Sean Catt ‘17 was able to uniquely combine both his majors -- Industrial Engineering and Mechanical Engineering -- into a single ambitious senior thesis project to earn the 2017 Outstanding Thesis Award.

Catt’s thesis titled “Packaging Optimization” was conducted to solve two unique packaging problems for his co-op employer Asahi Kasei Plastics in Fowlerville, Michigan.

“I think the scope of the project was far greater than I initially expected, but the ability to get it done in three month intervals over the course of two years was very key,” Catt said. “Looking back, it was a daunting task but very rewarding in the end. To get it done and see it being implemented and used today is spectacular.”

Catt’s thesis attempted to address challenges at Asahi Kasei. Firstly, it was discovered after testing that certain types of compounded resins contained higher levels of moisture due to the inability of packaging liners to appropriately prevent excess moisture absorption. The excessive moisture in the resins resulted in poor visual and mechanical properties defects after molding which drastically impacted the performance of the plastics.

Secondly, the existing packaging methodology resulted in underutilized space in the boxes due to material settling into the boxes throughout material handling processes. Catt thought the empty space in the boxes could be filled with more pellets by mechanically settling the material as the box fills. With extra space, those same boxes could be filled with additional compounded material.

When presented with these problems, Catt and his thesis advisor, Dr. Farnaz Ghazi-Nezami of the Industrial Engineering department, toured the Asahi Kasei plant and met with the engineering team to get a better sense for the scope of the project and the required next steps to tackle these challenges. Each of these issues likely could have been an independent thesis but Catt opted to tackle both together.

“The packaging volume problem is more on the industrial engineering side in terms of optimizing total available space in the boxes. Finding a way to prevent the materials from absorbing excess moisture by utilizing foil box liners is more mechanical. Designing the new equipment for the upgraded packaging process was absolutely a mechanical engineering task, but designing the process to the use the equipment was an industrial engineering task,” Catt said. “This project definitely encompasses both of my majors very well. It’s very cross-functional.”

Catt spent the first month on the project observing the current packaging processes before testing new materials for box liners to enhance moisture absorption. He then proposed new packaging techniques that could increase the packaging density of the materials in all shipments, allowing Asahi Kasei to fully utilize the available volume of their packaging solutions.

“I was thinking about different ways we could fit more material in each box to save on packaging and other operational costs,” Catt said.

Catt’s recommendations for his thesis project were implemented in the Fowlerville plant as an offline packaging station this year. From the packaging densification testing, it was realized that the company could experience a 12 percent reduction in packaging cost by filling extra materials in each shipment if implemented across the entire plant. Additionally, by using heat-sealed foil liners, a significant reduction in moisture absorption was achieved. For both the process, product and outcomes of his work, Catt has been recognized as the 2017 Outstanding Thesis Award winner at Kettering.

“I had the opportunity to observe Sean in couple of my core Industrial Engineering classes where he constantly proved himself as a motivated, goal-oriented and diligent student,” Ghazi-Nezami said. “Once he approached me about his thesis, and I learned about his project, I was so excited to advise him through his work. Sean's efforts and knowledge marked his work as an outstanding thesis and I am so proud of his work and this honor.”

Catt began working full-time for Asahi Kasei in April 2017. He is now working on a capital project to install similar densification scales plant-wide in Fowlerville and at the company’s newest factory in Athens, Alabama. This project is an expansion of his thesis on a grander scale.

For his success, up until this point of his career, Catt credits the undergraduate education he received at Kettering and the inspiring work environment at Asahi Kasei. He describes his co-op experience with reverence for its “team-based atmosphere” and culture that empowers a sense of responsibility and professionalism.

Catt lauds Kettering for establishing the foundations of professionalism by pushing him to get out of his comfort zone to take on more responsibility and leadership opportunities both on campus and at his co-op.

“I knew how to be professional and work with others to achieve common goals. Kettering prepared me to be a high-functioning engineer from day one on the job,” Catt said. “That is where a lot of the value of a Kettering education and co-op experience comes from -- the career readiness as soon as you walk out the door.”