Technical Product Benchmarking Intern

Turck Inc • Minneapolis, MN

3d

About The Position

Turck has a reputation for high quality sensors, distributed I/O, and connectivity solutions. Responding to the expanding needs of our customers, Turck’s offering has grown to include identification, safety barriers, isolators, machine safety, industrial controls, and system solutions. We dedicate ourselves to finding the optimal engineered solution for every application, no matter the challenge. With manufacturing sites in Germany, Switzerland, the USA, Mexico, and China -- all using the most up to date processes -- Turck makes sure that you get what you need, when you need it, wherever you may be.

At Turck, we are a growing, global team. In addition to great perks and challenging work assignments, we invest in our people with enriching career growth opportunities. We believe in a friendly and collaborative environment with open lines of communication.

The Technical Product Benchmarking Intern will lead a comprehensive technical and commercial benchmarking study of Fieldbus Technology products. This role blends hands-on hardware evaluation with competitive market research, resulting in a detailed intelligence matrix that compares performance, integration effort, and commercial positioning. The insights generated will directly support Turck’s product strategy, strengthen competitive knowledge, and provide valuable data to our sales partners.

This internship provides a unique opportunity to gain deep exposure to industrial networking technologies, hardware setup, troubleshooting, device configuration, and competitive product analysis.

Requirements

• Currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering or Computer Science
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to interpret technical documentation and product specifications.
• Interest in industrial networking, Fieldbus protocols, or automation hardware.
• Comfortable working hands-on with hardware, configuration tools, and troubleshooting tasks.
• Ability to work independently with minimal direction.

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with Fieldbus, Ethernet based industrial protocols, or controls/automation systems.
• Experience interpreting competitive technical information.
• Ability to present technical findings clearly to nontechnical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Work with assigned 3–5 competitor Fieldbus product offerings for direct comparison.
• Complete a structured audit of competitor data sheets, installation guides, configuration software, and product documentation.
• Evaluate and document pricing levels, lead times, and commercial positioning for products.
• Set up, configure, and commission Fieldbus hardware in a lab environment.
• Perform protocol interoperability testing across a range of industrial automation devices.
• Conduct diagnostic and maintenance scenario testing to assess real-world usability.
• Capture and compare feature sets, configuration workflows, and performance behaviors.
• Build a detailed intelligence matrix to compare strengths, weaknesses, and differentiators across competitive products.
• Identify capability gaps and potential opportunities for product improvement or repositioning.
• Summarize findings into actionable recommendations for Product Management and Sales.
• Work with Product Management, Product Engineering, Applications and Marketing, and teams to validate findings and ensure alignment with product strategy.
• Participate in discussions related to features, pricing, and market positioning.
• Support expansion of the competitive audit to Division 1 sensor products when appropriate.
• Other responsibilities as needed.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern