Industrial Engineering Intern - UniFirst Owensboro

UniFirst is seeking a Industrial Engineering Intern to support labor standards, process observation, data analysis, and continuous improvement in UniFirst's distribution operations.  As a Industrial Engineering Intern, you will partner with Production, Operations, and Engineering to document processes, analyze data, and develop practical recommendations under the guidance of the Engineering manager and site engineers. This is a paid, on-site summer internship lasting approximately 10 - 12 weeks and combines distribution floor observation with office analysis and defined projected presented to site leadership. 

What’s in it for you? 
 
Training:  
Our Team Partners receive ongoing cross-training, exposing them to different department areas. Cross training enhances performance and assists with career potential and advancement. 

Work Life Balance: 
We offer a 40-hour work week. Enjoy weekends off!

Culture:
Our community culture is what makes UniFirst an organization that stands out from the rest. 

Diversity:
At UniFirst, you'll find an environment packed with different cultures, personalities, and backgrounds. We believe our diversity makes us who we are, and we strive every day to build a culture where everyone feels welcome.

What you’ll be doing:

• Assist with time studies, work sampling, and process observations to develop and validate engineered labor standards. Organize study data and support pace rating and basic statistical checks under engineer supervision.

• Analyze Labor Management System (LMS) and Warehouse Management System (WMS) data to identify productivity trends, exceptions, and bottlenecks. Support supervised checks of labor data and system configuration against current methods.

• Document receiving, putaway, picking, packing, sorting, and shipping workflows. Evaluate travel paths, slotting, batching, congestion, and material flow to find improvement opportunities.

• Assist with layout sketches, space and capacity reviews, workstation documentation, 5S, and ergonomics assessments. Participate in method trials and record before-and-after results.

• Use Excel, process mapping, and root-cause analysis to quantify labor, travel, material-handling, cost, and throughput opportunities. Support Engineering and Accounting with variance analysis.

• Draft and update standard work, SOPs, visual job aids, and supervisor guidance on labor standards and LMS reports, in partnership with Operations, Training, and Engineering.

• Work safely and professionally with Team Partners and supervisors.

• Complete one scoped project and present data, findings, assumptions, risks, and next steps to Engineering and site leadership.

What we’re looking for:

• Currently pursuing a bachelors degree in: Industrial Engineering, Engineering Technoogy, Supply Chain, Operations Management, or a closely related field.

• Available to work on-site in a distrubtion center with regular floor observation and office analysis.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including formulas, tables, and charts. Comfortable with using Word, Powerpoint, and Teams.

• Strong observation, analytical, and communication skills; ability to organize operational data and summarize findings clearly.

• Interest in work measurement, standard work, and warehouse flow; familiar with Lean, 5S, waste identification, or basic ergonomics through coursework, project, or prior work.

• Warehouse, fulfillment, manufacturing, or co-op experience preferred.

• Familiar with AutoCAD, layout software, SQL, Power BI, or Python is preferred.

About UniFirst

The fabric of UniFirst is woven from its very unique family culture where our Team Partners enjoy a small company feel while taking advantage of the resources and stability that come with being a 2 billion-dollar organization. 

UniFirst is an international leader in the $18 billion-dollar garment services industry. We currently employ over 14,000 team partners who serve 300,000 business customer locations throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe. We were included in the top 10 of Selling Power magazine’s “Best Companies to Sell For” list and recognized on Forbes magazine’s “Platinum 400 – Best Big Companies” list. As an 80-year old company focused on annual growth, there’s never been a better time to join our team.

UniFirst is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or employment against any individual on the basis of race, color, gender, national origin, ancestry, religion, physical or mental disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, citizenship, or any other factor protected by anti-discrimination laws.