Hitarth Patel

About Hitarth Patel

I’m a passionate Mechanical Engineer with hands-on experience in design engineering, manufacturing systems, and quality improvement. My journey spans competitive student teams, industrial internships, and academic research all rooted in solving real-world mechanical challenges with practical, system-level thinking.At Nirma University, I captained Team Stallions, leading combustion and electric vehicle projects to top national finishes, including 2nd Overall at Formula Bharat 2023 and National Champions at ISIE Electric Solar Vehicle Championship 2021. I also developed a composite phase change material battery thermal management system with a 47x thermal conductivity improvement.My internships at Milacron India and MH Valves reinforced my interest in industrial systems giving me practical exposure to assembly process improvement, quality assurance, and manufacturing workflows in high-volume environments.At Purdue University, I’ve continued to build on this foundation through projects that merge mechanical design with system-level thinking including an autonomous package delivery robot built for competition. These projects reflect my focus on design for manufacturability, mechanical integration, and high-performance problem solving grounded in both theory and hands-on engineering.I’m actively seeking full-time roles in mechanical design, manufacturing engineering, or systems integration, where I can combine technical depth, hands-on execution, and leadership experience to drive meaningful innovation.

Experience

1. Summer Intern

   Refrigeration Industries And Storage Company

   May 2025 — Present · KW

   Overview:Working as summer intern at Coolex, contributing to both shop-floor operations and product development for customized air conditioners. Gained hands-on experience in production planning, process optimization, and SolidWorks-based design while supporting real-time problem-solving and improving manufacturing efficiency.Key Contributions:Managed press shop production and planned operations to ensure timely delivery of components to the assembly line.Identified inefficiencies in manual planning systems and independently developed a Python-based flexible job shop scheduling algorithm using a genetic algorithm, improving machine utilization and planning accuracy.Designed custom air conditioner frames and internal layouts in SolidWorks, including piping routes and component placement with emphasis on manufacturability and reuse of standard parts.Conducted detailed time studies across various components and models to gather accurate input for the scheduling system.Created detailed Bills of Materials (BOMs) and engineering drawings for custom units and uploaded them to the ERP system for production use.

Education

• Purdue University

  Master of Science - MS, Mechanical Engineering

• Nirma University

  Bachelor of Technology - BTech, Mechanical Engineering

  2020 — 2024