Sean Amirault Presented to IDM 288 and ISE 288 April 7, Daniel Amato Interview Sean Amirault

Presented to IDM 288 and ISE 288 April 7, Introduction Daniel Amato BSE in Industrial Engineering (2007) General Electric (GE) Intern at GE

Sean Amirault Presented to IDM 288 and ISE 288 April 7, General Electric General Electric is a large global company that is involved in the manufacture and production of thousands of products and components. Corporate Office: New York Worlds Second Largest Company Organized by Thomas Edison in 1890.

Sean Amirault Presented to IDM 288 and ISE 288 April 7, Interview Daniel Amato – Graduated from Mercer University School of Engineering with a BSE in Industrial Engineering in Became an Intern at GE in the Summer of Summer rotations Part of Operations Management Leadership Program (OMLP) Professional Title : Material Resource Planner/Buyer

Sean Amirault Presented to IDM 288 and ISE 288 April 7, Interview Did the internship help you with your career? “Most definitely, allowed me to network and build relationships and get my foot in the door of a great company.” Did it lead to your job? “Yes. At GE, the company specifically aims to hire those interns that demonstrate good work ethic and job performance. In fact, about 70% of people who get direct hire positions out of college are from the internship pipeline.”

Sean Amirault Presented to IDM 288 and ISE 288 April 7, Interview Continued Did your internship increase your staring salary? “It’s impossible for me to know since they don’t really disclose that information, but I am fairly sure that it positively impacted my salary.” Do you use statistics on a regular basis? “Not in this role, but I know that I will be expected to in future roles.” Do you travel with your job? “Yes, for training related activities.”

Sean Amirault Presented to IDM 288 and ISE 288 April 7, Interview Was this job your first choice and do you enjoy it? “Yes, it is a fast paced job, involving lots of interaction, which is right down my alley.” What is the Atmosphere of your job? “Manufacturing-based. The people have good attitudes, are easy to work with, and appreciate when you work hard. There is a lot of positive reinforcement and I feel that’s what gets me through the high stress, fast paced job.”

Sean Amirault Presented to IDM 288 and ISE 288 April 7, Interview What does your job entail? “I have two sets of responsibilities here, one as an OMLP and one as a MRP/Buyer in Facilities Maintenance. As an OMLP, I am required to get certified in APICS, Six Sigma, as well as take in- depth courses in Manufacturing Finance, Leadership, and Safety. As an MRP/Buyer, I have a three-tiered work plan. My first responsibility is buying parts for down machines that are responsible for making parts for the Gas Turbines. My second is to buy parts for work orders throughout the plant requiring material that we do not have in stock and my third is to keep our stockroom fully stocked by reordering necessary materials.”

Sean Amirault Presented to IDM 288 and ISE 288 April 7, Interview What is your typical day like? “On a typical day, I spend a lot of time working with suppliers as well as technicians to determine what parts are needed, spending anywhere from $1,000 to $100,000 a day to keep the plant running. I also am in charge of tracking our budget and perform several projects to improve the processes in our work area.”

Sean Amirault Presented to IDM 288 and ISE 288 April 7, Interview What do you wear to work? “Either jeans and a polo shirt or khakis and a polo/button down shirt.” What aspects of Industrial Engineering do you work with, if any? “Lean and Six Sigma are both heavily used at GE, as well as information learned in courses like Manufacturing Practices and Quality Control. Having a job in manufacturing is pretty much entirely ISE based, so a lot of what I learned in school applies. “

Sean Amirault Presented to IDM 288 and ISE 288 April 7, Interview Do you work in groups? “In my job, there is one other buyer and we work as a team to get things done, but other than that, my job is usually done on my own. “ Is your company multi-national? “Yes, GE spans across the entire world with plants in several countries and customers all over the globe.”

Sean Amirault Presented to IDM 288 and ISE 288 April 7, Interview Which class from your college helped you most with your job? “In this particular role, I would have to say TCO 341. The communication skills learned from that course are vital to my everyday success. I have to communicate with a variety of different people. First, I have to communicate to suppliers and touch base with them every so often to check on orders. Second, I have to communicate to technicians to let them know when parts are available. Third, I have to communicate to management regarding the budget and high priority items. However, in general, the rigor of my degree has prepared my well for a tough job and all my courses have played a valuable part in my career.”

Sean Amirault Presented to IDM 288 and ISE 288 April 7, Interview How often do you conduct presentations? “I run a budget meeting every Thursday and am required to report out every morning on parts that I have ordered for critical machines, so although they are not formal presentations, they are a part of my daily life here at GE. “ Is GE hiring summer interns? “Yes they are.”

Sean Amirault Presented to IDM 288 and ISE 288 April 7, Questions? Contact Information: Daniel Amato