Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz
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Manufacturing Engineers
Manufacturing Engineers 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.
Table of contents
What they do
Manufacturing Engineers 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.
- 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.
Typical day
On a daily basis, Manufacturing Engineers communicate manufacturing capabilities, production schedules, or other information to facilitate production processes. They apply continuous improvement methods such as lean manufacturing to enhance manufacturing quality, reliability, or cost-effectiveness.
A typical day for a Manufacturing Engineer will also include:
- Prepare reports summarizing information or trends related to manufacturing performance.
- Troubleshoot new or existing product problems involving designs, materials, or processes.
- Supervise technicians, technologists, analysts, administrative staff, or other engineers.
- Provide technical expertise or support related to manufacturing.
- Prepare documentation for new manufacturing processes or engineering procedures.
Other responsibilities
Besides their typical day, Manufacturing Engineers also train production personnel in new or existing methods. They may also estimate costs, production times, or staffing requirements for new designs.
On a weekly to monthly basis, Manufacturing Engineers investigate or resolve operational problems, such as material use variances or bottlenecks. They might also design tests of finished products or process capabilities to establish standards or validate process requirements.
In addition, they incorporate new manufacturing methods or processes to improve existing operations.
Although specific duties may vary, many of them supervise technicians, technologists, analysts, administrative staff, or other engineers.
To some Manufacturing Engineers, it is also their responsibility to design the layout of equipment or workspaces to achieve maximum efficiency.
Freedom to make decisions
How much decision making freedom does this job offer?
Structured vs unstructured work
To what extent is this job structured for you versus allowing you to determine your own tasks, priorities, and goals?
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What is the job like
Job satisfaction
Is this job meaningful
70% said they were satisfied with their job and 60% said they found their job meaningful.
There are two distinct roles of a Manufacturing Engineer and typically a Manufacturing Engineer would only focus on one of these roles. Firstly there is Manufacturing Engineering Design. This focuses on how parts and products can be better designed to suit a particular manufacturing process. Often the key requirements are reducing cost, improving quality. This … Read More
Manufacturing Engineers are the ones who operate the design software to produce product and system designs, We also evaluate the production methods used for every item and supervise every process to ensure the quality of all the final products. There are many tasks that are assigned for a Manufacturing Engineer, As for me, I am … Read More
I am from Nielsen-Kellerman, an award-winning designer and manufacturer of weather stations, ballistics and weather instruments, and sports performance products. A typical day for me involves supporting the manufacturing staff; ensuring that they have the tools, equipment, and training necessary to produce products to meet customer demand. Some of my key responsibilities include: Designing, building, … Read More
Pros
Suitable for people who like practical and hands-on work.
Suitable for people who wants job security and a good working condition.
This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.
Very high salary (top 25% highest paid careers).
Cons
Not suitable for people who like to help and teach others.
It is hard to get into this career. A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career.
Long working hours (More than 40 hours per week).
How much do they make
Average salary
Average hourly wage
Entry-level Manufacturing Engineers with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $55,360 to $75,380 per year or $27 to $36 per hour.
| Salary by experience | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Highest (Top 10%) | $166,050 | $80 |
| Senior (Top 25%) | $134,480 | $65 |
| Median | $103,380 | $50 |
| Junior (Bottom 25%) | $75,380 | $36 |
| No experience (Bottom 10%) | $55,360 | $27 |
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What is the work day like
Working hours
Working schedule
Work with group or team
How important is it to work with others in a group or team in this job?
Deal with external customers
How important is it to work with customers in this job?
Manage or lead others
How important is it to coordinate or lead others in completing work activities in this job?
How often do you use email in this job?
Telephone
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Group discussions
How often do you have group discussions in this job?
Public speaking
How often does this job require you to do public speaking?
Frequency of conflict situations
How often are there conflict situations in this job?
Dealing with angry people
How often do you have to deal with angry, unpleasant, or discourteous individuals in this job?
Dealing with physically aggressive people
How often do you have to deal with physically aggressive people in this job?
Level of competition
How much competitive pressure is in this job?
Repetition in this job
How important is repeating the same type of task over and over in this job?
Impact of decisions on co-workers or company results
What results do your decisions usually have on other people or the reputation or financial resources of your employer?
Frequency of decision making
How frequently do you have to make decisions that affect other people, the financial resources, and/or the reputation of the company?
Responsibility for others’ health and safety
How much responsibility is there for the health and safety of others in this job?
Responsibility for outcomes and results
How much responsibility is there for the work outcomes and results of other workers?
What is the work environment like
Office-style environment
Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition
Warehouse-style environment
Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse
Outdoors
Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions
Outdoors – Under Cover
Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)
How to become one
Difficulty to become one
Required level of education
What level of education do you need to perform the job?
Relevant work experience
How much related work experience do you need to get hired for the job?
On The Job Training
How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?
Should you become one
Best personality type for this career
People with this personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.
People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.
People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.
People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.
People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.
You can read more about these career personality types here.
People who are suitable for this job tend to like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
They also like working with ideas and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.
Work Values
Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?
You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.
You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.
You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.
You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.
You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.
You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.
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