Credits - Disha Pandey, B.Tech, Mechanical Engineering 2025

Where was your third year summer internship? Domain,Company, City and Profile.

FMCG. P&G, Bhiwadi, 40 min. via highway from Gurgaon. Supply Chain Management role. It is a techno-managerial role and to some extent, the project is allotted based on the profile of the intern.

Can you tell us about the work you were assigned during your internship? What were your responsibilities?

Supply chain basically involves working in the plant location. Every plant has optimization projects, which people aren’t really working on.They want them to get resolved, but aren’t able to themselves, as they are busy with multiple different projects already. So, they get interns to get started on these. There is an Intern Incharge in every plant. I was working in the Gillette-grooming division. Quality assurance, engineering team…Operations-Utility, look at power and water supply for each and every plant process Bhivadi is an industrial city. Here, the government has set up a lot of new policies, they charge you based on how much water you use and produce as waste. The rates are high. The company lost a lot of water and money, so they needed to work urgently in this new sector, where no one was already assigned. I was tasked with reducing water consumption and waste water use by 50%. My focus was on identifying inefficiencies and driving execution, and I ended up achieving a 25% reduction. The goal was to engage interns to carry the work forward, despite challenges in planning and execution.

Describe a typical day at your internship. What tools, software or equipment you used in your work?

My work was not a desk job, in fact a nice combination of desk and hands on. It felt like a tech team lab, except with huge funding and fabulously big machines. For project planning, I used a lot of Excel for data analysis. Water meters were located all across the plant, and we analyzed that data over the years to create a water map of the entire facility. You definitely need an engineering background for this role, as you need to understand how machines work, visit various locations, and talk to technicians and managers. I attended meetings to discuss our findings, gathered data by walking around the plant, and then returned to my desk to organize and present it in a way that’s legible to a director-level person. We had weekly meetings with them, and making sense of random information is crucial. Directors have only about 10 minutes of free time, so you need to explain why you spent time on something and what the outcome was. I worked on water softeners and cooling towers, wore a helmet, climbed terraces, and found that simplifying complicated data is tough. I ended up making at least 50 Excel sheets. In the execution phase, things got a lot harder. Now, everything you do has a dependency. Earlier, it was about coming up with strategies; the second part was about coordinating with people and getting things done through them. For example,To identify delay, I had to track transport guys once, made multiple calls then eventually found a truck stuck in the rain. A lot of things can go wrong. I also helped technicians with training. Introducing automation involves getting a vendor on board, understanding the capital required, and I ended up handling some finance tasks as well. In projects, you don’t just check feasibility—you also consider finance and business aspects. Training technicians on new automation was crucial, and whenever we made changes to old machines, we had to be mindful of the impacts, especially on data recording. I needed to know how much water was going where, and it was important to track these things in a certain way to ensure everything was done as required. Some data logging was done in the planning phase, while in execution, we were running new machines, so recording their data also became essential in the latter half of my internship. P&G values personality traits in technicians as well, and they are quite selective about it. Technicians often have around 20 years of experience, so getting them to believe in your ideas can be challenging. They were very nice and eager to teach me, but when I found issues, it was hard to convince them that my solutions were right. You have to learn to tackle that by using data and mastering the people aspect of the job. Optimization isn’t just about engineering; it also involves understanding people. I often tried to mix and match ideas so the technicians would feel ownership of the solution, and then they were happy to work on it. They generally respect interns and don’t come with any prejudice—though not everyone, but some. My work hours were from 7 AM to 4 PM or sometimes until 3:30 PM. The plant runs 24/7, so there are three shifts, and technicians come in for all of them. I woke up at 5:45 AM, got ready in a rush, and hopped in the cab. We used to chat, but gradually I started dozing off as time passed. The ride took about 50 minutes, and I usually reached by 7:30 AM, while the managers often arrived late. The first thing I did was get a coffee, then I talked to some managers in the admin office; it was quite chatty. After that, I headed straight to the shop floor and the utility department. A morning meeting happens every day, followed by breakfast served at the plant, where mostly interns and sometimes managers joined. For lunch, I usually sat with my department’s technicians. There were lots of managers from different departments, and we mostly sat together in varying age groups. There were only about two hours of work after lunch. After work, I would talk to the managers; on one or two days, I stayed later than 4 PM, but otherwise, I kept to the schedule During the first month, I found it really exhausting, so I spent a lot of time just rotting in bed after work. Later, I realized that fitness was important, so I joined yoga and Zumba classes around 7-8 PM. Dinner was sponsored at the hotel only where we were accommodated.

What is something you didn’t know would be a relevant skill to have but helped you in your internship, or what was a skill you were surprised to figure out you needed for your internship?

I thought I was good at making PowerPoint presentations, but I was certainly not. It was a massive shock to realize that I wasn’t as skilled in the non-core aspects of presentations as I had believed. They need to be both simplified and exhaustive—a very specific type of presentation skill is required to explain to someone with no context on the matter. I did a few practice runs without a script, as I prefer to speak naturally. I practiced with a buddy at PNG, with my dad, and with another friend. What, why, and impact—is it worth pursuing. You have to explain everything. I learned this on the job and received feedback. There’s a lot of hype around presentations, especially during mid and end-term reviews when the entire plant sits for it. They grill you on everything, including how well the presentation is made.

