Waterloo Engineering co-op students at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) are key to its ongoing success as an automotive industry giant.
Their excellent work ethic and innovative problem-solving skills help improve quality control and advance manufacturing processes. Some students go on to join the company after graduation.
The University of Waterloo and TMMC partnership spans more than three decades. Today, Waterloo co-op students make up the majority of student talent hired at TMMC with roles that range from engineering to operations to manufacturing.
Joyce Min, a third-year systems design engineering student, tackled a long-standing interior quality issue during the trial phase of the new RAV4. She designed a structured experiment, developed a countermeasure and worked directly with a supplier to validate the fix. The solution was adopted and is now incorporated into mass production parts.
Koichi Sugiyama (BASc ’08, mechanical engineering) joined TMMC as a Waterloo co-op student in 2007, returned full-time after graduating and now works as a manager in the Quality Control Engineering Department.
"When co-op students are given the opportunity to take ownership of a project and work hands-on with experienced team members, they develop skills that prepare them for their future careers," Sugiyama says. "That connection between the University of Waterloo and TMMC has been very beneficial for both the students and our organization."
Go to Co-op students drive manufacturing innovation at Toyota for the full story.