During my summer vacation, I spent two more weeks abroad for an internship at Shenzhen Giesecke & Devrient Currency Automation Systems Co., Ltd., China. Shenzhen is located in the south of China, close to the border of Hong Kong.
The company’s main focus is on solutions for automated cash processing. They offer products like e designed to process, transport and pack banknotes.
I was staying with a Chinese family and had a very warm welcome and was very well cared for.
During my internship, I got an insight into many different departments of the company, such as Purchasing, IT, Quality Management and Electrical Engineering.
First, I got a tour through the whole office and the warehouse. Following this, I was presented with some information about the company and the departments.
I learned how the cash processing machines work and did several test runs, where I checked for unfit, fit and rejected banknotes. Unfit banknotes are not suitable for further use and must be destroyed. The rejected ones cannot be recognized for some reason (e.g. if they are forgeries), but this number is usually very low. The machines use several sensors to process the cash, such as cameras, infra-red, UV, magnetic and thickness sensors. I also spent some time with the electrical engineers to repair sensors that are not working, to calibrate and test them.
I was then introduced to the Purchasing department and first studied the purchasing procedures, where each step from requesting an order to buying the product or material is described. Afterward, I joined the department manager in a visit to a supplier. There, we received a company presentation and a tour through their manufacturing area.
Furthermore, I was introduced to a new project and joined the quite young team of IT and electrical engineering people. They were preparing their system for a potential customer’s visit to show them the way it works and convince them of its effectiveness.
I also helped to test the different machine types and learned about the buildup of these systems, especially the electric parts, how they work and what happens if an error is detected.
Besides that, I got an insight into the Quality Management department, where I saw the machines for measuring the incoming materials very precisely and I also gained an understanding of certifications, for example, the ISO 9001, one of the Quality Management principles.
As I was staying with a Chinese family, I got the opportunity to get to know the area of Shenzhen and became familiar with the Chinese way of living.
After my internship, I managed to spend a weekend in Hong Kong where I experienced what it is like to live in a city that big with so many inhabitants. It is a very busy town, but I still made my way around the city and saw a lot of different sights, such as the famous light show at night, the Victoria Peak, Causeway Bay, Kowloon, and Mongkok.
I’d like to thank everyone for making it possible for me to get such a unique and interesting experience this summer.