Cell & Process Engineering Intern

Overview

Panasonic Energy is looking for interns to join our creative team in the Engineering department. The interns hired for this position should expect to learn all facets of manufacturing and will leave this position with invaluable skills and industry knowledge. Also, this internship program is highly regarded in our field, so successful participation will be a great addition to your resume.

Responsibilities

What You'll Get To Do:

Panasonic Energy of North America (PENA) is seeking ambitious engineers to lead the world’s largest lithium ion battery initiative. With superior battery designs and the fastest manufacturing lines in the world, Panasonic is producing millions of batteries per day at the Gigafactory to support Tesla’s electric vehicle and energy storage businesses. Panasonic invites you to join us in this ongoing full-scale effort to electrify our society. At PENA, engineers quickly become experts in the fundamentals of lithium-ion cell technology and work to integrate that understanding with high speed, automated manufacturing methods to produce the highest performance and highest quality lithium ion batteries. 

Internship Details:

• The program will be a fulltime paid summer internship working for Panasonic at the Gigafactory

• The program will be 12 weeks in length, and is planned to occur between Monday, May 19th and Friday, August 8th . This date range is subject to change

• Must be able to attend the entirety of the internship

• Housing allowance provided

Program Requirements:

• The program will be a fulltime paid summer internship working for Panasonic Energy of North America onsite at the Gigafactory

• Must attend entirety of internship from the indicated start and end date noted above

• Minimum 3.2 GPA

• Must have completed a minimum of 2 years at an accredited university

Essential Duties:

• Being a part of Panasonic’s Cell and Process Engineering (CPE) team. The CPE team is responsible for supporting Panasonic’s battery production to ensure our world-class production is running smoothly and without issue. In addition, we continually seek to improve our process by means of productivity, quality, cost, and other metrics.

• Devising battery cell manufacturing process improvement for mass production lines leading to increased production and better quality

• Defining and changing cell specifications

• Introducing new materials and cell technologies into mass production

• Conducting development work for new and existing production lines to improve cell process on safety, quality and productivity.

• Working closely with other team members to increase understanding of failure modes, performance and life expectancy of cell products.

• Demonstrating solid troubleshooting skills and ability to solve unknown problems.

• Analyzing operating procedures and functions of equipment and machinery to reduce time and cost of assembly manufacturing processes.

• Other duties may be assigned.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements:

• To ensure the health and safety in the workplace and for the protection of our employees, wearing PPE is a possibility and may include equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, bump cap, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator.

The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills and efforts or work conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the general nature and level of the job.

Qualifications

What You'll Bring:

Education:

• Completion of at least two years of full-time enrollment in a Bachelor’s degree program in in Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or similar discipline.

Essential Qualifications:

• Must be currently enrolled as a fulltime student at an accredited four-year college or university

• GPA of 3.2 or higher

• Must be able to perform machine and process troubleshooting and apply root cause analysis.

• Should be flexible with the working environment and be able to perform job duties between manufacturing floor and office/desk.

• Must possess engineering skills (process development/improvement, troubleshooting, data analysis, tolerancing).

• Capable of identifying critical process parameters. Knowledge of FTA, FMEA, etc.

• Strong team working skills with other employees at all levels of an organization

• Self-starter who works well independently and an outstanding ability to follow up with minimal direction and will focus on team success.

• Able to manage multiple concurrent tasks in a fast-paced environment, effectively prioritize work, and deliver quality results.

• A strong work ethic with a “get the job done” approach who consistently delivers excellent customer service, both internally and externally.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Familiarity with six sigma methodologies and tools.

• Some experience interfacing to databases, information management and reporting applications used for MES/SCADA systems is preferred.

• Some data analysis skills with tools such as JMP, Minitab, Python, MATLAB, are highly desired.

• Some knowledge of electrochemistry and ability to apply principles.

Physical Demands:

Physical Activities: (Percentage of time (equaling 100%) during the normal workday the employee is required to)

• Sit: 20%

• Walk: 50%

• Stand: 20%

• Lift: 10%

Tools and/or Equipment: (Required frequency is: Not required (0%), Occasional (1-33%), Frequent (34-66%, Continuous (67-100%)

• Keyboard/Computer: Continuous

• Office Equipment: Continuous

• Phone Continuous

Required Lifting and Carrying: (Required frequency is: Not required (0%), Occasional (1-33%), Frequent (34-66%, Continuous (67-100%)

• Up to 10 lbs.: Frequent

• Up to 20 lbs.: Frequent

• Up to 35 lbs.: Frequent

• Team-lift only (over 35 lbs.): Frequent

About Us:

Panasonic Energy of North America (PENA) is collaborating with Tesla at a massive battery factory near Reno, Nevada which is known for its quality of life and expansive outdoor adventures. Panasonic's role at the Gigafactory is to manufacture and supply cylindrical lithium-ion cells to Tesla for their electric vehicles and energy storage systems.

Over the past few years, the Gigafactory has grown to the largest lithium-ion battery factory in the world. Together with our partner Tesla, we continue to revolutionize the lithium-ion battery space and accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy and transportation.

Our mission at PENA is to make the vision of affordable Electric Vehicles a reality by producing the world’s safest, high quality, and lowest cost batteries. Through this effort we will create a clean energy society and our products will change society’s use of and perceptions of electric power.

In addition to an environment that is as innovative as our products, we offer competitive salaries and benefits.

Supplemental Information:

Pre-employment drug testing is required. Due to the high volume of responses, we will only be able to respond to candidates of interest. All candidates must have valid authorization to work in the U.S. without restriction.

Panasonic is an Equal Opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by law.  All qualified individuals are required to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

Thank you for your interest in Panasonic Energy of North America.

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