Copyright © 2024 by Rishikesh Sonawane & A.O. Smith India Water Products Pvt. Ltd.

About

Duration

The internship program had a duration of 02 months [08 weeks]. This internship duration window was set by my university and acted as a compulsory credit requirement for the completion of Semester 06. I was eligible for extending my internship duration but exceeding my determined time window would interfere with my university coursework.

Duration: 02 months [08 weeks]

Type: On-site, Full time

Contribution

Market research was essential, I collected and analysed data of existing A.O. Smith products and competitor products to gain better understanding of the market segment. I developed more than 50 new designs for upcoming water heater and purifier products considering company & consumer needs and meeting competitor benchmarks. I Ideated designs in real time and developed 3D models that were presented to the company board and later handed over to the engineering team for further development. In the water heater category, I designed several products with different capacities such as 3 litre, 5 litre, and 10 litre. I also worked with the R&D team to develop a more accessible and aesthetically pleasing service panel for an existing 15 litre heater that was already under development. I created new designs for an existing 3 litre water heater, the design had to be accommodated into the same old mould after additional tooling, hence it needed calculated design elements keeping cost and manufacturability in mind. I also designed and 3D modelled a 10 litre domestic storage water heater which was recently launched in India. In the water purifier category I made several ideations for prospective products and presented them to the board. My second 3 litre water heater design was also launched with an experimental technology on Amazon India.

Experience

This was my first hardcore industry exposure projects where I got to interact with pioneers of manufacturing and product development. I was given the privilege to work along side the production facility learning not just about manufacturing but also assembly and packaging. Since design is what creates an impression in the market, due to its importance it was a privilege to directly work with, interact and learn from the companies directors and presidents not just from the R&D department but also sales, sourcing and marketing. I was given the opportunity to break apart older water heaters and purifiers to study internals and fitments.