Industrial Engineering Technicians Essay, Research Paper
Industrial Engineering Technicians
Marc Yops
For the subject of my research paper I chose the occupation of
Industrial Engineering Technology. This job is very similar to one I might
have since my major might be Industrial Technology. The industrial field
is one that I am very interested in and offers many different jobs to
choose from. A few of the jobs included in the industrial field are;
Industrial Engineer, Mechanical Engineer, Industrial Distributor (sales),
and various management positions. All of these are demanding and important
careers, without such professionals businesses would be unable to produce
products necessary for the survival of both the company and the economy.
The industrial field is therefore a promising one because of its constant
need for someone to fill the jobs it includes.
Industrial engineering technologists must be able to do many things.
I will list a few of the requirements of an industrial engineering
technologist in the rest of this paragraph. Industrial engineering
technicians use the principles and theories of science, engineering, and
mathematics to solve problems in research and development, manufacturing,
sales, construction, and customer service. Many engineering technicians
assist engineers and scientists, in research and development. Others work
in production or inspection jobs. Industrial engineering technicians study
the efficient use of personnel, materials, and machines in factories,
stores, repair shops, and offices. They also prepare layouts of machinery
and equipment, plan the flow of work, make statistical studies, and analyze
production costs. Those in research and development build or set up
equipment, prepare and conduct experiments, calculate and record results,
and assist engineers in other ways. Those in manufacturing prepare
specifications for materials, devise or run tests to ensure product quality,
or study ways to improve efficiency.
Industrial engineering technicians generally work for manufacturing
companies and do most of their work with; electrical and electronic
machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, and industrial machinery
equipment. Industrial technicians must be able to work with charts ,
blueprints, layouts, graphs, diagrams and statistics.
My uncle Jim has a job very similar to that of an Industrial
Engineering Technologist. Jim works for a company named AMP Incorporated
which is located in Winston Salem, North Carolina. Jim has been working at
AMP for about four years and is the group leader of the second shift
production team. Jim’s job is to make sure that production in the plant
runs smoothly, to repair machines, and to make sure that the other workers
are doing what is needed. Jim has been promoted several times within the
past few years and was originally hired by AMP as a temporary worker doing
hand assembly. Jim went to Forsyth technical college and majored in
Manufacturing Engineering Technology, which is a two year major. He went
back to school shortly after he first began working for AMP.
Jim said that he loves his job at AMP and enjoys the type of work
that he is doing. He also told me that all of his co-workers are treated
as equals and that they all work as a team. Each shift works in teams with
each person being responsible for something. The MET major that Jim took
is very similar to my major of Industrial Technology. Both of these majors
deal with manufacturing and industrial sciences, and it is very possible
that after graduating I will have a job very similar to my uncle’s. The
job my uncle has is one that requires the understanding of materials and
processing. This type of knowledge is provided in an Industrial Technology
major.
Jim told me that the company is very good to its employees and
supports an open door policy throughout the different levels of management.
He seemed pleased with the benefits and medical coverage AMP provided,
which to me seemed excellent. The workers at the plant seemed to work well
together from what I saw during my visit. Each employee has their own
station and specific jobs that they are required to do. The plant produces
mostly electrical connectors used primarily in telephone applications,
although other work is done in the plant and other AMP facilities. The
parts that are produced are made of plastics, specially treated metals, and
various other chemicals and laminar composites. Jim told me that the plant
produces almost a billion of the more basic styles of connectors in a year.
The plant was very impressive and seemed to go on forever in each direction.
I felt as if anything could be made there because of all the technical
equipment I saw.
One of the companies I was able to learn about during career day
was Milliken & Company. Milliken is a very large textile company based in
the southern united states. Milliken employs many industrial professionals
in management and production capacities. I was informed that Milliken
provides cooperative education opportunities for college students majoring
in Industrial Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. I spoke with one of
the company representatives who told me that I would probably be able to do
co-op work for Miliken as an Industrial Technology major. Co-op experience
is very important in getting a good job because most companies want to
hire people with good work experience. With a company such as Miliken co-
op work is done in alternating semesters. This allows students to go to
school one semester and then apply what they have learned on the job while
earning money that can be used for tuition in later school semesters.
Examples of jobs I could do if employed by Miliken after graduation
are; Process Engineer and Production Manager. A Process Engineer plans and
updates current production lines and areas, and is involved with material
selection as well as production forecasting. A Production Manager is
responsible for keeping production at its highest efficiency, and working
with production and maintenance teams.
I am very interested in the industrial field and feel that I would
enjoy a job as an industrial professional. I enjoy working with and
learning about technical things such as electronic systems and machines. I
also enjoy science and the scientific method of explaining things. Most of
all I enjoy finding out how things work and what they do and I love to make
useful things no matter what they are.
A job in industry is a good one because of its many benefits and
flexibility. Jobs in industry are usually stable, (if one works for a good
company) have good benefits, offer high salaries, give good opportunities
for promotion, and allow for personal responsibility. Many industrial
companies provide employees with benefits such as; health care coverage,
pensions, stock sharing opportunities, paid vacations and sick time, double
pay overtime, and insurance plans. I hope that I will be able to secure a
job with a company such as AMP or Miliken soon after I graduate and begin
my career in industry.