5 Tips for Evaluating an Engineering Firm Before You Join

To grow your professional career as an engineer in your desired firm, you need a proper plan and research. It is important to ensure that the company you work will meet your goals and plan. Here are some tips that will help an individual to evaluate any engineering firm before joining it.

  1. Check for the company’s website

To find whether a company is real or fake

  1. Let Social Media reconfirm the Company’s values

Thoroughly check the company’s Facebook posts and Twitter tweets to closely analyze and evaluate employee relation and organization culture.

  1. The inside scoop

Check reviews on websites such as Glassdoor and get the insights of the corporate culture by reading employee reviews.

  1. Leverage your Network

Make use of in-person networking by contacting your connections on Linkedin who have recent work experience in the firm of your interest. Gather details about the work culture from acquaintances and then choose the right firm.

  1. Keep an eye on Press

Explore both consumer and trade press to gain details about the firm’s expertise and the way it highlights and publicize individual’s professional achievements.

Evolving Industrial Design Technology Trends in 2019

Manufacturers always prefer technologies that promise to make their firms more productive and profitable. One of the most recent concepts is the Internet of Things (IoT) which would revolutionize the industrial design technology. Additionally, use of Augmented Virtual Reality will offer industries to have more vivid experience of the real world. Digitalization is another concept that would give an apparent idea of development and technology dependent world. Further, Artificial Intelligence will become part of our daily life. So, let us briefly understand the Industrial Design Technology Trends in 2019.

Internet of things (IoT)

IoT is defined as a system of interlinked devices. The IoT for industries will empower new ways of ideation, engineering innovation, production execution, and service excellence. It is not just associated with physical objects but also about designing things in virtual space. It will completely change the connectivity power of electronics and software and their interaction. Such products will have the capability to increase the company’s profits as well as deliver significant benefits to consumers.

Augmented Virtual Reality

Augmented Virtual reality is going to change not only what customers do with products but also what they expect from them. It will provide consumers to experience the virtual world more vividly. In the case of designing, designers can pull their ideas out of the screen and can drop it into the real world at full scale. The designers will be able to visualize, interact, and report their findings on product quality from any part of the world. It will surely, advance the design technology and improve industry efficiency.

Digitalization

The use of Digital technologies changes the business model and distribute new income and value-producing chances to business. Digitalization will unquestionably improve the accessibility and will facilitate better information exchange worldwide. A proper digitalization plan will help industries to reinvent processes, improve quality and promote consistency.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is changing everything, and the Design industry is a part of this change. It is a section of computer science that highlights the creation of intelligent machines which work and respond like humans. Artificial Intelligence Designers will lead multidisciplinary teams in the formation and designing. So, it is very likely that soon AI would take control of the product design domain as well.

Overall, in 2019 many more technologies will evolve which will completely digitalize the design industry and will promote overall organizational growth.

Engineering Education and Job Satisfaction

A couple of years back, a bachelor’s degree in engineering was assumed to be enough to achieve success in the career. But, with more competitiveness in the industries, the employers now seek candidates that hold advanced degrees in engineering. These degrees also helps the professional to move into job roles that are more challenging, highly paid, and with more responsibilities.

Recent research about degrees and job roles stated that:

  • Bachelor’s degree was the most common degree across the technical industries.
  • Master’s degree held the second highest position.
  • An exception was seen in the education sector that held a higher number of doctoral degrees.

Degree Types and Job Roles

Degrees plays a significant role in the employee job responsibilities. A match between the job roles and education is thus important for success. Therefore, people who wish to succeed in their career opt for advanced degrees in their field. It is often observed that:

  • Most of the successful people working in the same field of their education had both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree.
  • These professionals persuaded for a higher level of education to gain a deeper understanding of their fields and advance on their career paths.

Job Satisfaction

It is one of the most motivating factors to go for an advanced degree.

  • Most of the professionals believe that having a masters or a PhD degree helps them excel in their career.
  • It helps to gain an improvedbreadth of knowledge and expertise in their filed.
  • It gives professionals a higher level of job satisfaction and enjoyment of their tasks.
  • Lastly, it offers a high range of salary which gives them a feeling of satisfaction.

Does Digitalization Affect Manufacturing Economics?

Digitalization has revolutionized the entire manufacturing sector. The labor-intensive industry has transformed into a technology-driven industry. Technology such as 3-D printing, CNC machining, industrial internet of things (IIoT), and artificial intelligence (AI) have optimized the manufacturing operations and have considerably reduced the production and maintenance cost. The details of this technological impact on manufacturing are listed below:

  1. Economically Viable Mass Customization

Digital manufacturing helps automate front-end engineering associated with customization. Interactive design for manufacturing (DFM-Design for Manufacturing) tools helps to analyze the design components before manufacturing, which significantly reduces manufacturing risks and enhance productivity. Precisely, these tools improve traceability across the manufacturing process making it more flexible and efficient. Concisely, this digitalization decreases the tooling cost and makes customization economically feasible.

  1. Improved Product Design and Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing is enabling manufacturing organizations to create new and improved products at a lower price. Under the additive manufacturing, engineers have design freedom and assembly reduction, which permits them to customize the product design according to the needs and demands of the industry and customers. Overall, the digital revolution is enhancing product quality, quantity, and variety.

  1. Low Maintenance Cost and Downtime

Machine learning and AI(Artificial Intelligence) could effectively reduce the maintenance and downtime cost. It is because planned and anticipated maintenance is more efficient compared to maintenance of unplanned problems. So, digital manufacturing helps to anticipate potential risks which eventually reduces the cost incurred due to unexpected events.

  1. Generating Revenue by Accelerating Production

Digital Manufacturing automates the process of design analysis, toolpathing, and front-end processes. This automation helps in the easy prototyping of product which in turn simplify the supply chain management. With the readily modeled design, manufacturers could enhance the procurement process and subsequently reduce the production time. As a result, the product is launched to the market in time, and high revenues are generated benefitting the manufacturing firm.

Overall, with the digitalization of the manufacturing industry, the labor-intensive work has reduced, and the productivity has increased exponentially. Consequently, the profits have escalated the cost of productivity and maintenance have decreased. All in all, the useful technology innovation in the manufacturing sector have benefitted the overall industry and have paved the way for improved production.

Why Should Every Engineer Learn Machining?

Engineers and machinists often work together on a single project across the manufacturing industries. An open communication and awareness about their respective work methods can do wonders. On the other hand, a breakdown in their communication can be disastrous for a project. These two groups are dependent on each other as they work together. Therefore, it can be highly beneficial for the engineers to learn some machining basics:

  • Learning about machining helps them to look at the world from both perspectives.
  • There will be a better understanding among both groups about the technical details.
  • Knowing the design details about the machine will enhance the engineer’s imagination towards its operation.
  • It will help to adopt better design principles.

From a designer’s point of view, it is essential to push their limits beyond imagination. Being an engineer and a machinist will help in knowing what can be done and how will it be done. As a result, it will increase the overall efficiency.