Value Engineering & Cost Optimization Intern

About the Internship

This internship is designed for B.E./B.Tech students of the 2027 graduating batch, preferably from Mechanical, Production, Mechatronics, Automobile, Industrial, Manufacturing, or related disciplines. The role focuses on value engineering and continuous cost optimization in product development, manufacturing, and sourcing cycles, aimed at enhancing product efficiency without compromising quality.

About Gray Mobility

Gray Mobility is committed to developing cutting-edge electric commercial vehicles tailored for emerging markets. Their goal is to revolutionize commercial mobility by making it safer, more reliable, energy-efficient, and profitable through deep engineering principles combined with software and AI technologies. The company values every gram, every rupee, and every design decision in their products.

Role Overview

The intern will bridge engineering, manufacturing, sourcing, and supplier development domains to reduce product costs while raising value, manufacturability, quality, and reliability. This involves collaboration with suppliers and internal engineering teams to scrutinize design decisions through fundamental engineering analysis and cost data.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop should-cost models for mechanical, electrical, and plastic parts using zero-based costing.
• Analyze costs by deconstructing products into materials, processes, tooling, labor, and overhead.
• Evaluate and compare supplier quotations with calculated costs to benchmark prices.
• Identify and propose cost-saving opportunities via process improvements and design alterations.
• Collaborate with suppliers to explore lower-cost manufacturing techniques and challenge quotations with technical and commercial insights.
• Support supplier negotiations through data-driven engineering analysis.
• Implement product cost reduction strategies including material substitution, manufacturing simplification, part consolidation, standardization, design simplification, fastener reduction, packaging and logistics optimization.
• Partner with R&D to identify cost-effective technologies, alternative materials, lightweight designs, manufacturing improvements, and enhanced part commonality.
• Assist engineering teams in meeting cost targets during product development by participating in design reviews to scrutinize components for cost, manufacturing, and value aspects before design freeze.
• Conduct benchmarking of competitor vehicles and components focusing on manufacturing processes, material choices, weight and cost optimization, assembly methods, and supplier selection, and prepare improvement recommendations.
• Engage cross-functionally with Mechanical Engineering, Battery Engineering, Vehicle Integration, Manufacturing Engineering, Purchasing, Supplier Quality, and Program Management to drive cost reduction initiatives.

Who Can Apply

Candidates eligible for this internship must be Mechanical Engineering students of the 2027 graduating batch, available for full-time in-office internship, capable of starting between 12th July 2026 and 16th August 2026, and committed to the full 6-month duration. They should possess relevant skills and interests in product development and cost control.

Stipend and Perks

The internship offers a monthly stipend ranging from INR 10,000 to 15,000. Additional benefits include a certificate of internship completion, a letter of recommendation, and an informal dress code.

Learning Opportunities

• Gain practical exposure to automotive should costing, design-to-cost methodologies, value analysis and engineering (VA/VE), lean manufacturing, design for manufacturing and assembly (DFMA), and supplier development.
• Hands-on experience with cost modeling, product teardown analysis, material selection, lightweight engineering, sourcing strategies, and product benchmarking.

Desired Skills

• Strong fundamentals in mechanical engineering.
• Knowledge of manufacturing processes and materials.
• Analytical thinking with curiosity about product construction.
• Proficiency in Excel; basic CAD skills preferred.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings.
• Effective communication and presentation capabilities.

Success Metrics

• Develop accurate cost models for major components.
• Identify quantifiable bill of materials (BOM) cost reductions.
• Recommend lightweighting initiatives without affecting performance.
• Collaborate on implementing value engineering solutions with R&D.
• Improve manufacturability and reduce component complexity.
• Support supplier negotiations through analytical engineering data.
• Ensure product quality, safety, and reliability are upheld or improved while lowering costs.
• Deliver documented savings through VA/VE projects.