A manufacturing engineer will consult with the design staff and vendors as well as management and various other members of the staff. This is all designed to make sure that operations are running smoothly and that the maximum output is being performed. In addition, the standard to which the company holds its employees is another responsibility of the manufacturing engineer. The schedules for production and simplifying of these processes are all a part of the job held by the manufacturing engineer.
Requirements
Most engineers, depending upon what position they are applying for, hold a bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline. Some positions may require a graduate degree. If the manufacturing engineer offers services to the general public they must have a license. They must also keep up with the ever changing world of technology.
An engineer who graduates college with a natural science degree or a mathematics degree may be eligible for certain engineering jobs. Those in specialties are normally the ones that will accept these degrees because these specialties are in high demand. Most programs that deal with engineering have a requirement for courses in physical and life sciences as well as mathematics. This is in addition to the engineering specialty they choose. Sometimes general courses are also required. These would include courses in social science and/or humanities.
There are presently about 1,830 programs which offer bachelor’s degrees in engineering at colleges around the country. These programs are accredited by the ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). Around 710 additional programs exist in engineering technology.
The major engineering jobs are the ones that you will find courses for obtaining a degree. The smaller specialty jobs are not very easy to find programs for degrees. Check into the program in which you decide to acquire a degree. Many programs have the same title and may be different in what they offer. The programs are varied and the one you settle on should be the right one.
Employment Outlook
Manufacturing or industrial engineers make up about 201,000 out of 1.5 million jobs held by engineers. About 37 percent of engineering jobs are in manufacturing industries. The other classifications of engineers vary from civil to agricultural. Federal, state, and local governments employ 12 percent of engineers.
Overall, job growth for manufacturing engineers as well as all other specialties is expected to be good. The balance between the graduating engineers and the opening for specific jobs should be balanced fairly well. This includes engineers that are retiring, getting promotions, transferring to other positions, or leaving the profession for another reason.
Salary
The salary range for manufacturing engineers is from $44,790 to $100, 980. The median is $68,620. The national wage criteria for this profession when it comes to the mean hourly wage is $35.33 per hour, with the annual being $73, 490. This is based on the employment of 204,210 people employed. This breaks down to the following criteria.
10% - hourly wage of $22.28
25% - hourly wage of $27.54
50% - hourly wage of $34.34
75% - hourly wage of $42.38
90% - hourly wage of $50.24
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics the starting salaries for this profession are some of the highest of all college graduates. The highest paying areas in the United States for manufacturing engineers are San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara, California where the average pay is $47.05 an hour or $97,860 per year. The next highest is Idaho Falls, ID with $44.08 per hour and $91,690 per year. According to these statistics, electronics and appliance store manufacturing have the highest levels of employment.
Conclusion
If you are looking for jobs in the manufacturing engineers job market you will be happy to know that this is one market that seems to be doing very well. The outlook for this job market looks to be fairly balanced, unlike many that are facing the bleak outlook of many graduates all vying for a limited amount of positions. Although there might be a slight decline if you are in certain areas of the country, the areas that have high concentrations of manufacturing are still good areas to seek employment. This is due to the need for managers who can monitor production to ensure that the manufacturers can stay on schedule and take care of anything that can stop production or slow it down.
