Crane Pumps & Systems

Engineering Co-Op

January - May 2024 • Piqua, OH

What I liked

Everyone in the company is very open to helping and want to see you succeed. They will stop what they are doing in order to help with what every you are working on. You are given real projects that allow you to experience realistic engineering roles and work with a variety of different engineers and even non engineers. My responsibilities included projects focusing on excel, updating or creating 3D models or drawings in SolidWorks, productivity projects, and a couple projects focusing on familiarizing myself with the company database. There was also time dedicated to being in the lab learning about the physical product and troubleshooting ideas that are thought of in the office.

What I wish was different

One thing I wish had been different would be being able to see all of my projects implemented. Some of the projects that I had I thought were low priority so I didn't focus on these and didn't get to learn from these projects. Sometimes projects were delayed because you were waiting on someone else to reply to your email or you were waiting on numbers. I understand this happens but it is hard especially when you know you are leaving and might not be able to see a project all the way through.

Advice

One piece of advice that I would share would be don't be afraid to ask questions. Everyone here is nice and will be more than willing to help you out so don't wait too long to ask a question. Asking questions will help you learn the company way better and you will feel more confident in your work later on. If you are stuck on something in a project and have no idea where to go just ask someone.

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Engineering Co-Op

January - May 2024 • Piqua, OH

What I liked

In the department of engineering, everyone is very friendly and are always willing to answer any of your questions immediately. I worked in SolidWorks designing my own parts or fixing already existing parts. Something I really liked, was being able to go down to the lab for testing the parts I designed on my own. It was extremely nice being able to see my designs actually work and do what I designed them to do. I also worked a lot with other company's representatives, which was fun, It helped me learn how to send professional emails.

What I wish was different

I wish I was included more on group based projects. Yes, I worked with other people on my projects, but most of the time the work that had to be done was on me and my own time. Also, wanted to work in SolidWorks more. I used SolidWorks on two of my projects, but those projects were either quick or I would come up with a design in a day or two and then be testing it for a week or so.

Advice

The biggest piece of advice I would give to others would be don't be afraid to ask questions. Everyone here is very nice and are always willing to help, and if they can't they will point you to someone who would know the answer. Another piece of advice I would give is to be over prepared for meetings. The worst thing you can do is schedule a meeting and be under prepared. If you come to a meeting under prepared, there is not much you will gain from that meeting.

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Engineering Co-Op

January - April 2024 • Piqua, OH

What I liked

The environment in the engineering department is incredibly open and friendly. Everyone there wants to see you succeed and help you grow as an co-op. Another benefit of working at CP&S are the projects I was assigned to. They were very involved and actually impactful and helpful to the company. My projects had a heavy focus on using AutoCAD and SOLIDWORKS to create 3D models and drawings or update older models and drawings. I also got lots of hands on experience with the 3D printers. Which was mainly running prints for other coworkers, preparing those prints for use, or repairing the printers if they happened to break.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had more projects that involved the machine shop. I only had one project that rarely took me down to the shop floor and was not as involved as I would have liked. One of the other co-ops had multiple projects that had him designing and creating parts to improve the machining areas and their operations. When I return to Crane I hope that I can have projects that have that type of involvement.

Advice

One piece of advice I would offer is to ask lots of questions. As a first time experience I certainly felt out of my league when it came to many things. But getting rid of my hesitancy to ask questions really helped me to learn new skills and improve on what I know. Asking questions can also help you to learn more about how what you're working on. For example, they will send co-ops down to assist lab technicians. Standing there and being clueless helps no one, but by asking questions you can get a lot more involved and learn some great things.

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Engineering co-op

January - May 2024 • Piqua, OH

What I liked

As an engineering co-op at Crane I gained an immense amount of hands on experience. I got to work with lab technicians testing and putting together pumps down in the lab. In addition, I worked very closely with 3D printers. I learned the ins and outs of 3D printing, whether it was preparing prints or fixing the printers when they broke down. The work environment was also very enjoyable, everyone one at Crane was always willing to help and guide the co-ops during projects.

What I wish was different

I wish I was included more in the design aspect of the company. Some co-ops were able to work close with AutoCAD and SolidWorks, where I did not get that opportunity. A majority of my time was also spent prepping 3D printed impellers, this required me to take of their supports and sand them. Each impeller took around 4-5 hours, making this project very time consuming.

