Operations Management Internship
KLN Family Brands/Tuffy’s Pet Foods
College Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors…We’re looking for you!
Our Story
KLN Family Brands is a 3rd generation family-owned business that started in 1964 with its corporate headquarters located in Perham, MN, in the heart of MN lakes country. Together, our companies manufacture a diverse and expanding range of high-quality human and pet food products.
At KLN Family Brands, our vision is that “We are a proud people-first company. We are successful because of trust-based relationships, and first-rate products for our families and friends. We better the world by caring for others. We challenge. We grow. We inspire.”
Some companies have to “fudge the story” a little. Some need the extra “spin” to shine a positive light on themselves. That’s not who we are at KLN Family Brands, and that’s not what we do. We tell the story of our brand – our people, the quality of our products, our spirit & moxie, our tradition, and the way we treat our community & beyond. We do it in a genuine way because we genuinely believe we’re a pretty amazing company.
We’re looking for an Operations Management Intern for Summer of 2024 that is serious about a career in manufacturing. If you are willing to learn from the best, and have a desire to participate in the growth of some of the fastest growing brands in the Pet Food Industry, you’ve stumbled onto the right job.
The Opportunity
As an Operations Management Intern, you’ll work closely with our Director of Operations, Production Manager, and our Milling and Meat Processing Manager. You will also work closely with many of our packaging, extrusion, slurry, and mill team members in collaboration.
Daily duties & responsibilities:
Spend weeks 1-6 working within the mill and slurry departments:
- Weeks 1 & 2 observing processes, batch times, crew scheduling, downtimes, and run rates.
- Weeks 3 & 4 deep dive into rates. Reviewing high and low productivity calculations and make recommendations (based on history stored in MES and observations) for adjustments based on like items/formulas.
- Week 5 review yield reports/variance for a small subset of formulas (top 5 outliers), and provide analysis of gaps
- Week 6 prep report and present findings to leadership team.
Spend weeks 7-12 working within the extrusion/dcc and packaging departments:
- Weeks 7 & 8 observing processes, changeover times, crew scheduling, downtimes, and run rates.
- Weeks 9 & 10 deep dive into rates. Reviewing high and low productivity calculations and make recommendations (based on history stored in MES and observations) for adjustments based on like items/formulas.
- Week 11 review waste and yield reports/variance for a small subset of items/formulas (top 5 outliers), and provide analysis of gaps.
- Week 12 prep report and present findings to leadership team.
Weekly attendance at shift meetings (hand-offs) between Day/Mid and Night/Day shifts. Report differences or gaps observed. Attend at least 4 meetings per week.
Unique projects:
- Tool management and storage review and suggestions for improvement for ease of use (5S of brooms/shovels/etc. and their organization/location around the departments).
- Work instruction or work aid review on tasks that may need more detail – get insight from managers and supers on specifics.
- Compile and analyze safety incidents/accidents and offer recommendations for prevention.
- Observe process flow and ergonomic opportunities and suggest improvements for at least one area.
- Review and analyze waste data and recommend opportunities for improvement in at least one area.
- Review and analyze downtime data and recommend opportunities for improvement in at least one area.
You will learn things like:
- Innovation & creativity
- Goal setting and KPI measurement
- Analytical & critical thinking
- Problem solving
- Oral & written communication
- Teamwork & leadership
What you’ll need to be successful at KLN Family Brands/Tuffy’s Pet Foods:
- At least a Sophomore in college pursuing a degree in Business Management, Operations Management, or Manufacturing Engineering
- The ability to dedicate 10-12 weeks to the internship program for the Summer of 2024
- A positive attitude and willingness to learn
- The ability to work in a team atmosphere and be a great co-worker
- The ability to work on-site at our Perham, MN facility for the Summer
Interns who demonstrate exceptional performance and a passion for our business may have the opportunity for full-time employment upon graduation.
Pay for this position will be a percentage of industry standards based on typical full-time starting salaries, and will depend on your year in school and your timeline to graduation.