For more than 120 years, Harley-Davidson, headquartered in Milwaukee, has been one of the world’s most recognizable motorcycle brands. Dominating the U.S. market, the heavyweight motorcycles and the signature orange and black shield embody the freedom of the open road.
Just a short ride up the shores of Lake Michigan is Nicolet Plastics, with facilities in Jackson and Mountain, Wisconsin. The custom injection molding company specializes in producing complex plastic parts for industrial, medical and consumer markets. It was recently awarded the Small Business Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year Award.
Noah Klenner, a dual major in plastics engineering and mechanical engineering, completed two internships this year, one with each of these manufacturers.
“I most enjoyed seeing what it’s like to work in an engineering environment at both a smaller-scale company and a larger, more well-known manufacturing plant. I have a better understanding of how different teams operate, how communication and responsibilities vary, and how engineering work changes depending on the size and structure of the company,” Klenner said.
Klenner, of Slinger, was one of 24 UW-Stout students who received the university’s 2026 Outstanding Cooperative Education and Internship Program Student of the Year Award. He will graduate in fall 2028 and is looking to start a role in manufacturing or process engineering, “ideally in an environment where I can continue working on product development, process improvement, and production optimization,” he said.
What were your main roles and projects at Nicolet Plastics?
At Nicolet Plastics, my first internship, was my first real-world engineering role working with injection molding machines in a manufacturing setting. As a plastics engineering intern, I worked closely with the processing team lead on injection molding process support, including helping with mold changes, machine start-ups, and adjusting processing parameters, like injection speed and temperature, to improve part quality and consistency.
Toward the end of this internship, I also helped gather data for production part approval process (PPAP) documentation. Much of my work involved monitoring and adjusting processing parameters, such as injection speed and temperature, to improve part quality and consistency. I also spent time on the production floor troubleshooting issues and working with the team to reduce defects and improve overall efficiency.
What were your main roles and projects at Harley-Davidson?
At Harley-Davidson, as an advanced manufacturing engineering intern, I worked with the new product development group, supporting new parts as they were being prepared for production. One of the main things I worked on was supporting validation efforts for new 2026 police motorcycle parts. A big part of my role was running and supporting validation testing, including ensuring cosmetic quality standards were met and helping with significant production runs (SPRs) to validate that parts and processes were capable of running at production scale.
Toward the end of this internship, I also helped create PPAP documentation for those same parts to support the production approval process. Overall, I was helping make sure parts met quality and production requirements before launch.
What was challenging about your internship, and how did you face those challenges?
One of the most challenging parts was dealing with process issues on the production floor, where there isn’t always a clear or immediate answer. In those situations, I learned to stay organized, ask the right questions, and work closely with experienced operators and engineers to narrow down the root cause. I also found that being patient and methodical, instead of rushing to a fix, made a big difference in solving problems effectively.
How will your courses and experiences at Stout help you make an impact in your career?
My coursework at Stout has given me a strong foundation in manufacturing processes, materials and engineering problem-solving. Hands-on lab work and project-based courses have been especially valuable because they connect theory to real-world applications.
My internships at Nicolet Plastics and Harley-Davidson really built on that by showing me how those concepts are used in actual production environments.
