Employers of Industrial Engineering majors in IN

Industrial Engineers

Industrial engineers find ways to eliminate wastefulness in production processes. They devise efficient systems that integrate workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service. They 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. Depending on their tasks, industrial engineers work either in offices or in the settings they are trying to improve. For example, when observing problems, they may watch workers assembling parts in a factory. When solving problems, they may be in an office at a computer, looking at data that they or others have collected. Industrial engineers need a bachelor’s degree, typically in industrial engineering. However, many industrial engineers have degrees in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, industrial engineering technology, or general engineering. The median annual wage for industrial engineers was $85,880 in May 2017. Employment of industrial engineers is projected to grow 10 percent from 2016 to 2026, faster than the average for all occupations. Firms in a variety of industries will continue to seek new ways to contain costs and improve efficiency.

Industrial Production Managers

Industrial production managers oversee the daily operations of manufacturing and related plants. They coordinate, plan, and direct the activities used to create a wide range of goods, such as cars, computer equipment, or paper products. Most industrial production managers work full time, and almost half worked more than 40 hours per week in 2016. Industrial production managers typically need a bachelor’s degree and several years of related work experience. The median annual wage for industrial production managers was $100,580 in May 2017. Employment of industrial production managers is projected to show little or no change from 2016 to 2026. Most of these managers are employed in various manufacturing industries, and may experience growth or decline along with the industries in which they are employed.

Industrial Engineering Technicians

Industrial engineering technicians assist industrial engineers in devising efficient systems that integrate workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service. They prepare machinery and equipment layouts, plan workflows, conduct statistical production studies, and analyze production costs. Most industrial engineering technicians work in manufacturing industries. Most work full time. Industrial engineering technicians typically need an associate’s degree or a postsecondary certificate. Community colleges or technical institutes typically offer associate’s degree programs, and vocational–technical schools offer certificate programs. The median annual wage for industrial engineering technicians was $54,280 in May 2017. Employment of industrial engineering technicians is projected to show little or no change from 2016 to 2026. In large part this is because of projected declines in the manufacturing industries that employ most of them.