What Does Steel Dynamics Do?

Steel Dynamics is a leading industrial metals solutions company that produces lower-carbon, high-quality steel products primarily from recycled scrap. Operating through a circular manufacturing model, the company manufactures a wide range of steel products including flat roll, structural, and long products for industries such as construction, automotive, energy, and manufacturing. In addition to steel production, Steel Dynamics operates metals recycling facilities, steel fabrication plants, and aluminum production operations, serving customers across North America with a focus on innovation, efficiency, and sustainability.

What Makes This Internship Different?

The Automation/Controls Engineering Intern will work closely with the maintenance and operations teams to ensure the plant runs safely and efficiently. They will learn how to take a leadership role in promoting safety, reliability, quality, cost control, process improvement, and project management. This role involves managing Level 2 automation systems, continuously working to enhance equipment performance through improvement initiatives. These systems utilize various applications for data processing, product setup, and optimization, so the intern should be knowledgeable in programming languages and communication protocols. This intern will learn the steel manufacturing process to help troubleshoot and resolve operational issues.

Internship Location

This internship is located at the Steel Dynamics Sinton Flat Roll Division located in Sinton, TX, in the Cold Mill Department. This internship will take place Summer 2026.

Internship Benefits

• Furnished Housing Free of Cost
  • Provided for interns living more than 50 miles from their work site, including essential furnishings to ensure a comfortable stay during the internship.
• 401(k) & Company Match
  
  • Eligibility to participate in the company 401(k) plan with a 10–50% company match that vests immediately.
• Employee Discounts
  
  • Access to discounts on hotels, vehicles, and other goods and services through Steel Dynamics’ nationwide partner network.
• Employee Assistance Program
  
  • Up to five free visits per issue, per year for counseling, legal advice, financial guidance, and other daily living resources.
• Intern Extravaganza
  
  • A two-day event at company headquarters featuring facility tours, networking with company leaders, cultural immersion, and connecting with other interns from across the country.
• Competitive Pay
  
  • Competitive hourly wages for all internship positions, rewarding the value interns bring to the company.

What Are My Responsibilities as an Automation/Controls Engineering Intern at Steel Dynamics?

• Follow safety policies, participate in risk assessments, and support lockout tagout verification under supervision.
• Assist maintenance and operations with day-to-day troubleshooting of Level 2 automation issues and escalate when needed.
• Monitor process and equipment performance, collect data, and help identify reliability, quality, and cost opportunities.
• Build, test, and document small code changes for Level 2 tools such as product setup models, data processing scripts, and simple web pages with mentor review.
• Create and run basic SQL queries to validate data, generate reports, and support root cause investigations.
• Help maintain software, database, and configuration backups and follow change control procedures.
• Support HMI and visualization updates and develop simple dashboards or reports for production teams.
• Assist with basic network and communication tasks, including device checks and protocol health verifications for Ethernet, TCP IP, and Profinet, with guidance.
• Participate in planned outages and improvement projects by executing test plans and verifying system functionality.
• Document troubleshooting steps, standard work, and job aids to improve knowledge transfer.
• Coordinate with operators, electricians, mechanics, quality, and IT to plan and execute improvement tasks.
• Learn the steel manufacturing process through assigned training and cross-functional shadowing.

What Qualifications Do I Need?

Required

• Currently pursuing a degree in Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, or a related field.
• Basic understanding of programming languages and an ability to troubleshoot or modify software systems.
• Strong interest in industrial process automation and system control.

Preferred

• Experience with databases (e.g., SQL) or knowledge of database management.
• Familiarity with computer networking and communication technologies (e.g., Ethernet, TCP/IP).
• Knowledge of industrial communication protocols (e.g., Profinet, UDP).
• Basic experience with virtual machine environments (e.g., VMWare) and Windows server operating systems.
• Experience working on Level 2 automation control systems (e.g. databases, setup models, C/C++/C# applications, front and back-end Web development).
• Experience working in a heavy industrial environment.

Steel Dynamics, Inc., and all affiliated entities are equal opportunity employers.