Manufacturing Engineer Mock Interview
Master 31 Manufacturing Engineer interview questions covering process optimization, lean principles, and production systems.
Question 4 of 31
What is your experience regarding the reduction of scrap?
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Along with labor, scrap is generally one of the top controllable costs for manufacturers. Scrap reductions usually pass through to the bottom line at a 1 to 1 ratio, meaning that each dollar of scrap avoided is a dollar of profit generated. Scrap reduction may or may not be a primary function of a manufacturing engineer, but in any case, it is important that you demonstrate an understanding of the importance of scrap reduction and the effect it can have on a business. Any specific details of past experience with reducing scrap should be mentioned here. If you have limited experience, then it is important to show a clear understanding of the concept.
"Scrap reduction is one of the best opportunities for an engineer to create value. In the past I worked at an injection molding facility. We had one press that had a scrap rate of 12%. It had been operating in this condition for several months; the team seemed to think the defect was created by an intermittent failure due to the design of that particular mold. After working with the team, we identified that the problem was actually being caused by a communication error with the auxiliary equipment, causing the end of arm tool to drop the part at the wrong time. Once we identified the problem, we were able to correct the logic in the equipment and eliminate the communication problem. This reduced the scrap rate to around 1% and saved almost 7k/month."
Daniel Neuhaus is a Tool Design Engineer with 10 years of CAD experience and 3 years in the manufacturing field. He is a University of Cincinnati Alumni with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology.
"As a design engineer, I was able to produce blueprints that specified instructions to the band saw operator certain geometry that would be utilized for not only the single part, but also for other parts. Therefore, as a manufacturing engineer, I can lay down specific guidelines not only for the machine operators, but also assist in developing design standards for the design engineers to yield lean less scrap that would ultimately help the company on a larger scale."
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"Scrap reduction is one of the best opportunities for an engineer to create value. In the past, I had a process that had a scrap rate of 9%. It had been operating in this condition for several months; the team seemed to think the defect was created by an intermittent failure due to the setting of that particular machine. After working with the team, we identified that the problem was actually being caused by a communication error with the sensor, causing the end of the arm tool to drop the part at the wrong time. Once we identified the problem, we were able to correct the setting in the equipment and eliminate the communication problem. This reduced the scrap rate to around 1% and saved almost 3k/month."
Cindy's Feedback
Good! Your use of a narrative to illustrate your experience is effective and helps show your experience in a concrete way. Nice work.
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