Production engineer - Manufacturing engineer

Job description
Production engineers manage the operation of one or more manufacturing workshops in a manufacturing company. Their role is to organize, set up and optimize production, while observing specifications. Their responsibilities vary based on the size and structure of the company. They can be in charge of all the products, one line in particular, or a step in the manufacturing process (e.g. assembly). The work of production engineers is done before, during and after the manufacturing process per se. Upstream, they analyze the file sent by the Engineering and Design department, then participate in defining the objectives (cost, quality, timelines), methods and means (raw materials, human resources). When manufacturing is under way, they monitor operations on a daily basis and supervise technical personnel, from the workers to the team leaders. In smaller companies, they may be required to manage maintenance tasks. Downstream, production engineers are in charge of developing processes to measure and further workshop productivity (equipment performance, team efficiency).

Specific skills
Bachelor's degree in industrial engineering Beginners can get hired, but two to three years' experience in a manufacturing environment is an asset Be registered with their province's professional engineering association for the right to practise as an engineer (P.Eng. or ing. in Quebec) Familiarity with the company's technology and how its products work Ability to manage teams and lead several projects at the same time, and to handle pressure and tight deadlines Proficiency with CAD (computer-assisted design) tools Bilingualism (French/English) for Quebec professionals

Personal qualities
Leadership skills Methodical Organized Responsive

Sample Product Development/Engineering Performance Measures Percent of drafting errors per print Percent of errors in cost estimates Number of off-specifications approved Accuracy of advance materials list Field performance of product Percent of errors found during design review Time to correct a problem Percent of reports with errors in them Percent of evaluations that meet engineering objectives Percent of test plans that are changed (change/test plan) Person-months per released print Number of problems that were also encountered in previous products Number of errors in publications reported from the plan and field Number of misused shipments of prototypes Number of off-specifications accepted Number of days late to pre-analysis Effectiveness of regression tests Percent of corrective action schedules missed Cost of input errors to the computer Spare parts cost after warranty Percent of prints released on schedule Number of times a print is changed Simulation accuracy How well the product meets customer expectations Percent of error-free designs Percent of repeat problems corrected Time required to make an engineering change Data recording errors per month Percent of special quotations that are successful Number of meetings held per quarter where quality and defect prevention were the main subject Percent of total problems found by diagnostics as released Cycle time to correct customer problem Number of products that pass independent evaluation error-free Number of unsuccessful pre-analyses Percent of requests for engineering Percent of requests for engineering action open for more than two weeks Number of restarts of evaluations and tests Number of days for the release cycle Percent of bills of material that are released in error Customer cost per life of output delivered

Copyright 2005 Oak Ridge Associated Universities Sample Production Control Performance Measures Percent of late deliveries Number of items exceeding shelf life Time required to incorporate engineering changes Percent of products that meet customer orders Time that line is down due to assembly shortage Time of product in shipment Percent of stock errors Number of bill of lading errors not caught in shipping Cost of inventory spoilage Percent of errors in stocking Percent of manufacturing jobs completed on schedule Percent of errors in purchase requisitions Inventory turnover rate Percent of time parts are not in stock when ordered from common parts crib Spare parts availability in crib Percent of errors in work in process records versus audit data Cost of rush shipments

Copyright 2005 Oak Ridge Associated Universities Sample Manufacturing and Test Engineering Performance Measures Percent of process operations where sigma limit is within engineering specification Percent of tools that are networked due to design errors Percent error in manufacturing costs Number of delays because process instructions are wrong or not available Number of errors in operator training documentation Percent of tools that fail certification

Number of process changes per operation due to error Time required to solve a problem Percent error in test equipment and tooling budget Percent of errors that escape the operator's detection

Percent of testers that fail certification Percent error in output product quality Percent of changes to process specifications during process design review

Percent error in yield projections Percent of designed experiments that need to be revised Percent of equipment ready for production on schedule

Percent of meetings starting on schedule Percent of drafting errors found by checkers Percent error in yield projections Number of problems that the test equipment cannot detect during manufacturing cycle Number of waivers to manufacturing procedures Percent of tools and test equipment on change level control Percent projected cost reductions missed Equipment utilization Labor utilization index Percent of manufacturing used to screen products Percent correlation between testers

Percent correlation between testers delivered on schedule Percent functional test coverage of products Percent of action plan schedules missed In-process yields Asset utilization

Copyright 2005 Oak Ridge Associated Universities