes the customer is not pleased with the system output and an ABB service engineer will have to troubleshoot the system. One of my co-workers explained to me that sometimes the computer model operates with a smaller margin of error than the physical system. That was the case for the Flex Picker robot that he was trouble shooting to decrease the margin of error by one percent to satisfy the customer. I would in awe that one percentage angered the customer as much as it did.

ABB is truly a learning environment. From what I can observe in the R&D department, the company strengthens include teamwork, innovation, and communication. It is a safe place to express ideas and concerns and there is clear communication between partners and customers. I didn’t observe many weaknesses in my short time there other than the quiet work environment. People seldom speak to each other during the day, although that may also be a strength because everyone is focused on the task at hand. ABB also provides opportunity for growth. Traditional interns go through a rotational program through the Vietnam locations and the surrounding countries. At the end of the intern program they can choose a permanent location. Your position, however, is not permanent and there is room for growth within the company. Because ABB is a global company with five areas of business, there are not many threats. Their robot uses are virtually unlimited.

Outside of work, HCMC has been treating me well. I have been exploring different districts and towns, such as little Japan, with the other UF students. Vietnam doesn’t cease to amaze me.

One month in Vietnam and I have gained serious skills in deciphering broken  English. I am challenged everyday by my ability to understand my boss and co-workers. Communication is key in any successful internship which makes this one especially challenging. Last week my boss gave me a project and told me what he expected me to do. He said to design a gripper to be attached to the IRB 6700 robot that can pick and place the workpiece in and out of CNC machines. I understood the task, but I had many questions about the details; is there a specific orientation the workpiece needs to be placed in? a size requirement? a two or three finger gripper? He answered all of the above in a heavy Vietnamese accent. The language barrier forces me to do more background research on any task that I am given for a better understanding of it. After one month of doing so, I have learned more about the company services. 

The best feature of my internship is learning of the customer service side. I was able to sit in on a meeting with our partner company, Fronius. Fronius is a global company that consists of welding technology, photovoltaics and battery charging technology. ABB utilizes the Fronius welding tools with their robots to automate the welding process. The Fronius representative was from the Thailand office, therefore the meeting was conducted in English. The variations of welding and tool components were explicitly explained. I was able understand a majority if the topics discussed. Following the training meeting, I attended a customer site visit at a large factory just outside on HCMC. The customer is a steel beam manufacture that heavily relies on welding to create their product. Many of their jobs are human operated, which I find to be very inefficient. With a welding robot, the steel beams could be manufactured, and mass produced faster. However, there are some benefits to human operations, such as the free motion and rotation of a hand on a welding gun. The customer expressed their needs and how they wanted the robot to perform in comparison to the hand welding they have always relied on. The Fronius engineer and the ABB robotics team worked together to troubleshoot the system. They were patient and thoroughly explained each component to the customer, while sometimes explaining things to each other. Observing the customer service and the customer’s transition to automation was fascinating.

On another note, I have tried many interesting foods in Vietnam. My favorite dish is called Cơm tấm, which translates to “broken rice”. It is a mouthwatering plate of a grilled pork chop, loose rice grains, a fried egg and a side of veggies. Best eaten with a fork and a spoon! I highly recommend.

Interning in with ABB has been an interesting learning experience. In the last four weeks, I hope to gain more hands-on experience and learn more about each engineering role in my department. Thus far, the projects that I have worked on have been focused on design using the company’s RobotStudio software. Currently, I am working on designing a gripper attachment for a robot to pick and place an object for a customer. The project is a subset of a customer order; the other intern and I will be mirroring the work of the engineers tasked with this customer order. My supervisor informed us that he will show the customer our work after completion to gain real feedback. We will also be visiting a customer site and see the factory settings in which ABB robots are often used. I am eager to observe the customer service end of the engineering projects.

                I have gotten to know a few of my coworkers over the summer. One in particular I am close with is Duc, also known as Peter, whom has trained us throughout the summer. He is a young and patient electrical engineer who speaks English fairly well. As he teaches me the ins and outs of the company, I help him strengthen his English with reading and speaking. I have also gotten to know my boss and supervisor over lunch. During they workday, I don’t engage with them often, but I manage to discuss work, school, and my weekend adventures over lunch. My other co-workers do not speak English very well and therefore our conversations are always short.

                Overall, living and working in HCMC has been incredible. One thing I have learned is that the world is small despite the distance between  homes. There are some differences in myself and my co-workers: the language we speak, the food we eat, and the place we call home. In comparison to what we have in common, the differences are small. For example, Peter and I have a common background of being a young adult with goals to see the world. We can compare university experiences and transitioning into the work field of engineering. We can also compare our childhood games and adventures. It has been less of a culture shock than I had expected it to be.

