The manufacturing industry provides a broad range of career opportunities to engineering professionals. Industrial and manufacturing engineers are two in-demand professionals that combine manufacturing expertise, technical knowledge, and management skills. Although both have certain similarities, they have different responsibilities and requirements to meet.
If you are looking for manufacturing jobs in Toronto or throughout Canada, this article will help you identify the differences and similarities between both roles. The content is catered to help you choose a career that is right for you.
What is the Role of a Manufacturing Engineer?
A manufacturing engineer designs, tests, and maintains new equipment processes and systems. They perform specialized manufacturing processes and are responsible for the safe, efficient operation of production lines. Their primary work location is factories and manufacturing plants where they develop systems including technical and mechanical applications, machine components, and materials-handling equipment. These professionals may work with engineering professionals like industrial engineers to achieve organizational objectives.
What is the Role of an Industrial Engineer?
An industrial engineer is responsible for discovering improved ways to make a product or process faster, safer, and easier within an organization. They analyze different possibilities and implement strategic and technical solutions to determine the technology and machinery necessary for increasing productivity. Their primary duty is to enhance the business and management process to support profitability, quality of products and services, and customer service for clients.
Differences Between an Industrial and a Manufacturing Engineer
Education and Training
Industrial and manufacturing engineers both require a bachelor’s degree. The coursework and studies in each field can vary, though. Coursework for manufacturing engineering includes mathematics, physics, thermodynamics, mechanical design, and electrical components. Industrial engineering requires studying similar topics in addition to policy development, business management, and organizational processes.
While studying manufacturing engineering, you can learn applicable skills through apprenticeships to advance your profession. For industrial engineering, you also need to focus on developing soft skills to build leadership and managerial expertise.
Certifications
An industrial and manufacturing engineer may have to pursue professional certifications that differ in criteria. The Certified Manufacturing Engineer (CMfgE) certification is designed only for manufacturing engineers who have gained experience in the field. It does not meet the requirements for industrial engineers as their expertise focuses on other aspects of industrial processes.
As an industrial engineer, if you work in project management, you may opt for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. If you are into operational management, you may choose to pursue Six Sigma certifications. Industrial engineers have a wider range of certification options to increase their credentials.
Essential Skills
A manufacturing engineer should develop special skills necessary for designing, developing, and implementing equipment and manufacturing components. Skills such as scientific and mathematical applications are also essential. In comparison, an industrial engineer should build skills unique to business analysis, research, strategic planning, and leadership to improve productivity and meet organizational performance goals.
Job Duties
A manufacturing engineer performs tasks such as analyzing the manufacturing process and collaborating with teams to create new manufacturing operation systems. So their duties focus on the technical and mechanical aspects of engineering processes in manufacturing. An industrial engineer works on assessing and enhancing organizational procedures related to manufacturing processes. Evaluating machine components to identify ways to help their teams improve efficiency and quality control standards of a production line may be a part of their duty.
Similarities Between an Industrial and a Manufacturing Engineer
Leadership Responsibilities
Both professionals have specific leadership responsibilities to manage, evaluate, and support personnel. They assist teams in improving performance and efficiency using strategic approaches.
Project Management
A manufacturing engineer may be responsible for managing team projects to accomplish machine-related processes. Industrial engineers supervise engineering and production teams as part of their project management duties.
Quality Control Management
The development of quality control standards is part of both engineering professions. A manufacturing engineer may manage quality control processes for equipment and machinery construction. Whereas industrial engineers may supervise quality control for manufacturing and organizational processes.
Research and Analysis Duty
Both professionals analyze, research, and test innovative ways of streamlining manufacturing and operational procedures. They evaluate current systems to implement new strategies.
Manufacturing and Process Supervision
Manufacturing and industrial engineer supervise complete manufacturing stages and work to enhance each aspect of operations to produce higher quality equipment and create more efficient processes.
Consult Us to Choose the Right Manufacturing Job in Toronto
With over 45+ years of filling positions for manufacturing jobs in Toronto and Canada, we have the experience of working with different clients in the industry. Our specialized recruiters understand the essential factors impacting the industry and have the knowledge and experience to find the right talent to fulfill an organization’s requirements.
If you are looking for manufacturing jobs, we are here to find you the perfect job opportunity. We cater to the needs of candidates seeking a temporary position, temp-to-hire, contract hire, full-time permanent job and more.
Find employment in Canada with a leading staffing agency connecting aspiring candidates with hard-to-reach local hiring managers with immediate openings. To know more about our services, call us at 416-495-7422 or fill out our contact form to get a free consultation with our job placement experts.
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