Engineering Intern at Red River Commodities – Fargo, North Dakota

Red River Commodities is a leading processor of sunflower seeds and specialty grains, specializing in high-quality, nutritious food products. We pride ourselves on our sustainable practices, innovation, and commitment to delivering superior products to our customers. Our team shares core values focused on family, pride, passion, safety, and integrity. We work hard, play harder, embrace authenticity, and always support one another to achieve our goals.

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Location: 501 42nd St N. Fargo, ND 58102

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Job Summary:

We are seeking a motivated Engineering Intern to support the implementation of Lean Manufacturing principles across our five production sites. This internship will focus on designing and standardizing Tier Meeting Boards, enhancing visual management, and streamlining communication in our manufacturing plants. Additionally, the intern will have the opportunity to work on key engineering projects aimed at improving efficiency, reducing downtime, and optimizing production processes. The intern will collaborate with multiple levels of plant management to create an efficient and standardized platform for reviewing key performance indicators (KPIs), discussing safety risks, addressing labor and equipment issues, and planning for continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and implement Tier Meeting Boards for multiple manufacturing sites to support structured plant-level meetings.
• Standardize board layouts to ensure clear visualization of safety risks, performance metrics, labor concerns, and continuous improvement plans.
• Work with site leaders and cross-functional teams to identify and integrate Lean Manufacturing principles into daily plant operations.
• Gather feedback from plant managers and operators to refine and optimize board design for maximum usability and effectiveness.
• Develop digital and physical tools to support real-time data tracking and visibility.
• Assist in developing training materials and standard work procedures for effective Tier Meeting execution.
• Support Kaizen events and provide recommendations on best practices for Lean implementation.
• Participate in additional engineering projects to drive process improvements, including:
  • Bagging Bin Calculating: Improve bagging efficiency by implementing additional sensors to provide accurate volume or weight approximations, reducing downtime and overproduction.
  • Additional Cleaned Oils Bin: Conduct time studies on cleaning line and bagging downtime to determine the feasibility of adding a new storage bin for improved utilization.
  • Bagging Downtime Analysis: Perform time studies on roasted sunflower seed bagging to identify efficiency gains and recommend process improvements.
  • Air Studies: Evaluate and measure air velocities and pressures in both roasting and sunflower cleaning operations to optimize dust collection and ventilation systems.
  • Dry Ice Blasting Study: Assess the feasibility of dry ice blasting as an alternative cleaning method to reduce or replace wet wash shutdowns in Sunbutter Operations.

Qualifications:

• Pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in industrial engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or other related fields.
• Basic understanding of Lean Manufacturing, Visual Management, and Continuous Improvement principles.
• Strong problem-solving skills with a data-driven mindset.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Visio) and familiarity with data visualization tools.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to work across multiple teams.

Benefits & Learning Opportunities:

• Gain hands-on experience in implementing Lean Manufacturing strategies in a real-world production environment.
• Work with cross-functional teams and gain exposure to multiple manufacturing sites.
• Opportunity to lead impactful projects that improve efficiency, safety, and communication in the workplace.
• Develop professional skills in visual management, data analysis, and process standardization.

Red River Commodities and its subsidiaries are an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This applies to all employment practices within our organization. Red River Commodities makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time.

We are committed to maintaining a legal and compliant workplace. As part of our hiring process, Red River Commodities participates in the E-Verify program.

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