Industrial Engineering Technicians
Industrial engineering technicians improve the efficiency of using employees, machines and materials in factories, offices, stores and other settings. While working under the supervision of industrial engineers, industrial engineering techs develop layouts of equipment and machinery, perform statistical studies of production quality or time, evaluate production costs and plan the flow of work. They also establish standard production rates. Industrial engineering technicians use engineering principles and theory.
Some of the sample job titles are engineering technician, industrial engineering analyst, manufacturing technician, process documentation and methods analyst and quality control engineering technician.
Responsibilities
- Evaluate time, motion, methods and the speed involved in production, maintenance and other types of operations
- Recommend changes to methods of operations
- Assist with the planning of worker assignments
- Recommend modifications to current production and quality standards
- Interpret engineering drawings, formulas and schematic diagrams
- Evaluate workers' logs, specification sheets and product processing sheets to determine if records follow quality assurance specifications
- Monitor employees operating equipment in order to determine if the equipment is being used and maintained according to quality assurance standards
- Monitor employees using equipment or performing tasks in order to determine the amount of time involved and the fatigue rate
- Develop diagrams, graphs and charts to illustrate workflow, machine utilization and routing material handling
Job Characteristics
Engineering technicians usually work 40 hours a week. They work in manufacturing plants and offices and other settings. They should have good communications and organizational skills and be attentive to details.
Employment Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has forecasted a job growth of 7 percent from 2008 to 2018 for industrial engineering technicians which is about as fast as average for all occupations. The median annual earnings in 2008 for industrial engineering technicians was $47,180.
Education, Certification, and Licensing
Most employers prefer applicants that have at least an associate degree in engineering technology. Most associate degree programs that have received accreditation from the Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) include at least college algebra and trigonometry along with one or two basic science courses. Graduates of ABET accredited programs are typically recognized as having an acceptable level of competence in the subjects of science and math and also technical courses that are required for the occupation.
Some of the available educational programs are industrial technology/technician, manufacturing technology/technician, and industrial production technologies/technicians.
A large number of private and public schools provide technical training and the type and quality of training varies significantly. Students may want to ask perspective employers for their school preferences. Students should also ask a school representative about the types of jobs their graduates have acquired.
Technical institutes typically provide a lot of technical training through application and practice, however they typically provide less general education and theory than community colleges. Numerous colleges offer bachelor's degrees in engineering technology, however graduates of these programs often are employed as technologists or applied engineers and not as technicians.
Resources
- National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies
- American Society of Certified Engineering Technicians
Major Employers
The top job providers are durable goods manufacturers, engineering and business services companies, the U.S Departments of Transportation, Defense, Interior and Agriculture; state government agencies, and municipal government agencies.
Schools for Industrial Engineering Technicians are listed in the Browse Schools Section.
