Manufacturing Systems Engineering - MSL262704

Made Smarter Internship – Information for applicants

• The success of embedding digital transformation, analysing the data generated by new systems or supporting new technological processes in an organisation is often dependent upon the skills and knowledge available.
•  A Made Smarter internship matches interns that have relevant technical experience and knowledge, with a SME or micro-organisation lacking the resources to adopt digital technologies and methodologies.  
• The intern is employed and supervised by the business, supported by Brunel University and the Made Smarter Adoption team from London and Partners. 
• The internship will focus on a project over a period of 12-weeks full time (part time options may also be available).  
• The funded intern will work on a defined project during that period to support digital technology adoption in the company. 

What is it like working here?

Interactual Limited is a UK-based boutique design and engineering consultancy that specializes in new product development (NPD) and physical verification, helping start-ups and small businesses successfully transition physical hardware from early prototypes to scalable production. Founded in 2011 and located in Kingston upon Thames, the company reduces the risks associated with innovation by providing hands-on support across the entire hardware journey.

What will you be doing? 
As our Digital Intern, you will play a key role in transitioning our internal processes from informal methods to a digital-first, modular architecture. 
The core of your project is to develop a scalable and agile Production & Quality Management (PQM) framework tailored for our high-mix, low-volume (HMLV) production. 
This framework will define digital roadmaps for integrated ERP/QMS solutions, enabling us to mitigate liability risks, scale our capacity flexibly without significant CAPEX, and lay the foundation for our new Manufacturing Implementation Consultancy service. 
 
Key Duties and Tasks: 
During your 12-week project, you will be expected to carry out the 
following key duties: - 

• Process Audit & Discovery: You will undertake a systematic review and gap analysis of our existing production methods, mapping current processes like job setup and inventory tracking against industry standards for quality and traceability
• Identify Integration Needs: You will determine the critical digital integration gaps within our current workflows
• Agile Strategy Definition: You will research and articulate a strategic framework for managing high-mix, low-volume production that focuses on flexibility, low-CAPEX scaling, and seamless digital integration
• System Evaluation: You will research and evaluate a shortlist of SaaS/Cloud-based ERP and Quality Management System (QMS) tools that prioritize Job-Shop capabilities and configurable BOM/Routing over mass production throughput
• Roadmap Development: You will synthesize your research findings into a practical, phased digital roadmap for implementing the new PQM system
• Framework Delivery: You will deliver a final report that outlines the required data flows, integration points, and high-level requirements for the selected digital tools

Essential Skills 

• Level of studies: 2nd/3rd year undergraduate, Master's student, or recent graduate in Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Operations Management, or a related discipline.
• Essential Knowledge: Foundational academic knowledge of traditional Material Requirements Planning (MRP), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and Quality Management Systems (QMS).
• Technical Understanding: A solid grasp of production workflows, including how to structure and manage Bills of Materials (BOMs) and manufacturing routings.
• Ability to learn quickly and use initiative to identify and resolve problems.
• Be able to establish and maintain good working relationships and rapport as well as working effectively in a team.
• Strong time management skills with the ability to prioritise and take ownership over deadlines.
• Efficient at prioritising tasks.
• Strong interpersonal and both written and verbal communication skills. 

Preferred Skills

• HMLV Awareness: Familiarity with the unique challenges of High-Mix, Low-Volume (HMLV) environments, custom "job-shop" manufacturing, or engineer-to-order production.
• Agile Methodology: Knowledge of Agile principles (such as sprints or iterative development) and an understanding of how they can be applied to strategy definition or system implementation.
• Digital Systems: An understanding of SaaS/Cloud-based digital tools, modular architectures, and basic data integration concepts (e.g., mapping data flows between systems).
• Advanced Scheduling: Awareness of Finite Capacity Scheduling (FCS) and the limitations of standard MRP logic in unpredictable manufacturing environments.
• Quality & Traceability: An interest in traceability, compliance standards, and risk mitigation for high-value products.

Key Benefits 
Beyond a competitive remuneration package, our commitment to your professional growth includes the following perks: 

• Flexible 8-hour daily schedules with core attendance required between 10:00 and 16:00.
• Full access to our design studio and lab, featuring extensive prototyping and testing resources.
• Structured training on internal operational systems and specialized engineering hardware where needed
• Access to our Health Assured Employee Assistance Programme, including mental health and wellbeing resources.
• Excellent transport links, situated just a brief walk from Kingston and Norbiton stations.

How to Apply 
 
If you are ready to join our team, please follow these instructions: 

• Forward your CV and a tailored cover letter to opportunities@interactual.co.uk
• Maintain availability for potential interviews on short notice following shortlisting.
• Possess valid Right to Work documentation to support your candidacy.
• While we appreciate every application, we can only guarantee a response to selected candidates due to high volume.