These professional have the task of watching over the entire manufacturing process in their companies. They are highly technical, skilled and thorough individuals who do testing, assembling and implementation. They analyse safety procedures, make recommendations for changes to the manufacturing process, manage the expenditure of their department and may even do some designing as well.

A Manufacturing Engineer usually performs many of the following tasks:

• Designing new systems and processes
• Examining and tendering for new equipment
• Liaising with the research and development department
• Attending training courses and conferences
• Organising plant start-up and shut-down schedules
• Mentoring newer employees
• Working with other engineers

• Understanding technical and mechanical information
• Being a good project manager
• Being an effective leader
• Using your own initiative and collaborating on team projects
• Managing budgets and schedules
• Being computer savvy
• Being innovative and creative
• Understanding numerical information
• Writing reports
• Being a good listener
• Having strong technical skills
• Managing stress
• Resolving problems effectively
• Being open minded, positive and amicable

Engineering professionals often pursue any number of career relevant programs. Some professionals start with a Bachelors Degree, then continuing towards their Masters Degree. This is a smart move, because more and more employers prefer their engineers to be educated at an advanced level. To move into a Manufacturing Engineer position you can study any of the following programs:

•    Manufacturing Engineering
•    Mechanical Engineering
•    Electrical or Electronic Engineering
•    Chemical Engineering

There are also several other certifications, registrations and licenses an Engineer can get. They are:

•    Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or Chartered Engineer (Ceng)
•    Accredited Bachelors or Honours Degrees
•    Higher National Certificate or Diploma
•    NVQ4 or SVQ4
•    BTEC diplomas

If you plan on pursuing a chartered manufacturing engineer position you must have the relevant job experience and a Masters Degree in Engineering. To become more informed on what’s happening in the Engineering sector, you can check with the Engineering Council, the British Computer Society (BCS), the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) or the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Having excellent technical and innovative thinking and skills is necessary to work in the Manufacturing Engineering profession.