Chemical Engineering Co-op Program (Summer/Fall 2022)

The Lubrizol Corporation is looking for highly motivated Chemical Engineering sophomores for our Operations Co-op Program to start in our program in the Summer or Fall 2022 semester.

 

Lubrizol believes in providing you with a wide variety of experiences and increasing your responsibilities as you progress through the program. As a Lubrizol Operations Co-op, you will rotate through a number of different assignments based on your interests and opportunities in the company. Assignments will challenge you in an effort to promote professional growth while being an integral part of the company’s business. Lubrizol’s commitment to providing a rewarding experience for you is guaranteed to pay dividends in your career development.

 

Lubrizol’s co-op programs have been around for over five decades. Many of our senior leaders began their own careers as Lubrizol co-ops; this list includes former Lubrizol President's and CEO's. Each Lubrizol Chemical Engineering Co-op is regarded as a potential future leader.

 

Students are recruited, interviewed, and selected to join the Operations Co-op Program. Hired co-ops are then placed into one of our sub-programs based on student's preferences and business needs. There are currently three different sub-programs for Operations Engineering students, as follows: Lubrizol Additives, Lubrizol Advanced Materials, and Lubrizol Texas. Each program offers a unique set of locations and responsibilities. There will opportunities to complete assignments outside the program you hire into based on your interest and the availability at certain locations. The following provides a brief description of some of the available work terms:

 

The co-op students in the Additives division of Lubrizol can choose between Wickliffe, OH; Painesville, OH; and Spartanburg, SC. Wickliffe is Lubrizol’s global headquarters and is home to our R&D, mechanical testing, and pilot plant facilities. Painesville and Spartanburg are the manufacturing homes to many of Lubrizol Additives’ specialty products. You will be exposed to a variety of assignments with the three core sessions being Operations, Production, and Process Development.

You will work side-by-side with chemical operators who run a wide variety of chemical processing equipment. You will turn valves, start pumps, charge raw materials, and perform tasks that are necessary to help Lubrizol learn about and optimize our chemical processes. This is a great introduction to manufacturing equipment, basic chemical engineering unit operations, and Lubrizol’s work processes. This assignment provides the strong base from which your future assignments will build upon.

The process development department works to develop and optimize new and existing chemical processes. One major objective of this department is to scale-up lab reactions into full-scale production processes. In this term, you will lead a portion of several operations projects involving multidisciplinary teams. Your duties will include designing and conducting the necessary set of experiments, determining the appropriate analytical tests, analyzing the experimental data, and proposing the optimal solution.

As a segment support co-op, you will be located more in the business side of the company, working as a project manager to support technologies in our various business segments. Whether helping to determine new technologies to be developed, testing and comparing competitive products, or travelling out into the field to see our products in action, this term is all about big picture exposure to the drivers of our company's business.

You will help the plant manage its waste safely and efficiently by assembling data on air and water quality for government reports, tracking the disposal of waste generated at the facility, and assisting with required EPA testing. You will also be given the opportunity to lead plant initiatives to optimize waste handling and other utility operations.

You will learn the critical roles that mechanical and automation support play in all processes. This assignment will involve working with instrumentation, configuring control systems, troubleshooting, improving upon the designs of process equipment, working with the craftsmen, and gaining invaluable hands-on experience with chemical processing equipment. You may also have the opportunity to lead capital projects from design through construction.

In the Operations Support department, you will assist to ensure smooth day-to-day operation of production units and help solve technical issues encountered in manufacturing. You will work on projects involving process optimizations, new process and equipment start-ups, troubleshooting, and recommending and/or implementing equipment changes. In this role, you will have the opportunity to interact with a variety of departments within the plant, throughout Lubrizol, and in outside organizations.

