Industrial engineer to industrial tool design engineer
An industrial engineer already meets 58% of what the industrial tool design engineer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
47.5/ 100
1 How much of what an industrial tool design engineer is expected to do is already part of an industrial engineer’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the industrial tool design engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An industrial tool design engineer role treats 15 of its required skills as things an industrial engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- CAD software
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- design drawings
- design prototypes
- industrial engineering
What stands in the way is 9 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An industrial tool design engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an industrial engineer background worth leading with.
- already held maintain industrial equipment constructing
- already held determine production capacity information skills
- already held industrial tools engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held plan manufacturing processes management skills
- already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
All 22 carried skills, including the 15 the industrial tool design engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 20 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn define part requirements required
- still to learn execute feasibility study required
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
- optional, not held monitor production developments optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- still to learn identify customer's needs required
- still to learn create solutions to problems required
- still to learn troubleshoot required
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- still to learn use specialised design software required
- still to learn use technical drawing software required
- optional, not held use computer-aided engineering systems optional
- still to learn inspect industrial equipment required
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
- optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an industrial tool design engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 define part requirements practise this
- 02 identify customer's needs practise this
- 03 create solutions to problems practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 22 skills that carry over
- already held CAD software knowledge
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held design drawings knowledge
- already held design prototypes skill
- already held industrial engineering knowledge
- already held industrial tools knowledge
- already held manufacturing processes knowledge
- already held mathematics knowledge
- already held mechanical engineering knowledge
- already held mechanics knowledge
- already held production processes knowledge
- already held read engineering drawings skill
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held use CAD software skill
- already held 3D modelling knowledge
- already held determine production capacity skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held maintain industrial equipment skill
- already held material mechanics knowledge
- already held plan manufacturing processes skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
11 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held advise on safety improvements optional
- optional, not held build a product's physical model optional
- optional, not held create a product's virtual model optional
- optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
- optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
- optional, not held manage supplies optional
- optional, not held monitor production developments optional
- optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
- optional, not held use computer-aided engineering systems optional
55 held skills the industrial tool design engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on manufacturing problems skill
- not needed by the target role aerospace engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
- not needed by the target role apply advanced manufacturing skill
- not needed by the target role automation technology knowledge
- not needed by the target role automotive engineering skill
- not needed by the target role build machines skill
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role computer engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role continuous improvement philosophies knowledge
- not needed by the target role control production skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate engineering teams skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate manufacturing production activities skill
- not needed by the target role design automation components skill
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role develop product design skill
- not needed by the target role develop production line skill
- not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role electromechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role electronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role examine engineering principles skill
- not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- not needed by the target role industrial research and development knowledge
- not needed by the target role instrumentation engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role instrumentation equipment knowledge
- not needed by the target role integrate new products in manufacturing skill
- not needed by the target role keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes skill
- not needed by the target role lead process optimisation skill
- not needed by the target role lean manufacturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- not needed by the target role manage budgets skill
- not needed by the target role manage production systems skill
- not needed by the target role mechatronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role microelectromechanical systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role microelectronics knowledge
- not needed by the target role optimise production skill
- not needed by the target role optimise production processes parameters skill
15 further entries not listed here
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held reverse engineering optional
Other moves recorded from industrial engineer
- production engineer 67% covered · moderate
- container equipment design engineer 60% covered · moderate
- surface engineer 57% covered · moderate
- manufacturing engineer 56% covered · moderate
- rolling stock engineer 55% covered · moderate
- packing machinery engineer 55% covered · moderate
- rotating equipment engineer 55% covered · moderate
- mechanical engineering drafter 54% covered · moderate
Common questions about this move
Can an industrial engineer become an industrial tool design engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An industrial engineer already covers 58% of what an industrial tool design engineer is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 15 of which the industrial tool design engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an industrial engineer need to become an industrial tool design engineer?
9 required skills are missing, plus 11 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is define part requirements.
How hard is the move from industrial engineer to industrial tool design engineer?
Its learning distance is 47.5 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.