Tell me about your transition to the city, accommodation(PG, hostel, rented apartment, relative’s), food and transportation. Was it compensated by the company? Did they help in any way?

I took a cab daily since the company had a tie-up with a local cab service. The managers carpooled, so the three of us interns did too. The cab would pick us up and drop us back. They made us stay at a hotel in Gurgaon. The company compensated us for three meals, but we would still get hungry and order snacks.Gurgaon is your average convenient metro city, it has like 20 malls, food places, and drinking spots. It was all about food, booze, and malls, with Swiggy Instamart everywhere.For me personally though, the city was incredibly boring—I hated it, lol. Maybe because I grew up in Bangalore and then moved to Mumbai. Gurgaon is infamous for being unsafe, especially compared to Mumbai, where you can go out late at night without worry. The transition was noticeable even in the way people dressed. I packed shorts and skirts, but people in Gurgaon generally wore more covered clothing. No one dressed in revealing clothes at all, and even in the metro, random people would stare. It was mostly dull, and I kept running away to Delhi, spending the whole day there and only then returning. I became really good friends with my co-interns; they were nice, supportive, and friendly. Delhi had monuments and culture, so I did all the touristy things—visited Sarojini Nagar, Khan Market, and India Gate.

Your personal goals and journey and how this internship shaped/affected the same.

I wasn’t really aware during my intern season, as it was just after COVID, and the previous batch was doing random things. The return to internships wasn’t solidified yet. I spent some time mourning certain losses and wasted time that I should have used to make myself more aware of companies. As someone who wants to pursue an MBA at some point, a techno-managerial role was perfect for me. I believe that industries that make a difference are often technical, so having a tech background is really important. I didn’t realize that the supply chain offers that opportunity. So, I applied for both tech and consulting roles. In hindsight, I like where I ended up—my profile fits what these companies are looking for. At the start, I was just looking for a good company that could provide an introduction to the corporate world, and P&G fulfilled that on all fronts. I also wanted to meet people and understand their career paths—why they chose what they did. On the technical front, I wanted to prove to myself that I could make an impact and a difference. My goals included adding a tangible, visible aspect to my work, not just sustaining things. Logging in during morning meetings and discussing numbers made the work feel significant. For example, being able to bring down costs from 35 lakhs to zero really boosted my confidence in my abilities. It wasn’t necessarily my initial goal, but it helped a lot. Right now, I’m keeping my options open and believe in working for a few years before deciding on my next steps.

How is the work culture like at the company?

P&G’s entire selling point is their work culture—it’s awesome. They offer a lot of benefits, like maternity leave (even Paternity as a matter of fact), 60 days of paid leave, and more. The idea is that they provide a perfect life, so you’ll want to stay with them for 25 years or more. During the 8-9 working hours, people work very hard and are very busy, but that’s it—no overtime, not even for the most senior directors. The internship was on a small scale, focused on a singular project. There was no toxicity; it was very constructive and practical. I even had to ask for criticism because they want you to figure things out on your own. No one yelled or screamed—it was an ideal workplace.I also got to hang out with a lot of boomers, and we taught them Gen Z slang like “rizz.” They even started using those terms! They invited us to their house parties and to watch movies with them. I just wish there were more young people in my plant; other plants had more young people.

Any memorable experience you’d like to share?

My sponsor, Rahul, does this thing called ‘breakfast with the interns’. He invited us over to his apartment complex, where he asked us some sus HR questions, calling it a casual interaction. We also went to his house and watched Panchayat together. There were four interns at my plant, but one left early. The plant runs 24/7, and everyone gives 100%, sometimes working six-day weeks. I worked four Saturdays to get a few things done. All of my co-interns were doing great jobs as well, and they also showed up. One day, my manager called me to work on a Saturday, even though it wasn’t expected-just casually.

Any advice for people going to work in the same company? If you could go back, is there anything you would do differently during your internship? What advice would you give to someone looking to ensure a PPO?

Honestly, the company does take care of you, so don’t be intimidated or nervous about how things work. I’m not good at sucking up to people or making connections where there isn’t a mental bond; I can’t make fake connections, which is a useful skill to have, but it’s not one of mine. I was hesitant about what I was saying, constantly keeping track of my words. Over time, I learned to just be myself. Don’t worry too much about what people think—just be yourself and don’t stress excessively. The company values hard work, honesty, practicality, and logic, so don’t overthink things. I went to Delhi three times—it was really hot, so make sure to pack hydration and sunscreen. It’s about an hour away, even from the metro. I was initially intimidated when talking to the leadership team, especially my sponsor, who was very welcoming and someone to be respected and admired.

To get a Pre-Placement Offer (PPO), they look for people who can not only interact with fellow managers but also engage with vendors and technicians to get things done. You intersect with so many different types of people, so it’s important to show that you can think in a structured manner and build rapport. One of my colleagues had a language barrier with the technicians, which affected her ability to establish a rapport, and as a result, she missed out on the PPO. Of course, reaching your goals and demonstrating your skills is important, but building relationships is equally crucial. The different cities where people were located included Chandigarh (essentially in Himachal), Goa, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Bhopal.

Before beginning the internship, anything one can do to prepare oneself for the company and work? Would it be good to read up the annual report of the company or something?

I didn’t do much; I was just unwinding, honestly, because the semester was over. You can learn a bit of Excel and Power BI.