Assembly Engineer

Manufacturing companies are often racing to produce the best products the quickest at the lowest cost. One way to accomplish this is to continually implement new technology that can operate faster and more safely. However, these new kinds of technology need experts with technical knowledge to aid in the implementation of these technologies. These specialists are called assembly engineers.

Primary Duties

Assembly engineers analyze the processes in an industrial plant and devise standards that the manufacturing workers will have to comply with. This includes the regular maintenance of equipment and the reduction of waste, such as metal scraps and the regular cleaning of the assembly equipment, according to Guangxi Yinhe Avantis Wind Power Co. These standards help increase efficiency and also keep the manufacturers safe. When new workers come in, the assembly engineer plays a major role in training these workers by providing them with all the technical knowledge they will need. Whenever a new piece of equipment is purchased, the assembly engineer is responsible for making sure that this equipment is properly installed and utilized.

Responsibilities:

• Evaluate and establish assembly operations standards, packing standards and other related process standards
• Provide engineering support to assembly operations so as to meet established operation standards and quality requirements
• Assist production in troubleshooting and repair of major process problems
• Provide the necessary technical knowledge and training to technicians so that they are able to handle the machine programs for all assembly machines and equipment efficiently
• Establish maintenance programs for all assembly machines and equipment for implementation by production
• Ensure that new or transferred machine/manual assembly process is properly setup and conditioned to meet the required performance standards and quality specifications
• Continually enhance assembly performance by improving processes and utilizing new technology that is cost effective
• Analyse and reduce assembly scraps through continuous improvement
• Establish process improvement programs towards eliminating 100% sorting

Additional Responsibilities

They also provide any other engineering support that the manufacturing plant might need, including the repairing and troubleshooting of mechanical equipment. Some assembly engineers are responsible for explaining to customers how products work. Finally, the assembly engineer must document every change made to mechanical equipment, according to Guangxi Yinhe Avantis Wind Power Co. These engineers work 40 hours a week, though they might be expected to be on call when emergencies arise at 24-hour production plants. 

Skills

An assembly engineer needs a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or electrical engineering, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Many companies will also expect that an assembly engineer has specific knowledge of the technology that the company works with. Assembly engineers must be able to keep up to date with the latest technology and must continually integrate advances that will be able to improve industrial processes. They must have excellent mechanical aptitude due to the nature of their jobs. They need very good communication skills, since many of the workers that they instruct will have no engineering background.