STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
I am in my final year of undergraduate study in Mechanical Engineering. I plan to do a Masters in Manufacturing Systems Engineering. My areas of interest include Management Engineering, Lean Manufacturing, Cellular Manufacturing, Quality Engineering and Engineering Risk Analysis.
My first encounter with engineering began when as a school student I had the opportunity to visit a factory making Caterpillar earth moving equipment during summer vacations. During each summer I had the occasion to observe at close quarters the fabrication of huge off-highway vehicles by hundreds of automatic welding machines, the working of CNC machines and design engineers working at graphic workstations. My interest in engineering grew out of such early and exciting experiences.
I gradually began to correlate what was taught in maths and physics at school and what was being applied in real life situations. By the time I completed school I knew my future course of study would be mechanical engineering.
In my undergraduate studies, the basic fundamental courses of mechanics, production tech 1&2 and theory of machines had me deeply interested. Consistent good grades further cemented my interest. This led me to go get experience on an actual factory floor. I got so fascinated that from then on during every vacation I went to some industry or the other. It was fascinating to watch theory come alive.
My first experience was at Hindustan Motors Limited – Earth Moving Equipment Division which manufactures earth moving equipment in collaboration with Caterpillar Inc, USA. Here I worked as a trainee in various departments such as Tool Design, Research and Development, Manufacturing and Manufacturing systems. However, I found the last - Manufacturing Systems Engineering most engaging. The department was at that point of time implementing the concept of cellular manufacturing throughout the factory. The common sense approach, which masked the complexity of the actual implementation, is what appealed to me. I was able observe the difference in terms of better quality and productivity that actually resulted after its implementation.
The next vacation was spent at Lucas-TVS a leading manufacturer of auto electricals in the country. One of the reasons for choosing Lucas - TVS was that this was one of the first companies, which switched over to Cellular manufacturing methods. Again, it was really interesting to see the same basic principles being applied in a similar yet completely different manner.
I spent the summer of 1997 at Fermec Ltd. (A CASE subsidiary) Manchester, United Kingdom. Fermec is a manufacturer of Back Hoe Loaders and Mini Excavators. This was a truly different experience as there was such a major shift in terms of work culture. Here, I actually worked my way down the assembly line. This was an enlightening experience as I found out how difficult it was to implement any new methodology on the factory floor. (Details of Work Experience included)
I recently wrote a paper titled ‘Online Product Development using the Internet’ which explores the possibility of marrying cutting edge information technology with the latest in manufacturing techniques in order to facilitate inexpensive and fast product development. The paper was judged to be the best among 168 other papers at a national level technical symposium SMASH’97. I am also working on a paper that deals with the application of fractal geometry in determining stress distribution of complex parts subject to variable loading and fatigue failure.
In addition to the project work that is a part of our curriculum, I undertook a project to implement a control system for the movement of jigs and fixtures in a manufacturing cell having a number of CNC machines. In order to ensure quick access of jigs and fixtures for reducing the set-up time required for each new job as well as to assure the quality of the jigs and fixtures, I designed a system of tool tracking cards, which accounted for the movement of these jigs and fixtures from storage to use to surveillance and back to storage. The system also involved the development of logic for their storage depending on frequency of use.
My senior year project deals with reducing noise in a 1.5 cu.m Back Hoe Loader, which Hindustan Motors, makes. This machine is used inside city limits and hence noise levels are a problem. The project involves as a first step extensive measurement and analysis of existing sound levels, then the redesign and fabrication of a new muffler (and a computer modeling of the muffler which will allow its optimization) and finally reduction of secondary vibration induced noise. I expect to complete the project by March ’98.
The graduate program offered by the Stanford University in Manufacturing Systems Engineering seems to be a really comprehensive program in terms of experienced faculty, varied course options, world class research facilities and an emphasis on learning by team based problem solving. Two things in particular appeal to me. The extensive interaction with the industry (in the form of the SIMA Internships) involving team projects solving real life industrial problems is one. The other is the focus on developing leadership and managerial skills in addition to in depth understanding of the manufacturing process. This is exactly the kind of experience/education that I am looking for, in doing a Masters program in Manufacturing Systems Engineering. I greatly look forward to doing this program at your University.
Upon completion of my course of study in Stanford University I would most probably return to India. India has a mix of very old business houses as well as new multi-national companies, all of which require a new kind of an engineer – one who has a broad grasp of the managerial aspects as well as an in depth knowledge of manufacturing. This is the kind of engineer I hope to become after completing the Masters program in MSE.