Jeet Banerjee
INTERVIEW
Sustainable Mobility Development
Intern at Frontier Technologies Laboratory
Jeet is studying Sustainable Mobility Management at Technische Universität Berlin. Jeet spent 4 weeks as an intern at the Frontier Technologies Laboratory, one of the R&D centers of Sumitomo Electric Industries.
Why did you want to intern at Sumitomo Electric?
The topic for the Global Internship Program 2021 was MaaS (mobility as a service) and sustainable energy. This was a great opportunity for me to implement my acquired university knowledge towards a market-specific project under the guidance of experienced professionals who have been working in this domain. Also, I had always looked forward to working in a Japanese firm and to experience the core values and working culture. I am really grateful that I got this amazing opportunity.
What was the most interesting thing you learned from this internship?
Through the internship, I was able to sharpen my technical skills regarding the various solutions that are already existing in the market, as well as deep-dive more into future market trends in the sustainable mobility segment (specifically, the electrification of fleets in developing a MaaS ecosystem). The knowledge gained was very interesting to me, as was seeing the core values that Sumitomo Electric fosters within the organization — how they have been steadfastly working toward a better sustainable future through their business offerings and product development, while ensuring the development of human interaction within the organization.
What was a typical workday like for an intern at Sumitomo Electric?
Although for me it was a remote internship program, the level of interaction that I had with my mentors in Japan at the Frontier Technologies Laboratory was very encouraging. Typically, every day started with a morning meeting with my supervisor to discuss the work of the previous day and plan out the tasks that were to be carried out further. This gave me a very clear perspective on a daily basis and helped me tremendously toward achieving my targets. On alternative days in the afternoon, we also had sessions on knowledge sharing, where we could share with each other our findings and discuss the relevance of these findings on our project.
I always looked forward to these knowledge-sharing session, which helped me learn a lot in the process. Every Monday I also had a session with my contact in the HR department, who made me feel so welcomed into the organization and was always encouraging with her kind words. I cherished every single day of work during my internship period.
How has the internship helped shape your career?
The internship has helped me become market-ready and has given me an outlook on what is being developed on a global scale in the sustainable mobility domain. I realize where I can fit in to become a valuable resource in the future, and to be able to contribute to the global fight against climate change.
What advice do you have for students considering to participate in this internship?
I would advise the future internship students to really take in the company values at Sumitomo Electric and appreciate the work culture where each individual is treated with care and respect. Such experiences in life are very important. We can follow them throughout our lives, and treat others equally based on our good experience. There is also a lot to learn from hard-working colleagues and the passion they have for their workplace.
What do you most appreciate about Sumitomo Electric?
I appreciate the people and the values that the company was founded on and how these values have been held within the organization still after so many years. The kindness, generosity, and welcoming nature of the colleagues while working together to push boundaries and instill a sense of passion for growth and expansion of the firm is rare to find, and I am immensely grateful that I got this opportunity.
