Today was my first day shadowing at Caterpillar Inc. After struggling a bit to find the correct building (PSA: don’t always trust google maps), Atticus, Matthew and I started the day off at the Clayton Assembly Plant. Ms. Melissa Hill introduced us to the company, giving us some basic information about the plant and the machines being assembled at the plant. Then, Mr. Jake Combs and Ms. Elizabeth Schappell took us to a conference room and gave us a presentation on what they do at Caterpillar and how they became mechanical engineers. I really appreciate the time they took to present the information to us–I was able to learn about the different classes they took at NCSU and the real-life applications of those courses in their jobs at Caterpillar. They also gave us some advice on exploring the different fields of engineering and finding jobs after getting a degree. It was a really informative and useful presentation — Thank you so much!
We then suited up in yellow vests and went out to look at some of their products. They were in the process of doing Product and Application Training at the site — their marketing managers were teaching their dealers about their products. It was really interesting to learn about the different parts and functions of their machines and to see how they presented them. Mr. Combs and Ms. Schappell also taught us about the machines we saw — a Backhoe Loader, Small Wheel Loader, and Skid Steer Loader — telling us how they worked, and the kinds of processes they used to create and sell them. After exploring a bit, we went in for some pizza.
After lunch, we got some protective glasses and headed off to explore the actual assembly plant. Mr. Ryan Spies, a manufacturing engineer, took us through the assembly line, explaining how each machine and process worked and describing some of the projects he had been working on to make the process as efficient and safe (Caterpillar always stresses the importance of safety!) as possible. I can’t share a lot of information or pictures because some of the products and machines are secret, but I really enjoyed learning about the machines and seeing them in action — Matthew, Atticus, and I couldn’t hold back our ‘Ooos’ and ‘Aaahs’ while watching the workers and machines in action. After touring the plant, Mr. Spies showed us his drawings — the way he thinks and solves problems around the plant is truly incredible. His job seems to be a bit of architecture, mechanical engineering, and general management combined. He also showed us how their information is organized and shared on their company sites. We ended the day there — Thank you so much for letting us follow you around today, Mr. Spies!