My supervisor is a cheerful Vietnamese man named Hong. He is the Engineering Team Leader of the Robotics and Motion Division. As team leader, his day is consumed with meetings, customer visits, and project tasks. Despite his responsibilities, he maintains a calm demeanor and makes time to check in on me and answer my questions. I mostly converse with him during lunch time; most conversations are of small talk regarding our differences in culture. His English is good but the words are sometimes buried under a thick Vietnamese accent. For example, he told a joke at lunch last week that I couldn’t fully understand but I knew it warranted a response of laughter. Aside from light and casual conversations with the team, he is a well respected boss. The engineering team appears to be comfortable speaking with him and working under his authority. I appreciate Hong and his leadership style.

As an intern, I have been tasked with learning how to you the company’s software, called RobotStudio, to simulate working stations with the robots. I have also learned how to program controls and operate two of the physical robots that are in the office. After a week of training with a team member and learning the basics, Hong assigned me and the other intern a small project. The project consists of designing the base component to install an ABB robot atop a concrete foundation. I was assigned the robot IRB6700 and was given little instruction other than to design the base and ask Ninh, the Solidworks and design specialist, for help. I didn’t know where to begin. At first, I opened up a 3D render of the robot on my computer and thought he wanted me to design any base that fits. I cleared up the instructions and expectations with Ninh and followed his guidance. The project is similar to solidworks designs that I have done in classroom settings. Luckily, I paid attention in those classes.

Outside of work, I have gotten a chance to explore Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). This past weekend I visited the Saigon Skydeck on the 49th floor of the tallest building in HCMC. The view was incredible in the night hours. The city layout is very interesting in comparison to an American city. I was surprised to see how close buildings were stacked next to each other and the small amount of city lights that beamed in the night sky. In my time here, I have observed that many facilities close around 10pm and completely shut down power for the night. I observed the city shut down from the skydeck until only the street lights, local rooftop bars, and main skyscrapers were the only illuminated objects. That is a sustainable practice for such a bustling city.

The company I am interning for this summer is ABB. It is a global leader in technology that caters to multiple digital industries such as electrification, industrial automation, motion, and robotics & discrete automation. I have been blessed to have to opportunity to work on the robotics engineering team at the ABB located in Ho Chi Minh City. The robotics team designs the system of devices used for industrial automation, which may be used in packaging, manufacturing, and other factory operations. In other words, the team focuses on the robot device use ability after the device is produced.

In my first days of my internship, I have endured many training exercises. ABB utilizes their own computer software, called RobotStudio, to produce 3D models of a system of robots.  RobotStudio allows the engineers to visualize ABB products in an assembly line and to analyze the range of motion for the system. I have learned how to create tools, geometric objects, and how ABB products operate. In the process of learning about the company, I have also learned about my co-workers. The team was very welcoming my first week and treated myself and the other UF interns to dinner. The dinner took place at a sports themed restaurant during a Vietnamese soccer game, therefore I was able to experience a piece of their culture in a comfortable setting. The team introduced me to new foods and some common phrases in their language.

Over all, I would describe the work environment as relaxed and quiet. The office if filled with many cubicle desks and is sectioned with signs that hang from the ceiling labeling each department. The dress code is business casual. In my department, under the sign reading “Robotics”, it leans more towards causal because guys often wear tennis shoes, jeans, and a polo. People trickle into the office around 9AM, and leave for home at 4:30PM. A coworker explained to me that Vietnamese people are often not on time. Nevertheless, I aim to arrive on time in the mornings. The overall office is quiet with underlying whispers of neighbors occasionally speaking to each other. Everyone is deep in a project and works on their computer, but will make an effort to help me if needed.

If I had to describe Vietnam in two words, they would be: beautiful chaos. Thus far, I have seen incredible art, religious practices, and nature spots in south Vietnam. The people are each consumed in their personal trades and appear to be at ease at any given moment, even in traffic. Here the traffic flows like water through a network of pipes; it continuously merges with cars, trucks, scooters and pedestrians as everyone pushes to get to their destination. As a foreigner, it looks like a chaotic mess just waiting to be an accident and an hour-long traffic jam on I-95. It amazes me how anyone makes it anywhere.

Luckily, we made it to a few incredible tourist spots. One event that was culturally informative was the visit to the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City. The museum displays artifacts and artillery from the Vietnam War and powerfully conveys the brutal effects of the war. Walking though an exhibit of fallen American soldiers who fought alongside the South Vietnamese allowed me to gain a better understanding of the lives that soldiers have during war in another country. I was also able to sympathize with the Vietnamese after seeing horrific photos of the effects of US weapons. The photos displayed deformities in children born after the use of bombs and chemical weapons. One photo showed a smiling young girl who sat in cage, and the caption revealed that she uncontrollable bites and attacks other people. I cannot fathom being a parent of a child who has such an atrocious disease and not being able to cure my child. I would hold hatred towards the people responsible for the permanent destruction of my home and loved ones. Yet, the Vietnamese people do not hold hatred towards Americans. They spread peace and friendship.

In my time here, I would like to continue to learn about the culture and people. I would like to observe any differences in the rising working-class people and the elderly or retired people. Because Vietnam is a developing country, I would like to learn of the methods or plans for development.