Manufacturing Engineers

What the job really is

Design, integrate, or improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs.

At a glance

• Sector: Architecture & Engineering
• O*NET-SOC code: 17-2112
• O*NET job zone: 4 — considerable preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Design, install, or troubleshoot manufacturing equipment.
• Supervise technicians, technologists, analysts, administrative staff, or other engineers.
• Troubleshoot new or existing product problems involving designs, materials, or processes.
• Investigate or resolve operational problems, such as material use variances or bottlenecks.
• Identify opportunities or implement changes to improve manufacturing processes or products or to reduce costs, using knowledge of fabrication processes, tooling and production equipment, assembly methods, quality control standards, or product design, materials and parts.
• Apply continuous improvement methods, such as lean manufacturing, to enhance manufacturing quality, reliability, or cost-effectiveness.
• Provide technical expertise or support related to manufacturing.
• Incorporate new manufacturing methods or processes to improve existing operations.
• Review product designs for manufacturability or completeness.
• Determine root causes of failures or recommend changes in designs, tolerances, or processing methods, using statistical procedures.
• Prepare reports summarizing information or trends related to manufacturing performance.
• Prepare documentation for new manufacturing processes or engineering procedures.

Tools and technology

Autodesk AutoCAD, C, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Project, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Visio, Microsoft Visual Basic

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Industrial Engineers
• Mechanical Engineers
• Industrial Production Managers
• Mechatronics Engineers
• Chemical Engineers
• Automotive Engineers
• Materials Engineers
• Electronics Engineers, Except Computer

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 4 (considerable preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Manufacturing Engineers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.