This summer, I am undertaking a 12-week engineering internship with Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), based in the Concept Vehicle Systems Analysis team. My role is focused on carrying out a carbon emissions study of a specific bus platform and improving Total Cost of Ownership calculations to improve accuracy and account for new product development.
I am really excited for the challenge of undertaking a role that’s not directly related to my university degree! So far, the experience has encouraged me to ask lots of questions, take onboard new concepts, and learn from industry experts – all useful skills for my personal development!
The welcome I received from everyone at ADL has been fantastic and has really helped me to settle into my role. On my first day, I was thrilled to be given tours of both the Larbert and Falkirk workshop floors, giving me an understanding of the scheduling required to efficiently manage the production lines. I was surprised by quite how many different components are used in the manufacturing process, and can now appreciate the design challenges involved – particularly in the case of EVs!
I am really appreciative of my manager for getting me so involved with the rest of the team. Having the opportunity to listen and participate in daily meetings has been invaluable for learning about the work others carry out and the specific challenges associated with these projects. In addition, the opportunity to work on different projects has allowed me to learn about a variety of current developments within the company, and work with numerous people from different teams.
Day to day, I participate in meetings, both with my team, and with others in the company. Collecting internal company data has been a key part in my carbon emissions study, and through this I have been able to learn from the regional product managers, and design engineers at the company, developing a deeper knowledge of the product variations. So far, I have been able to strengthen my communication and time management skills, and am excited to practice my presentation skills in the coming weeks!
I am really excited to gain practical engineering experience while working in a team at ADL and can’t wait to see how the rest of my internship progresses!
