O*NET-SOC 17-2112.03

Manufacturing Engineers

Design, integrate, or improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs.

Preparation

ItemValue
Preparation zoneZone 4 – Considerable preparation needed
What O*NET says the zone requiresConsiderable skill, knowledge, or experience is needed
Broad occupation in O*NETFalse (No)
Skills listed for this occupation6
Abilities listed for this occupation6
Tasks listed for this occupation5
Interest scores given for this occupation6

Skills

The 6 skills with the highest importance values in this occupation's records.

SkillO*NET elementImportanceDate
Complex Problem Solving2.B.2.i4.007/2017
Mathematics2.A.1.e4.007/2017
Reading Comprehension2.A.1.a4.007/2017
Active Listening2.A.1.b3.8807/2017
Judgment and Decision Making2.B.4.e3.8807/2017
Monitoring2.A.2.d3.8807/2017

The importance value is what each record itself carries on O*NET's importance scale; the date is the date in each record.

Abilities

The 6 abilities with the highest importance values in this occupation's records.

AbilityO*NET elementImportanceDate
Category Flexibility1.A.1.b.74.007/2017
Deductive Reasoning1.A.1.b.44.007/2017
Inductive Reasoning1.A.1.b.54.007/2017
Near Vision1.A.4.a.14.007/2017
Oral Comprehension1.A.1.a.14.007/2017
Problem Sensitivity1.A.1.b.34.007/2017

The importance value is what each record itself carries on O*NET's importance scale; the date is the date in each record.

Tasks

The tasks O*NET records for this occupation, with the type, respondent count and date each record carries.

TaskTypeIncumbents respondingDate
Troubleshoot new or existing product problems involving designs, materials, or processes.Core2607/2017
Investigate or resolve operational problems, such as material use variances or bottlenecks.Core2507/2017
Identify opportunities or implement changes to improve manufacturing processes or products or to reduce costs, using knowledge of fabrication processes, tooling and production equipment, assembly methods, quality control standards, or product design, materials and parts.Core2607/2017
Apply continuous improvement methods, such as lean manufacturing, to enhance manufacturing quality, reliability, or cost-effectiveness.Core2607/2017
Provide technical expertise or support related to manufacturing.Core2607/2017

Work interests

The interest scores O*NET gives this occupation, on the six interest types.

InterestScoreDate
Realistic5.1811/2023
Investigative4.6711/2023
Conventional4.4811/2023
Enterprising3.0611/2023
Artistic2.111/2023
Social1.5111/2023

More occupations in preparation zone 4

Source: O*NET 29.1 Database (Occupation Data, Job Zones, Skills, Abilities, Task Statements, Interests), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Data fetched 2026-10-31. See about and sources.