Advice

A piece of advice I would offer is to ask questions. Everyone at Crane is very willing to answer and guide you through projects you just have to ask. They are very understanding and realize co-ops might need more help with projects and they are willing to give that to them. I would also recommend being very organized to keep track of all your tasks, I used sticky notes and the reminder app on my phone to help me stay organized.

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Engineering Co-op

May - August 2023 • Piqua, OH

What I liked

Crane Pumps and Systems really care about their co-ops, and the projects I was given were very meaningful to the company and provided great experience. Company events were common such as Dragon's Baseball games to make lasting connections. I was given full responsitibiltity over my projects and worked closely with many different engineers in different roles. I also had scheduled lab time for more hands-on experience. Some of the projects I worked on included designing and purchasing parts for a new testing station and completing a study on dimensional discrepancies in 3D models that I presented to the heads of engineering. I felt very valued at Crane and learned a lot about the industry and engineering as a whole.

What I wish was different

I wish that I had been assigned more projects that involved more lab time. Although I had scheduled time in the lab at the beginning of the session, I wish I had been able to lead tests for my own projects instead of assisting with projects the lab technicians were working on. I spent more time at my desk than in the lab and it would have been nice for it to be more evenly split.

Advice

My advice would be to take intuitive on all projects. I felt nervous going into the co-op because I had no prior experience in the industry. I had trouble feeling confident in my ideas and was looking for guidanace. It would have been more beneficial for me to try to solve the problem and look for next steps on my own before asking for help. That being said, if you need help, everyone there is extremely willing to give advice and work through the problem with you.

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Engineering Co-op

January - May 2023 • Piqua, OH

What I liked

I was given a lot of projects that were important. One of my projects was to design a table to put on lift legs that is used to test pumps. I had to use solidworks to design the table and then contact other workers to source the table out. Another one of my projects I like had a lot of testing and research. I was testing breakaway torques of bolts with different factors.

What I wish was different

I wish I had done more hands-on work. For the first part of the term I was helping out a lot in the lab but as time progressed on I was not in the lab as much because the workers did not need help. I liked the hands-on experience because it helped with knowing what I would be working on. Other than that I do not think there is anything else I wished had been different.

Advice

I would say my number one piece of advice is to take initiative. A lot of the time you need to take action to get your projects done. Another piece of advice would be to set up a schedule and set deadlines. It helps manage your time and gives yourself a sense of urgency.

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Engineering Intern

January - May 2023 • Piqua, OH

What I liked

I enjoyed the fact that they allowed me to be in control of my own projects and allowed me to work through the problem solving steps. The people with in the company were also super helpful and kind and great to work with. Everyone I interacted with where very nice. I also enjoyed how I was able to work with my hands and work on my design skills in SOLIDWORKS. This experience I feel has set me up really well for my future in engineering.

What I wish was different

I did not have any major problems with the company. They only thing I wish was different was my level of preparation for this rotation. I wish I was more experienced in SOLIDWORKS before beginning my rotation. That would have helped a lot at setting me apart from other co-ops.

Advice

A piece of advise I would Gove to anyone looking to work here is to just be willing to ask questions as early and often as you need. Everyone is so willing to answer question and help you out, so reaching out for help shows your level of commitment to completing the projects they assigned to you.

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Engineering Co-op

January 2023 • Piqua, OH

What I liked

The way the company approaches the co-op experience is very beneficial; they understand that the purpose of being a co-op is to learn and get valuable experience, and they give those opportunities to you. You get to choose what projects you work on and work with you to make the experience what you want it to be. For example, I had been working on a new product development project and let them know I enjoyed it, so they put me on the team as a dedicated member. Help is made readily available whenever you want, and they are happy to provide any assistance you need with projects.

What I wish was different

I wish the assigned projects had firm due dates. Many projects can linger without being worked on because they are very low priority, but they would still be great to finish and learn from. The project owners could do a better job of pushing to get their projects done so that the co-ops feel more urgency. The work environment can feel a little too laid back at times and it is not the most productive.

Advice

I would tell other students go full force into their projects and learn as you go. Do not be afraid to make mistakes, but ensure that you continue to work on projects. I would also recommend looking into a problem before asking questions; try to solve the problem on your own, then ask questions if you cannot solve it. The experience will be what you make of it, so throw yourself at your work and keep working hard at it.

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Engineering Co-op

August - December 2021 • Piqua, OH

What I liked

I was able to work on several major design projects during the semester which was excellent experience. Small company feeling with large corporate support means you get to know most people well, and you won't be limited to small projects.