Industrial Engineers
In the Industrial Engineers occupation, workers design, develop, test, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes, including human work factors, quality control, inventory control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis, and production coordination. The job can ask you to estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action, and control. On the six-type interest model it reads CIR, meaning orderly work with data, records and clear procedures comes first, followed by research, analysis and working through hard problems. Plan on a bachelor’s degree plus a period of work experience; O*NET labels this considerable preparation. Strength in reading comprehension, critical thinking, and active listening helps most here. People who want orderly work with data, records and clear procedures usually fit better here than those who need helping, teaching or caring for people.
What they do
Design, develop, test, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes, including human work factors, quality control, inventory control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis, and production coordination.
Main tasks
- Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action, and control.
- Plan and establish sequence of operations to fabricate and assemble parts or products and to promote efficient utilization.
- Analyze statistical data and product specifications to determine standards and establish quality and reliability objectives of finished product.
- Confer with clients, vendors, staff, and management personnel regarding purchases, product and production specifications, manufacturing capabilities, or project status.
- Communicate with management and user personnel to develop production and design standards.
- Evaluate precision and accuracy of production and testing equipment and engineering drawings to formulate corrective action plan.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Writing
Who this career fits
May suit you if
- You like clear rules and getting the details right.
- You enjoy working out why something happens, not just what happened.
- You are ready to spend around four years on a degree, then build experience.
- You are comfortable relying on reading comprehension and critical thinking.
May not suit you if
- You get restless with routine, records and exact procedures.
- You want helping people to be at the center of your work. Social rates 1.4 out of 7 here.
- You want to avoid a four-year degree or its equivalent.
Interest profile
O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code CIR takes the three highest, and Conventional comes first here.
Preparation
Considerable preparation. Most jobs here ask for a bachelor’s degree, and employers usually expect a few years of related experience as well.
Most-reported requirement in the O*NET survey: Bachelor's Degree. This reflects what workers reported most often and is not a legal minimum. Licensing rules can differ by state or industry, so confirm what applies where you plan to work.
Also called
- Continuous Improvement Engineer
- Engineer
- Facilities Engineer
- Industrial Engineer
- Operations Engineer
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This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.