Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Mechanical engineer to packing machinery engineer

A mechanical engineer already meets 54% of what the packing machinery engineer role asks for. The move turns on 10 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From mechanical engineer
54 % overlap
Partial match
To packing machinery engineer
22 You already bring
10 Still to learn
40 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

48.8/ 100

1 How much of what a packing machinery engineer is expected to do is already part of a mechanical 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 packing machinery engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A packing machinery engineer role treats 11 of its required skills as things a mechanical engineer already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • adjust engineering designs
  • approve engineering design
  • engineering principles
  • engineering processes
  • industrial engineering
  • mechanical engineering

What stands in the way is 10 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A packing machinery engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a mechanical engineer background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held determine production capacity information skills
  • already held blueprints engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held principles of mechanical engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held industrial engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held material mechanics engineering, manufacturing and construction
  • already held quality and cycle time optimisation engineering, manufacturing and construction

All 22 carried skills, including the 11 the packing machinery engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 18 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 3 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn packaging engineering required
  • still to learn production processes required
  • still to learn types of packaging materials required
  • optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
02 working with computers 2 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn use CAD software required
  • still to learn use computer-aided engineering systems required
  • optional, not held use CAM software optional
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required
  • still to learn plan new packaging designs required
  • still to learn troubleshoot required
04 information skills 1 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn analyse packaging requirements 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
05 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn CAD software required
  • optional, not held automatic control system optional
06 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 required
  • still to learn mathematics required

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a packing machinery engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 22 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held adjust engineering designs skill
  • already held approve engineering design skill
  • already held engineering principles knowledge
  • already held engineering processes knowledge
  • already held industrial engineering knowledge
  • already held mechanical engineering knowledge
  • already held mechanics knowledge
  • already held perform scientific research skill
  • already held read engineering drawings skill
  • already held technical drawings knowledge
  • already held use technical drawing software skill
  • already held CAE software knowledge
  • already held advise on machinery malfunctions skill
  • already held blueprints knowledge
  • already held determine production capacity skill
  • already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
  • already held manage supplies skill
  • already held material mechanics knowledge
  • already held principles of mechanical engineering knowledge
  • already held quality and cycle time optimisation knowledge
  • already held read standard blueprints skill
  • already held set up the controller of a machine skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 management skills 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held automatic control system optional
  • optional, not held determine production feasibility optional
  • optional, not held estimate duration of work optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
  • optional, not held monitor production developments optional
  • optional, not held plan manufacturing processes optional
  • optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
  • optional, not held use CAM software optional
70 held skills the packing machinery engineer role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role 3D modelling knowledge
  • not needed by the target role aerodynamics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role aircraft mechanics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role assess financial viability 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 building automation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role calibrate mechatronic instruments skill
  • not needed by the target role combined heat and power generation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role computer simulation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role continuum mechanics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role coordinate engineering teams skill
  • not needed by the target role create a product's virtual model skill
  • not needed by the target role create technical plans skill
  • not needed by the target role define part requirements skill
  • not needed by the target role define technical requirements skill
  • not needed by the target role design a domotic system in buildings skill
  • not needed by the target role design a solar absorption cooling system 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 engineering components skill
  • not needed by the target role design heating and cooling emission systems skill
  • not needed by the target role design principles knowledge
  • not needed by the target role design prototypes skill
  • not needed by the target role develop mechatronic test procedures skill
  • not needed by the target role disassemble engines skill
  • not needed by the target role draft design specifications skill
  • not needed by the target role electric current knowledge
  • not needed by the target role electromechanics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role evaluate engine performance skill
  • not needed by the target role fluid mechanics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role gather technical information skill
  • not needed by the target role hydraulics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role inspect engine rooms skill
  • not needed by the target role install automation components skill
  • not needed by the target role install mechatronic equipment skill
  • not needed by the target role instruct on energy saving technologies skill
  • not needed by the target role integrated design knowledge

30 further entries not listed here

7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn CAD software required
  • still to learn mathematics required
  • still to learn packaging engineering required
  • still to learn production processes required
  • still to learn types of packaging materials required
  • optional, not held automatic control system optional
  • optional, not held manufacturing processes optional
Index
FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a mechanical engineer become a packing machinery engineer?

Yes, and it is a moderate move. A mechanical engineer already covers 54% of what a packing machinery engineer is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 11 of which the packing machinery engineer role treats as required.

What skills does a mechanical engineer need to become a packing machinery engineer?

10 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by engineering, manufacturing and construction. The single most important is CAD software.

How hard is the move from mechanical engineer to packing machinery engineer?

Its learning distance is 48.8 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.