Production engineer

A Production Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, and optimizing manufacturing processes to ensure efficient, safe, and cost-effective production of goods. They act as the link between engineering design and manufacturing operations, working to improve productivity, reduce waste, and maintain product quality. Production Engineers play a key role in process improvement, equipment maintenance, and continuous optimization across various industries such as automotive, aerospace, electronics, food processing, and pharmaceuticals.

Production engineers typically do the following tasks:

• Develop, evaluate, and improve manufacturing methods, workflows, and production systems.
• Design and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency, quality, and safety.
• Monitor production metrics and identify areas for cost reduction or performance enhancement.
• Collaborate with design engineers to ensure manufacturability of new products.
• Troubleshoot production issues and provide technical support to operators and maintenance teams.
• Plan equipment layouts and production schedules to meet output targets.
• Ensure compliance with health, safety, and environmental regulations.
• Manage and maintain manufacturing equipment, including setup, calibration, and preventive maintenance.
• Implement lean manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies to minimize waste and variability.
• Prepare production reports, analyze performance data, and recommend corrective actions.

The following job titles also refer to production engineer:

production engineering expert
production engineering consultant
agricultural production engineer
production engineering specialist
planning and production support manager
productions engineer
production engineering adviser

Production Engineers typically work in industrial or manufacturing settings, such as factories, assembly plants, or workshops. The role involves a mix of office-based planning and on-site supervision, requiring interaction with operators, maintenance staff, and management. Work hours are usually full-time, but overtime or shift work may be necessary during production peaks or equipment breakdowns. Safety awareness is critical, as engineers often work near machinery and production lines.

A bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, or a related field is generally required to work as a production engineer. : Hands-on experience in production environments through internships, apprenticeships, or entry-level engineering roles is highly beneficial. Certifications such as Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Certified Manufacturing Engineer (CMfgE), or Project Management Professional (PMP) can enhance career prospects.

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.

Production engineer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

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

manufacturing engineer
automotive engineer
rolling stock engineer
equipment engineer
gas production engineer

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of production 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.
• Quality standards: The national and international requirements, specifications and guidelines to ensure that products, services and processes are of good quality and fit for purpose.
• 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 production engineer.

• Lead process optimisation: Lead process optimisation using statistical data. Design experiments on the production line and functional process control models.
• 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.
• Optimise production: Analyse and identify the strengths and weaknesses of solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems; formulate and plan alternatives.
• 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.
• Control production: Plan, coordinate, and direct all production activities to insure the goods are made on time, in correct order, of adequate quality and composition, starting from intake goods up to shipping.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of production 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.

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

• Adjust production schedule: Adjust work schedule in order to maintain permanent shift operation.
• Inspect quality of products: Use various techniques to ensure the product quality is respecting the quality standards and specifications. Oversee defects, packaging and sendbacks of products to different production departments.
• Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
• Manage human resources: Conduct employee recruitment, helping employees to develop their personal and organisational skills, knowledge, and competencies as well as providing feedback and performance appraisals. It includes motivating employees, by implementing rewarding systems (managing pay and benefit systems) in order to maximise employee performance with regard to employer’s strategic objectives.
• Schedule production: Schedule the production aiming maximum profitability while still maintaining the company KPIs in cost, quality, service and innovation.
• Control financial resources: Monitor and control budgets and financial resources providing capable stewardship in company management.
• Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
• Maintain relationship with suppliers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with suppliers and service providers in order to establish a positive, profitable and enduring collaboration, co-operation and contract negotiation.
• Identify training needs: Analyse the training problems and identify the training requirements of an organisation or individuals, so as to provide them with instruction tailored to their prior mastery, profile, means and problem.
• Ensure equipment availability: Ensure that the necessary equipment is provided, ready and available for use before start of procedures.
• Implement quality management systems: Implement quality systems and procedures such as ISO systems.
• 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.
• Provide advice to technicians: Offer help and advice to service technicians in case of machine malfunctions and other repair tasks.
• Ensure equipment maintenance: Ensure that the equipment required for operations is regularly checked for faults, that routine maintenance tasks are performed, and that repairs are scheduled and performed in the case of damage or flaws.
• Set production facilities standards: Ensure a high standard of safety and quality in facilities, systems, and workers’ behaviour. Ensure adherence to procedures and audit standards. Ensure that machinery and appliances in the production plant are appropriate for their task.
• Control of expenses: Monitoring and maintaining effective cost controls, in regards to efficiencies, waste, overtime and staffing. Assessing excesses and strives for efficiency and productivity.
• Estimate duration of work: Produce accurate calculations on time necessary to fulfil future technical tasks based on past and present information and observations or plan the estimated duration of individual tasks in a given project.
• Analyse production processes for improvement: Analyse production processes leading toward improvement. Analyse in order to reduce production losses and overall manufacturing costs.
• Develop product design: Convert market requirements into product design and development.

2141 – Industrial and production engineers

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 References

1. Production engineer – ESCO
2. Production Engineer Job Description – Betterteam
3. Featured image: Image by Sergey2025 from Pixabay