How do you go about identifying potential projects that you should be working on?
As with most engineers, the bulk of a manufacturing engineers workload will often be assigned by their management. However, it is desirable for an engineer to be able to identify the highest impact areas for them to dedicate their time to. Ideally, a manufacturing engineer will present their leadership with an idea for a project along with the project's expected result. As with other areas, it is important to demonstrate that you are analytical, and your selection of what to work on will be based on quantitative figures that have a direct impact on company KPIs.
"Since I maintain a close relationship with the operations team, I am usually in tune with their pain points. I use their feedback to compile a running list of problems on my laptop. I will try to assign a rough cost or KPI impact of each problem. Then, based on the cost and difficulty of implementation, I will try to pick projects that can be implemented relatively easily and have a large impact on the company's KPIs. Those are the projects I take to my management and ask to work on."
"I would start by asking my higher-ups and coworkers. Then, I would measure data and seek to find bottlenecks and try to eliminate them. Too, I would study each part of the process and note potential ways to improve them. Additionally, I would study and research cutting-edge technology, different techniques, or breakthroughs for manufacturing and see if any could be applied to the facility."