Occupation

Manufacturing Engineers

Human Advantage 71%

Significant human skills needed

AI Automation Risk Low Risk
2.9 / 10

This occupation requires complex human judgment, social interaction, and creative problem-solving that are difficult to automate.

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.

Also Known As: Automation Engineer, Design Engineer, Engineer, Facility Engineer, Foundry Process Engineer, Lean Manufacturing Engineer, Manufacturing Applications Engineer, Manufacturing Automation Engineer +14 more

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Core Tasks

  1. Troubleshoot new or existing product problems involving designs, materials, or processes.
  2. Investigate or resolve operational problems, such as material use variances or bottlenecks.
  3. 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.
  4. Apply continuous improvement methods, such as lean manufacturing, to enhance manufacturing quality, reliability, or cost-effectiveness.
  5. Provide technical expertise or support related to manufacturing.
  6. Incorporate new manufacturing methods or processes to improve existing operations.
  7. Review product designs for manufacturability or completeness.
  8. Determine root causes of failures or recommend changes in designs, tolerances, or processing methods, using statistical procedures.
  9. Prepare reports summarizing information or trends related to manufacturing performance.
  10. Prepare documentation for new manufacturing processes or engineering procedures.
  11. Design layout of equipment or workspaces to achieve maximum efficiency.
  12. Communicate manufacturing capabilities, production schedules, or other information to facilitate production processes.
  13. Supervise technicians, technologists, analysts, administrative staff, or other engineers.
  14. Design, install, or troubleshoot manufacturing equipment.
  15. Evaluate manufactured products according to specifications and quality standards.
  16. Estimate costs, production times, or staffing requirements for new designs.
  17. Train production personnel in new or existing methods.
  18. Design tests of finished products or process capabilities to establish standards or validate process requirements.
  19. Analyze the financial impacts of sustainable manufacturing processes or sustainable product manufacturing.
  20. Develop sustainable manufacturing technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, minimize raw material use, replace toxic materials with non-toxic materials, replace non-renewable materials with renewable materials, or reduce waste.
  21. Purchase equipment, materials, or parts.
  22. Evaluate current or proposed manufacturing processes or practices for environmental sustainability, considering factors such as greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, water pollution, energy use, or waste creation.
  23. Read current literature, talk with colleagues, participate in educational programs, attend meetings or workshops, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in the manufacturing field.

Supplemental Tasks (1)

  1. Redesign packaging for manufactured products to minimize raw material use or waste.

Education & Training

Job Zone 4 Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Education: Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Experience: A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
On-the-Job Training: Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education Level Distribution

Percentage of workers in this occupation with each education level.

Bachelor's Degree
76%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
16%
Some College Courses
4%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.
4%

Technology & Tools

Hot Technologies

  • 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
  • Microsoft Word
  • R
  • SAP software
  • The MathWorks MATLAB

Software (36)

  • CNC Mastercam
  • Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
  • Computer numerical control CNC software
  • Dassault Systemes CATIA
  • Eko
  • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
  • FileMaker Pro
  • Geometric CAMWorks
  • IBM Notes
  • Microsoft Exchange
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Minitab
  • National Instruments LabVIEW
  • PTC Creo Parametric
  • Product lifecycle management PLM software
  • Programmable logic controller PLC software
  • Siemens NX
  • SolidWorks Enterprise PDM
  • Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
  • Web browser software

Tools & Equipment (8)

  • Desktop computers
  • Digital calipers
  • Digital micrometers
  • Laptop computers
  • Optical compound microscopes
  • Personal computers
  • Personal digital assistants PDA
  • Scientific calculators

Where This Career Leads

Career progression organized by specialty track and experience level.

Engineering Advanced Manufacturing

Zone 4
Manufacturing Engineers You are here

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Real Talk

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