 

The co-ops in the Advanced Materials division of Lubrizol will have assignments at our Avon Lake, OH site, our Brecksville, OH site, and terms at our other manufacturing sites across the United States. Avon Lake is home to our process development group, pilot plant facilities, and production of many of Advanced Material’s specialty products. Our other sites offer manufacturing of various products in different markets. The sites offering co-op terms include: Bowling Green, OH; Calvert City, KY; Clifton, NJ; Corona, CA; Franklin, WI; Gastonia, NC; Louisville, KY; Paso Robles, CA; Pedricktown, NJ; Victor, MT; and Wilmington, MA, with more opportunities continually opening up at other sites. During your time in the Advanced Materials program, you will have assignments in each of the three core areas: Operations, Production, and Process Development. These three core assignments are designed to develop you as a well-rounded engineer by exposing you to various departments and sites throughout the company. Each assignment will challenge you to build on the knowledge you gain in the classroom.  

This assignment will provide you with the basic understanding of the chemistry and processing of all of Advanced Materials' product lines. You will work side-by-side with the chemical operators in the Pilot Plant turning valves, charging raw materials, monitoring charges, and helping to trouble shoot the various processing equipment while learning the basic chemistry and operating procedures within Lubrizol Advanced Materials. You will also assist the Pilot Plant Engineers with small projects to keep the plant running smoothly. The knowledge you gain during this term will serve as a foundation for all future assignments.

Our Process Development group is responsible for developing and scaling up new products and assisting the plants in optimizing the quality and processing of existing products. In this term, you will be asked to design lab and pilot scale experiments, implement equipment changes, develop and evaluate analytical tests, collect and analyze data, and then make recommendations based on your results. In this assignment you will be challenged to expand on your classroom studies and to think outside of the box to help expand Lubrizol’s technology base as we develop new and innovative products. 

While working in Production, you will assist the area engineers to ensure the smooth day-to-day operations of one of our many production facilities. You will also work on a wide variety of process improvement projects including process optimization, safety improvements, new equipment start-up, and energy monitoring and improvements that will help the company by increasing capacity, improving processing, and reducing operating costs. You may also get involved in the capital project process which may include: equipment or control system design, project estimation, installation, and start-up. This assignment will expose you to a wide variety of projects that will develop your troubleshooting and problem-solving skills while applying the knowledge you have learned in the classroom. This term can take place at most of our production facilities throughout the United States, with opportunities opening up at new plants all the time.

 

The co-ops in the Texas-based program will have diverse work experiences over their terms including opportunities in day-to-day production units, long-term process improvement, and environmental compliance. The work will vary from hands-on operation of process equipment to data collection, optimization, and design. Some of the opportunities include:

In the Operations Support department, you will assist to ensure smooth operation of production units and help solve technical issues encountered in manufacturing. You will work on projects involving process optimizations, new process and equipment start-ups, troubleshooting, and recommending / implementing equipment changes. In this role, you will have the opportunity to interact with a variety of departments within the plant, throughout Lubrizol, and outside organizations.

While working in Production, you will assist the area engineers to ensure the smooth day-to-day operations of one of our many production facilities. You will also work on a wide variety of process improvement projects including: process optimization, safety improvements, new equipment start up, and energy monitoring and improvements that will help the company by increasing capacity, improving processing, and reducing operating costs. You may also get involved in the capital project process which may include: equipment or control system design, project estimation, installation, and start up. This assignment will expose you to a wide variety of projects that will develop your troubleshooting and problem solving skills while applying the knowledge you have learned in the classroom. This term can take place at any of our production facilities throughout the United States with opportunities opening up at new plants all the time.

You will help the plant manage its waste safely and efficiently by assembling data on air and water quality for government reports, tracking the disposal of waste generated at the facility, and assisting with required EPA testing. You will also be given the opportunity to lead plant initiatives to optimize waste handling and other utility operations.

You will work side by side with chemical operators who run a wide variety of chemical processing equipment. You will turn valves, start pumps, charge raw materials and perform whatever tasks are necessary to help Lubrizol learn about and optimize our chemical processes. This is a great introduction to manufacturing equipment, basic chemical engineering unit operations and Lubrizol’s work processes. This assignment provides the strong base from which your future assignments will build upon.

 

 

 

Lubrizol partners with universities across the country to recruit for the Chemical Engineering Co-op Program. Talk to your university career services department to find out when we will be on your campus. Then, visit us at our information session and at your university career fair. You will also need to submit an online application - click "Apply Now."