A production engineer is typically involved in the manufacturing and production processes and must be well-versed in all aspects of the process. One of the responsibilities is to keep manufacturing costs to a minimum while maintaining product quality. He or she also calculates the final product’s costs. Because of the extensive knowledge and understanding required for the job, the production engineer is frequently regarded as a critical member of the company for which he or she works.
One way the engineer tries to keep costs down is to evaluate the production equipment and make sure it is as efficient as possible. Production engineers also ensure that the manufacturing department’s employees are performing their duties correctly. They must also ensure that the number of products produced is sufficient to meet customer demand.
A production engineer’s other responsibilities include calculating yield, which is the ratio of high-quality products to the total number of products produced. Putting in place quality control programs, which is another job responsibility, is one way to increase yield. The product must be tested at various stages as part of the quality control process, and detailed procedures must be created, documented, developed, implemented, and established.
The engineer, as one of the department’s leaders, must also be available to assist maintenance technicians if equipment fails, so that production deadlines are met. He or she must also train employees to be able to perform multiple tasks in the event that other employees are unavailable. This job also necessitates a working knowledge of labor laws, as well as safety and insurance regulations.
Knowledge of statistics is one of the skills a production engineer must have so that when calculating the yield, he or she can determine if the product’s failure rate is statistically significant. If this is the case, the engineer is in charge of determining the source of the problem and resolving it. Mechanical and electrical design skills might be required as well. These abilities are put to use in the creation of product testing methods. The growing use of technology in manufacturing departments necessitates a technical background as well.
In this position, communication and interpersonal skills are also crucial. Employee training necessitates the ability to communicate clearly and collaborate effectively. The production engineer also represents the manufacturing department at company meetings, which necessitates the ability to communicate what is happening in the manufacturing department to the rest of the organization.