Cover letter – Ningyuan Zhang

 

Dear Sir or Madam,

I saw your advertisement for a graduate program for recent mechanical engineering graduates in SEEK.com and I would like to apply for it.

I am a ready-to-graduate student at UTS, and my major is Master of professional engineering-mechanical engineering, which is also the further exploration of mechanical engineering from my Bachelor in UOW. I have completed two of 12 weeks of mechanical engineering work experience in
a car industry company and a vehicle workshop, which brought me great and comprehensive knowledge. I do believe this type of experience can help me contribute to the program and perform well. Please find my address of the selection criteria.

 

Claims against the selection criteria

A commitment to ethical conduct and the highest standards of professional accountability.

During my internship at HME (An electric car motor company where I did my internship during bachelor’s degree), I identified a critical calibration error in the automated sealing system on the new production line, which was applying an excessive amount of sealant to the electric motor housings. My task was to assist in the line's commissioning, which included monitoring processes and ensuring they met precise engineering specifications. I immediately halted the procedure and meticulously verified my measurements against the technical design documents to confirm the discrepancy. I then prepared a detailed report with my data and formally presented my findings directly to the production manager. As a result, the manager commended my good investigation skill and initiated an software recalibration task to the software team, preventing significant material waste and potential long-term performance issues with the motors. This proactive intervention upheld the company's commitment to quality and safety, reinforcing my belief that professional accountability requires the courage to speak up, even when a process is not formally under your sole responsibility.

 

Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate both with other engineers and with
stakeholders from different fields.

My internship at HME required me to manage a parts procurement process that necessitated approvals from multiple different managers in other departments of the company, each with different technical priorities and concerns, as well as visiting supplying company to confirm everything is on track. My involvement was to secure the necessary sign-offs by clearly explaining the technical rationale and urgency behind each purchase request to ensure the new production line stayed on schedule with high accuracy, and check the supplying company with my manager to ensure there’s minimum problem. For each manager, I prepared a concise briefing that translated the engineering specifications into their relevant context, focusing on timeline for production, and technical specs for R&D. I proactively scheduled brief discussions to present my case, confidently answered their questions, and incorporated their feedback into the requests to find mutually agreeable solutions. This approach ensured all approvals were gained efficiently, preventing any delays in the production timeline and building trust with key stakeholders across the company. Furthermore, my ability to facilitate these cross-functional discussions was noted by my manager as a key contribution that demonstrated professional communication skills beyond my level of experience.

 

The ability to engage with a creative, innovative and proactive environment.

While analysing the workflow of a new electric motor production line, I identified a sequential bottleneck where the automated robot arms were being underutilized due to an inefficient order of operations. My involvement was to monitor the production lane's efficiency and ensure the robotic automation was programmed for optimal performance. I proactively designed a revised station sequence that reordered several key steps, switching some to manual pre-assembly to better prepare components for the automated arms. I then modelled this new workflow, calculated the potential time savings, and presented a formal proposal to the line manager and automation engineers. The engineering team was satisfied with my proposed sequence, which resulted in reduction in cycle time per unit and improved the accuracy of the robotic placement. This initiative demonstrated my capacity for innovative thinking beyond my assigned duties, directly contributing to enhanced productivity and was commended as a valuable proactive contribution.

 

Demonstrated ability to use and manage information.

During my internship, the procurement process for our new production line faced challenges due to poor data management, particularly a significant disconnect among our internal part numbers, supplier codes, and physical delivery manifests. I was tasked with the responsibility of accurately reconciling these varied information sources to develop a unified, authoritative parts list for ordering, inventory management, and cross-departmental approval. To address this, I proactively designed and created a centralized digital tracking sheet that consolidated all part numbers, supplier information, delivery timelines, and links to technical datasheets into a single, easily accessible location. Furthermore, I standardized the formatting and data entry procedures to ensure clarity and consistency, making the document user-friendly for stakeholders and other departments, procurement, and finance. As a result, this initiative significantly reduced the administrative time required for cross-referencing information, eliminated errors, and expedited the approval process. The system was adopted as the new standard for the project, demonstrating my ability to transform raw data into a strategic asset that enhanced operational efficiency and decision-making.

 

The ability to manage your own performance in a professional environment.

Transitioning from an academic to a professional environment at HME presented a significant learning curve, where I needed to rapidly acquire practical knowledge beyond my theoretical studies. My main task was to take full ownership of my professional development to ensure I could contribute effectively and understand the broader operational context of my role. I started a routine of keeping a detailed work journal where I write down my daily tasks, challenges, and important lessons. This helped me keep track of my progress and see where I could improve. I took the initiative to learn more by setting up short, focused chats with managers from various departments. This way, I could understand their workflows and see how my job fit into the company's bigger goals. This self-driven method helped me fit into the team faster, letting me understand complicated engineering processes quickly and make valuable contributions to projects within just a few weeks. I gained a solid understanding of how the company operates, which improved the quality of my work and showed my dedication to actively managing my own growth and performance.

A demonstrated ability to work as part of a team and to show leadership when required.

With a critical one-month deadline to commission a new production line when I did my internship in HME, my manager was increasingly pulled into high-level supplier negotiations, risking the oversight of daily validation tasks. As part of the team, my involvement was to assist my manager by ensuring the meticulous checking of each assembly station for reliability and correctness, thereby safeguarding the project timeline. Recognizing the need for coordination, I proactively established a detailed work plan for our sub-team and initiated short, daily stand-up meetings to track progress, quickly identify bottlenecks, and collaboratively solve problems in real-time. I stepped into a coordination role, facilitating communication between technicians and engineers to ensure alignment and that all findings were logged and addressed efficiently without requiring my manager's direct intervention. Our sub-team's efforts ensured the production lane validation was completed ahead of schedule to a very high standard, which was critical to the project's overall success. My initiative in providing structure and leadership was highlighted by my manager as a key factor in maintaining momentum, demonstrating my ability to seamlessly integrate within a team while also stepping up to lead when the situation demanded.

 

I look forward to attending the interview if you are interested in me, please kindly send me an email on s627809272@gmail.com or text me on 0434175770 and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Kind Regards,

Ningyuan