Engineer
Job Description
Manufacturing Industries
Product Design
- Design new products and improve existing products, including activities like identifying consumers' needs, creative design, and making testing prototypes
Production Planning
- Analyse production requirements, determine methods of production, use of resources and procedures required to meet delivery targets
Plant Engineering
- Prepare design specifications, plan and monitor the installation of plant and equipment, oversee the maintenance programmes of plant buildings and equipment, undertake plant modifications and repairs
Manufacturing System Analysis
- Design and maintain the manual or computerized information systems to facilitate information dissemination from production line to other relevant departments
Process Engineering
- Identify the best operations, procedures, equipment and tools for the manufacture of a product or its components
Materials Management
- Purchase and perform internal control on production materials
Equipment and Tool Design
- Design the most appropriate production tools, jig, fixtures and associated measuring instruments
Production Control
- Monitor and control the progress of production in accordance with plans
Quality Management
- Determine and assess product qualities to ensure that quality standards and specifications are followed; set up quality management systems such as ISO9000
Service Sector
Transportation and Logistic Management
- Determine management practices and principles of resource allocation in container terminals, air cargo terminals, transportation companies and courier agents through the use of applied technology
Health Care
- Improve the efficiency of hospital management in aspects like locating beds and operation equipment, keeping the appropriate stock level of drugs, etc.
Hotel Management
- Determine the manpower requirements, stock levels of equipment and foodstuffs through the use of operations management techniques
Public Utilities
- Forecast the demand for water, gas and electricity; use raw materials and fuels economically and monitor the plant operation
Information Technology
- Serve as system analysts and computer programmers
Financial Services
- Improve the efficiency of financial institutions through establishing a set of effective procedures in processing documents and determining the optimal number of branches/ counters as well as the manning levels
Quality Control
- Launch campaigns on premium quality and implement the idea of total quality management
Educational Institutions
- Work as a teaching staff in universities, vocational education institutes and other institutes
Qualities and Qualifications
- Have a broad background in mathematics and physical sciences
- Possess good co-ordination and organization skills
- Creative and adaptable and able to use resources flexibly
- Possess good communication and language skills (proficiency in Chinese, English, Cantonese and Putonghua is preferred)
- Determined and possess leadership skills to lead other technical personnel
- Possess up-to-date information about available resources, including materials, technology and equipment
- To become a manufacturing and industrial engineer, one normally requires a relevant degree or the equivalent, plus at least four years of training and practical experience
- A senior technician (possessing relevant higher diploma or higher certificate or the equivalent) normally should have obtained five years of practical training and experience to become an Associate Member of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers
Professional Qualifications
The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) is the only statutory professional body in engineering in Hong Kong. Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering is one of the many disciplines covered by the HKIE. A Corporate Member of the HKIE is recognized as a professional engineer. You may contact them direct for more details of the membership requirements and application procedures:
The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers
Career Opportunities
As the techniques of manufacturing and industrial engineering can be applied in different trades and industries, job seekers with the relevant skills can find employment readily in various manufacturing industries as well as the service sectors.
University graduates usually start as assistant engineers or trainee engineers and some are recruited to fill engineer posts directly in small establishments. Because of their wide range of skills in manufacturing technology and management, they are usually involved in managerial decision-making. Those with potential often gain rapid promotion to senior or managerial ranks such as senior engineers or managers.
In general, the following posts are suitable for Higher Diploma or Degree holders:
- Manufacturing/ Industrial Engineer
- Manufacturing /Technical Supervisor
- Materials Controller
- Quality Control/ Assurance Engineer
- Equipment Engineer
- Process Planner
- Tool & Die/ Product Designer
- CAD/CAM Engineer
- Engineering/ Operations Manager
- Organization and Methods Officer
- Occupational Safety Officer