Manufacturing Engineering Co-op-Summer 2027, Mills

Summary

Smurfit Westrock is a leader in sustainable packaging, creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions. The Manufacturing Engineering Intern/Co-op will support operational, reliability, safety, process improvement, and energy initiatives in a paper mill manufacturing environment while collaborating with operations, maintenance, EHS, and engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Apply engineering fundamentals to real-world manufacturing challenges
• Analyze operational data and present findings to engineering and plant leadership
• Participate in continuous improvement and cost-reduction initiatives
• Follow and promote all plant safety rules and best practices
• Collaborate with operations, maintenance, EHS, and engineering teams
• Manage day-to-day activities of assigned roles, complete project tasks, and implement new processes
• Analyze pulping and bleaching processes to improve yield, kappa control, and energy efficiency
• Support optimization of chemical usage and recovery systems
• Monitor and analyze process data to reduce variability and improve fiber quality
• Assist with environmental compliance related to water, effluent, and emissions
• Support paper machine performance optimization (throughput, quality, runnability)
• Analyze process variability and conduct root cause analysis of breaks or defects
• Support trials related to fiber blends, additives, and operating conditions
• Evaluate energy usage in dryer sections and recommend efficiency improvements
• Support boiler, turbine, and steam distribution system optimization
• Analyze energy usage and support energy reduction initiatives
• Assist with water balance studies and process water optimization
• Support reliability improvements for critical utility assets
• Perform root cause failure analysis (RCFA) on equipment issues
• Support preventive and predictive maintenance programs
• Analyze maintenance and downtime data to improve asset reliability
• Assist with outage planning and execution
• Support PLC, DCS, and SCADA systems
• Assist with troubleshooting instrumentation and control loops
• Analyze process control data to improve stability and throughput
• Support automation, digitalization, and control modernization projects

Skills

• Candidates must be actively enrolled in an accredited engineering college/university program pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Paper Science/Engineering, or a related discipline
• Ability to work effectively in an industrial manufacturing environment
• Be able to Maintain strict adherence to safety rules and regulations
• Ability to commit to a full-time work schedule for the duration of the co-op
• Demonstrate an interest, willingness, and drive to learn new things; seek to understand concepts, processes, and ideas within area of functional expertise
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills: Clearly exchanges thoughts, ideas, and messages through written, verbal, and non-verbal methods that promote an understanding with the target audience; listens carefully and attentively
• Strong attention to detail and Problem-Solving: Identifies and analyzes problems; weighs relevance and accuracy of information; generates and evaluates alternative solutions; makes recommendations; demonstrates tackling a problem by using a logical, systematic, or sequential approach
• Ability to organize and prioritize workload: Plans, arranges and/or monitors work to ensure achievement of desired results; establishes a systematic course of action to accomplish objectives
• Demonstrates agility, flexibility, and a willingness to modify one's approach to achieve desired results; responds quickly to changing demands, processes, and updated information
• Collaboration: Works effectively with others to complete a task or achieve a common objective; ability to cooperate in both interpersonal and team relationships to foster enthusiasm and maintain mutual trust, candor, and respect for others

Qualifications

Must Haves

• Candidates must be actively enrolled in an accredited engineering college/university program pursuing a degree in Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Paper Science/Engineering, or a related discipline
• Ability to work effectively in an industrial manufacturing environment
• Be able to Maintain strict adherence to safety rules and regulations
• Ability to commit to a full-time work schedule for the duration of the co-op
• Demonstrate an interest, willingness, and drive to learn new things; seek to understand concepts, processes, and ideas within area of functional expertise
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills: Clearly exchanges thoughts, ideas, and messages through written, verbal, and non-verbal methods that promote an understanding with the target audience; listens carefully and attentively
• Strong attention to detail and Problem-Solving: Identifies and analyzes problems; weighs relevance and accuracy of information; generates and evaluates alternative solutions; makes recommendations; demonstrates tackling a problem by using a logical, systematic, or sequential approach
• Ability to organize and prioritize workload: Plans, arranges and/or monitors work to ensure achievement of desired results; establishes a systematic course of action to accomplish objectives
• Demonstrates agility, flexibility, and a willingness to modify one's approach to achieve desired results; responds quickly to changing demands, processes, and updated information
• Collaboration: Works effectively with others to complete a task or achieve a common objective; ability to cooperate in both interpersonal and team relationships to foster enthusiasm and maintain mutual trust, candor, and respect for others

Benefits

• Relocation Support: Yes
• A culture based on safety, loyalty, integrity, and respect.
• Hands-on engineering experience in large-scale industrial operations
• Mentorship from experienced manufacturing engineers
• Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities
• Exposure to a global organization where Safety, Sustainability, and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work.