Oliver Keicher ‘27, a supply chain management and data analytics major, gained experience in procurement, manufacturing and process improvement while contributing ideas of his own.
Oliver Keicher ’27 had already worked through many of the projects planned for his summer internship with Honda Aircraft Company when he asked his manager for something more challenging.
“I wanted something that would challenge me even more,” Keicher said. “Something without the training wheels.”
His manager responded by turning over a raw-material sourcing project that had originally been part of his own workload. Keicher researched potential suppliers, analyzed sourcing options and developed a strategy that he later presented to senior leaders in supply chain management and engineering.
The project became one of the most meaningful parts of his internship.
“I asked for another project because I wanted to push myself,” Keicher said. “Being trusted with that level of responsibility gave me the chance to work through the strategy independently and present my recommendation to company leaders.”
The opportunity also connected Keicher with an interest that began years earlier. He took flight lessons throughout high school, developing an early passion for aviation and firsthand familiarity with the industry.
He soon realized, however, that “no one likes a creative pilot who wants to test the conventions of flight mid-air.”
Instead, Keicher found a place for that curiosity in aviation manufacturing.
“I love the aviation industry,” he said. “Nothing is cooler than being able to say you help build jets for a living.”
Keicher, a supply chain management and data analytics major from Sycamore, Ill., worked with Honda Aircraft’s procurement team at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, N.C.
His internship included production meetings, supplier visits and regular walks through the manufacturing floor. He learned more about sourcing strategy, the purchase-order life cycle and the role procurement plays in keeping aircraft production moving.
One of his first visits to the production floor gave him a closer look at Honda’s “go to the spot” philosophy. When a part had a quality issue, Keicher went directly to where it was being used and spoke with the technician working with it.
“I was able to understand what was wrong, why it was wrong and what information the supplier needed to fix the issue,” Keicher said.
The experience helped him see how procurement decisions connect to the work happening on the production floor and how communication among technicians, buyers and suppliers can help resolve problems.
Throughout the summer, Keicher contributed to projects involving sourcing, workload analysis, process improvement and employee training.
He helped develop a Power BI dashboard for the procurement team, created tools intended to streamline internal approval processes and documented procedures for onboarding new suppliers. He also led training sessions for incoming associates.
Keicher took the initiative to propose several updates to the company’s internship program. His recommendations included resources to help interns set goals with mentors, transfer knowledge to future interns and provide more useful feedback at the end of the experience.
The range of assignments allowed him to work across data analysis, supplier relationships and internal operations while seeing how each area supports a larger manufacturing process.
His coursework at the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business helped prepare him for projects that combined supply chain strategy with data analysis and communication.
In Introduction to Supply Chain Management with Coleman Rich, associate teaching professor of operations and supply chain management, Keicher learned tools including RACI matrices and critical path analysis. A course with Vinayaka Gude, assistant professor of business analytics, helped him strengthen his skills in data visualization, dashboard development and communicating findings clearly.
The internship confirmed Keicher’s interest in building a career in aerospace. It also reinforced the value of asking for the opportunities he wanted rather than waiting for them to appear.
“You have to ask the question,” Keicher said. “Ask for what you want the experience to be. That will define what you get to do.”