Production Engineering is that branch of Engineering which concentrates on the development, design, construction, control and maintenance of integrated systems for the manufacturing of Products in an economical way. Production Engineering is also known as Manufacturing or Industrial Engineering in some parts of the world.

Production Engineering is vital for our comfortable existence on the earth. We use an array of products everyday like tooth paste, cosmetics, electronics, electrical appliances, automobiles, toys, medicines, medical equipments, components of air crafts, electric motors and the list just goes on. But little do we realize that the Production Engineers have made the manufacturing of these products possible by taking care of the means by which the product would be manufactured.

The production Engineers work with the designers to develop these products. They oversee that the cost is within limits without compromising with the quality of the product. The “TATA Nano” is a very good work of skilled Production Engineering. It has all the features needed in a car but it comes at a very affordable price.

The next phase is to supervise the development of the designed product. They select the procedures and technology required for the manufacturing of the product so that the outcome would be economical and effective production. The technology is decided on the basis of the production value that is required during a certain production, the manual labor which is on hand, the demand in the market and the economic factors. The production Engineers are involved in designing of tools, setting up of speeds and the setting the requirements for chemical processes.

Sometimes the manufacturing companies start the production by manufacturing a trial model in their design and research laboratories so that the Production Engineers may analyze it and discover any problem in the product. Their duty is also to devise treatments for the problems before the beginning of the real production work. The job of the Production Engineers is to change the design in case of problems, fine-tuning of the manufacturing systems, techniques and equipments to bring out a reliable, dependable, cost-effective and a quality product.

The Production Engineers are also entrusted with the job of designing the production facility to produce a quality product. But the duty of the Production Engineers does not end when the product is put into production. They are involved in research to eliminate any defect in the system and to seek advanced methods to improve the quality of the products.

The Production Engineers work in cooperation which the Engineers of other fields like Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Product Design, Marketing, Finance Corporate Planning. Production Engineers need to have expertise in Maths and a technical ability to succeed in Production Engineering. They must have analytical ability and be a problem solver. One must also have good communication skills and a practical mindset to be able to shine in the field of Production Engineering.
Educational Requirement: The basic qualification for becoming a Production Engineer is B.E. or P.G. Diploma in Production Engineering. The eligibility criteria for B.E. / B. Tech is 50% marks in Class 12th Board Examination in science stream with Physics, Chemistry and Maths. English is compulsory. A class 10 student is also eligible for the course as the minimum age requirement is 15 years. If a person wishes for an advanced course, M.E in Production Engineering, he must achieve high percentage of marks in Class 12th Board Examination along with the bachelor’s degree. The students can also opt for Diploma in Production Engineering.

Selection: - The admission to the Production Engineering course is very competitive. A person has to pass the entrance test – JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) to attain admission to the IIT. For other reputed institutions you have to succeed in AIEEE (All India Engineering/ Pharmacy /Architecture Examination). There are state level and national level examinations also with some institutions opting for their own entrance examinations. Selection is done on the basis of marks obtained in board examinations i.e. 10+2 and the marks obtained in Entrance Test.

Duration: - The B.E /B.Tech in Production Engineering is a 4 year course and when the student has the bachelor’s degree in Engineering in his hand, he can proceed further for an M.E./M.Tech course which is of 2 years. The Diploma course in Production Engineering is of 3 years duration.

Different Branches

There are varied branches of Production Engineering and Production engineers can attain specialization in any of these fields. This is a good way to become expert and have an edge over others.

Design for Production – Design for Production is that branch of Production Engineering which focuses on the designing of a Product. The duty of the Production Engineers related with this field is to carry out a detailed study of the design during the development stage of the product. They discover any problem occurring in the functionality, cost or impact of a product and devise a treatment so that the final outcome is a quality product.

Robotics – Robotics deals with science of flexible automation. Robots are machines which do all the work that is done by man. The job of a Robotics Engineer is to design, test and build machines that are safe, productive and reasonable to purchase and maintain. The Engineers use computers for designing and drafting. The manufacturing systems used by them are also computer aided. The Robotics Research Engineers manufacture machinery and devise new methods to manufacture the machinery within budget.

Automation of Production Systems – Automation of Production Systems means that the machines perform majority of functions in place of humans like loading and unloading of parts, tool changing, repair and maintenance. The new-age automated systems consist of integrated systems that operate under computer control. The work of Automation Engineers is to design the automation and control systems, start-up assistance, programming, testing, specifications and simulation.

Optimization or Management & Control of Projects - Optimization or Management & Control of Projects deals with the planning, organization and management of resources for the successful completion of Projects. The duty the Production Engineers is to keep a track of the scope time and budget while working on a Project. In addition to this, they have to see that the preparation for the beginning of the project is also perfect.

Quantitative Methods for Industrial Systems - Quantitative Methods for Industrial Systems is defined as research techniques which are used to collect mathematical and statistical methods for the solution of managerial and decision making problem. The Production Engineers use statistics, tables and graphs to solve the problems related with production.

Career options for Production Engineering:-

Production Engineering deals with the designing and planning of integrated systems which is needed for the manufacturing of products. Hence there is a plethora of opportunities in this field. Productions Engineers are in great demand in the private as well as public sectors. Skilled and knowledgeable Production Engineers are wanted in varied departments like implementation, development and management of new production process, controlling production systems, computer controlled inspection of production and assembly and handling of production machinery. Production Engineers can be absorbed in agricultural companies, transportation companies, automobile industries, construction companies, finance, banks, iron and steel industries, chemical industries, aerospace and aeronautical industries and hospitals and so many more.

Production Engineers with bachelor’s degree can take up positions in various industries. Others can begin as technicians and some others who hold a Master’s degree in Production Engineering can chose the field of research because Production Engineering needs research to introduce new and improved methods of production. They can also work in laboratories or even take the charge of the plants. The Production Engineers who do not wish to take up technical positions can serve in various institutions and nurture young students for this field.
Salary – Production Engineers are entitled to very good salaries. The average monthly salary of Production Engineers ranges from Rs. 15,000/- to Rs.25, 000/-. Production Manager gets a salary of Rs.20, 000/- to Rs.30, 000/- per month. In USA, Production Engineers take home as much as $85,000 per year.
Production Engineering is career filled with new challenges everyday. With just a little hard work, one can design an immensely successful career.

The Best Colleges for Production Engineering in India are: -

1. Delhi College of Engineering
2. Jadavpur University, Kolkata
3. Anna University, Chennai
4. National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli
5. National Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur
6. Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi
7. Birsa Institute of Technology, Sindri, Jharkhand
8. National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar
9. D.Y.Patil College of Engineering, Pune
10. Dwarkadas J. Sanghvi College of Engineering, Mumbai

The Best Colleges for Production Engineering in the USA are - 

1. Georgia Institute of Technology
2. Michigan University
3. Purdue University
4. Pennsylvania State University--University Park
5. Virginia Tech
6. Texas A&M University
7. University of Arizona
8. Northwestern University
9. University of Southern California
10. University of Wisconsin—Madison

Top Indian Firms for Production Engineering

1. Larsen & Toubro
2. Bombay Dyeing & Manufacturing Company Ltd.
3. Haldia Petrochemicals
4. Jindal Steel
5. TVS
6. Aditya Birla Group

Top Global Firms for Production Engineering

1.      Ford Motor Company

2.      American Commercial Lines Inc.

3.      Hitachi Cable America Inc.

4.      Exxon Mobil Chemicals

5.      Okuma Corporation