Industrial engineer to production engineer
An industrial engineer already meets 67% of what the production engineer role asks for. The move turns on 3 required skills not yet in the profile.
35.2/ 100
1 How much of what a production 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 production engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A production engineer role treats 13 of its required skills as things an industrial engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- control production
- engineering principles
- engineering processes
- industrial engineering
What stands in the way is 3 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 21 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A production 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 production engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held lean manufacturing business, administration and law
- already held continuous improvement philosophies business, administration and law
- already held lead process optimisation management skills
- already held schedule production management skills
- already held optimise production management skills
All 21 carried skills, including the 13 the production engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 17 missing skills fall into 4 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 assess financial viability required
- still to learn perform scientific research required
- optional, not held execute feasibility study on hydrogen optional
- optional, not held control of expenses optional
- optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
- optional, not held inspect quality of products optional
- still to learn use technical drawing software required
- optional, not held implement quality management systems optional
- optional, not held adjust production schedule optional
- optional, not held control financial resources optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
- optional, not held identify training needs optional
- optional, not held manage human resources optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held set production facilities standards optional
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a production engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 assess financial viability practise this
- 02 perform scientific research practise this
- 03 use technical drawing software 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 21 skills that carry over
- already held adjust engineering designs skill
- already held approve engineering design skill
- already held control production skill
- already held engineering principles knowledge
- already held engineering processes knowledge
- already held industrial engineering knowledge
- already held lead process optimisation skill
- already held manufacturing processes knowledge
- already held optimise production skill
- already held production engineering knowledge
- already held production processes knowledge
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held technical drawings knowledge
- already held analyse production processes for improvement skill
- already held continuous improvement philosophies knowledge
- already held develop product design skill
- already held integrate new products in manufacturing skill
- already held lean manufacturing knowledge
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held schedule production skill
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held execute feasibility study on hydrogen optional
- optional, not held implement quality management systems optional
- optional, not held adjust production schedule optional
- optional, not held advise on machinery malfunctions optional
- optional, not held control financial resources optional
- optional, not held control of expenses optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment availability optional
- optional, not held ensure equipment maintenance optional
- optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
- optional, not held identify training needs optional
- optional, not held inspect quality of products optional
- optional, not held manage human resources optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held set production facilities standards optional
56 held skills the production engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role 3D modelling knowledge
- not needed by the target role CAD software knowledge
- 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 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 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 drawings knowledge
- not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role design prototypes skill
- not needed by the target role determine production capacity 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 industrial tools 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 keep up with digital transformation of industrial processes skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with engineers skill
- not needed by the target role maintain industrial equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage production systems skill
- not needed by the target role material mechanics knowledge
- not needed by the target role mathematics knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role mechanics knowledge
- 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
16 further entries not listed here
Other moves recorded from industrial engineer
- container equipment design engineer 60% covered · moderate
- industrial tool design engineer 58% 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 a production engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. An industrial engineer already covers 67% of what a production engineer is expected to do: 21 skills carry over, 13 of which the production engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an industrial engineer need to become a production engineer?
3 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is assess financial viability.
How hard is the move from industrial engineer to production engineer?
Its learning distance is 35.2 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.