Building Processes that Make a Difference

When Rishab Jayakumar (MEM '25) began his time in Northwestern's Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program, he knew nothing about ASML, one of the world's leading manufacturers of chip-making equipment. He discovered the company while researching potential internship opportunities, and the more he learned, the more fascinated he became. 

ASML manufactures complex lithography systems critical to the production of microchips found in everything from cell phones and laptops to AI and data centers. 

"The idea that a single company’s machines can influence an entire industry, and that those machines are among the most complex ever built, was irresistible," Jayakumar said. "I wanted a front-row seat to that technology and a chance to add value by strengthening the operations and supply chain behind it." 

That is just what he did.  

Jayakumar was a product lifecycle management intern on ASML's strategic sourcing and procurement team. In that role, he streamlined operations and optimized workflows, digitizing service requests, visualizing and tracking critical key performance indicators (KPI), and turning reactive processes into proactive decisionmaking opportunities. 

His internship evolved into a co-op opportunity during the fall quarter based on positive feedback from his manager. 

"I was hooked by how unbelievably complex chipmaking is. With how quickly AI is developing, the need for more efficient chips is at an all-time high. Every phone, laptop, and processor in a data center depends on nanometer-scale patterns printed with light, and the push for smaller, faster chips forces lithography to new levels of precision, accuracy, and repeatability,” Jayakumar said. “That blend of extreme engineering and real-world supply chain execution is where I like to contribute, helping cutting-edge tech actually reach customers at scale." 

During his internship, Jayakumar focused on three specific projects, each geared toward reducing friction within the organization. He helped turn the company's email-based order process into a ServiceNow form and workflow, so requests could easily be routed and tracked. He built a dashboard in Power BI — Microsoft's data visualization and business analytics service — to provide a clean view of updated information.  

He also led a root-cause analysis of overplanned items that can tie up cash, warehouse space, and planner time.  

Jayakumar's previous professional experience was focused heavily on research and design. This internship and co-op let him dive deep into operations, allowing him to turn business goals into executable workflows and measurable outcomes.  

To succeed, Jayakumar often found himself referring to lessons learned in MEM. His Supply Chain Management and Operations Excellence courses provided a foundation in concepts like inventory turns, lead time, and minimum order quantity. Product Lifecycle Management helped him develop a phasegate mindset to break complex projects down into smaller phases. Decision Tools introduced him to Power BI and gave him the training necessary to design a KPI model with clear targets and next steps.  

"Beyond the classroom, MEM also trained me to weigh tradeoffs of cost, risk, cycle time, and communicate them clearly," he said. "These are the skills that helped in interviews and made my internship contributions immediately useful." 

Moving forward, Jayakumar hopes to be a translator between technology and business. His goal is to lead cross-functional teams and programs, ideally allowing him to define requirements, align engineers and suppliers, and implement changes that strike the right balance between cost and efficiency.  

"The MEM program significantly reduced the learning curve and gave me a common language with the ASML team," he said. "That mix of systems thinking, stakeholder alignment, and data storytelling is something that will add tremendous value to any role I pursue after graduating."