Soumen Kumar Mahanty, a second-year MBA student with a concentration in operations and supply chain management, will graduate this May with a full-time position lined up at Foxconn in Lordstown, Ohio.
As president of the Operations Club at Weatherhead School of Management, Kumar Mahanty originally reached out to Foxconn in the fall of 2022.
“As part of the Operations Club, we hold many events and we wanted to do something that would bring job opportunities to our students,” Kumar Mahanty said. “We also wanted our students to have a real-world experience, so we reached out to Foxconn to see if they would be interested in hosting our students.”
After the students visited the Foxconn plant in Lordstown, Kumar Mahanty reached out to ask if they would be interested in interviewing him for a full-time position. Two weeks after interviewing for the material flow specialist role, he received the offer.
Learn more about Kumar Mahanty’s new role and his experience during his time at Weatherhead:
What are you most excited about for the role you will be starting at Foxconn upon graduation?
I am excited to start my career in operations and supply chain with one of the biggest contract manufacturing companies in the world. At Foxconn’s Lordstown plant they are manufacturing electric vehicles and I am excited to be a part of the journey.
In my new role I will be dealing with suppliers directly to buy materials and will also be dealing with negotiations. I will also gain hands-on experience on SAP-ERP and MRP.
How did Weatherhead prepare you for this position?
I believe the courses I have taken have helped me a lot to learn the necessary skills required for the job. Weatherhead has given me a platform to take leadership roles and has also helped me implement my classroom knowledge to real-world projects via courses like Six Sigma, Lean Operations and Operational Excellence.
Can you tell more about your experience in the Operations Club?
I wanted to be the president of the club to use my leadership skills to help other students and provide them a platform to learn, have fun and meet new people. When I was offered the position of president in August 2022, I happily took it.
Our Operations Club does a lot of events that includes speaker series, company tours, networking events and most importantly Case Competition. We are planning this semester to invite new companies to the career fair to provide more internship and full-time opportunities to our students at Weatherhead.
My most memorable and favorite event has been the company tour to Foxconn in the fall of 2022. We went to Foxconn’s newly bought manufacturing plant in Lordstown. We had the experience of seeing how they make electric vehicles and it was fascinating.
What is something you enjoy doing on campus outside of being in the classroom?
Going to The Jolly Scholar after class on Thursdays will always be memorable to me. I still go there sometimes to hangout with my friends and have fun after a long day.
Do you have a favorite class you’ve taken?
My favorite class was Six Sigma Green Belt. This class teaches us about the Six Sigma methodologies and tools that are used in real companies. Professor Michael Goulder teaches the course and he is also my favorite professor.
I loved the hands-on part of the course as we work on real-time projects with real companies across Cleveland. We learned how to deliver a project from beginning to end. At the end of the course, I also received my Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
What do you love most about Weatherhead?
All the staff and professors are very helpful and I’ve always received the support I needed. Staff like Deborah Bibb are the reasons students love to be a part of Weatherhead. Deb has provided me with so many opportunities to meet people like SVP’s and COO’s of big companies. I will always cherish my moments at Weatherhead even when I graduate.