Industrial Engineer  

Industrial engineers typically do the following:

• Review process flows and other information to understand methods and activities.
• Figure out how to import, distribute, or deliver services with maximum efficiency.
• Develop management control systems to make financial planning and cost analysis more efficient.
• Enact quality control procedures to resolve problems or minimize costs.
• Work with customers and management to develop standards for design and production.
• Design control systems to coordinate activities and production planning to ensure that products meet quality standards.
• Confer with clients about product specifications, vendors about purchases, management personnel about manufacturing capabilities, and staff about the status of projects.

EDUCATION

Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering

IMPORTANT QUALITIES

• Creativity
  Industrial engineers use creativity and ingenuity to design new processes in many kinds of settings to reduce the use of material resources, time, or labor while accomplishing the same goal.
• Critical-thinking skills
  Create new systems to solve problems related to waste and inefficiency. Solving these problems requires logic and reasoning to identify strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to the problems.
• Listening skills
  These engineers often operate in teams, but they must also solicit feedback from customers, vendors, and production staff. They must listen to customers and clients to fully grasp ideas and problems the first time.
• Math skills
  Use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.
• Problem-solving skills
  In designing facilities for manufacturing and processes for providing services, these engineers deal with several issues at once, from workers’ safety to quality assurance.
• Speaking skills
  Industrial engineers sometimes have to explain their instructions to staff before they can make written instructions available. Being able to explain concepts clearly and quickly is crucial to preventing costly mistakes and loss of time.
• Writing skills
  Must create documentation for other professionals or for future reference. The documentation must be coherent and explain their thinking clearly so that others can understand the information.