Manufacturing engineer

Manufacturing engineers design manufacturing processes for different kinds of production processes. They integrate those specificities and constraints posed by the industry or the product being produced with general and wide-spread manufacturing engineering principles into the design and planification of manufacturing processes.

The following job titles also refer to manufacturing engineer:

manufacturing engineering adviser
manufacturing engineering consultant
manufacturing technology engineering specialist
manufacture engineer
manufacturing technology engineering consultant
manufacturing technology engineering adviser
manufacturing technology engineering expert
MfgE
manufacturing engineering expert
manufacturing engineering specialist
manufacturing technology engineer
manufacturing process engineer

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as manufacturing engineer. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Manufacturing engineer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to manufacturing engineer.

automotive engineer
production engineer
rolling stock engineer
aerospace engineer
process engineer

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of manufacturing engineer. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of manufacturing engineer with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of manufacturing engineer.

Production processes: Materials and techniques required in the production and distribution processes.
Engineering principles: The engineering elements like functionality, replicability, and costs in relation to the design and how they are applied in the completion of engineering projects.
Manufacturing processes: The steps required through which a material is transformed into a product, its development and full-scale manufacturing.
Technical drawings: Drawing software and the various symbols, perspectives, units of measurement, notation systems, visual styles and page layouts used in technical drawings.
Engineering processes: The systematic approach to the development and maintenance of engineering systems.
Consumer protection: The current legislation applicable in relation to the rights of consumers in the marketplace.
Industrial engineering: The field of engineering concerned with the development, improvement, and implementation of complex processes and systems of knowledge, people, equipment, etc.

These skills are necessary for the role of manufacturing engineer.

Adjust engineering designs: Adjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.
Perform scientific research: Gain, correct or improve knowledge about phenomena by using scientific methods and techniques, based on empirical or measurable observations.
Use technical drawing software: Create technical designs and technical drawings using specialised software.
Ensure health and safety in manufacturing: Ensure health and safety of personnel during manufacturing process.
Advise on manufacturing problems: Advise the visited industrial plants on how to better oversee production to ensure that the manufacturing problems are correctly diagnosed and solved.
Ensure material compliance: Ensure that the materials provided by suppliers comply with the specified requirements.
Assess financial viability: Revise and analyse financial information and requirements of projects such as their budget appraisal, expected turnover, and risk assessment for determining the benefits and costs of the project. Assess if the agreement or project will redeem its investment, and whether the potential profit is worth the financial risk.
Approve engineering design: Give consent to the finished engineering design to go over to the actual manufacturing and assembly of the product.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of manufacturing engineer. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Continuous improvement philosophies: Underlying ideas of quality management systems. Implementation process of lean manufacturing, Kanban, Kaizen, Total Quality Management (TQM) and other continuous improvement systems.
Design principles: The elements used in design such as unity, scale, proportion, balance, symmetry, space, form, texture, colour, light, shade and congruence and their application into practice.
Cae software: The software to perform computer-aided engineering (CAE) analysis tasks such as Finite Element Analysis and Computional Fluid Dynamics.
Reverse engineering: The process of extracting knowledge or design information from anything man-made and reproducing it or anything else based on the extracted information. The process often involves disassembling something and analysing its components and workings in detail.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of manufacturing engineer. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes: Keep up to date with digital innovations applicable to industrial processes. Integrate these transformations in the company’s processes aiming for competitive and profitable business models.
Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
Encourage teams for continuous improvement: Empower teams to identify opportunities for continuous improvement and then drive the process to improve the results.
Recruit employees: Hire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.
Assess the life cycle of resources: Evaluate the use and possible recycling of raw materials in the whole product life cycle. Consider applicable regulations, such as the German VDI Guidelines 4800-1, 4800-2, and 4801, and the European Commission’s Circular Economy Policy Package.
Apply advanced manufacturing: Improve production rates, efficiencies, yields, costs, and changeovers of products and processes by using relevant advanced, innovative, and cutting edge technology.
Ensure equipment availability: Ensure that the necessary equipment is provided, ready and available for use before start of procedures.
Use cam software: Use computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) programmes to control machinery and machine tools in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation as part of the manufacturing processes of workpieces.
Integrate new products in manufacturing: Assist with the integration of new systems, products, methods, and components in the production line. Ensure that production workers are properly trained and follow the new requirements.
Advise on efficiency improvements: Analyse information and details of processes and products in order to advise on possible efficiency improvements that could be implemented and would signify a better use of resources.
Draft design specifications: List the design specifications such as materials and parts to be used and a cost estimate.
Use cad software: Use computer-aided design (CAD) systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimisation of a design.
Monitor plant production: Monitor the plant processes set-up and efficiency to ensure the maximum output production levels.
Recommend product improvements: Recomend product modifications and process improvements.
Liaise with engineers: Collaborate with engineers to ensure common understanding and discuss product design, development and improvement.
Provide improvement strategies: Identify root causes of problems and submit proposals for effective and long-term solutions.
Analyse production processes for improvement: Analyse production processes leading toward improvement. Analyse in order to reduce production losses and overall manufacturing costs.
Maintain financial records: Keep track of and finalise all formal documents representing the financial transactions of a business or project.

2141 – Industrial and production engineers

 

 

---

 

 

References

1. Manufacturing engineer – ESCO