Process Engineering Jobs

A process engineer designs, installs, and finds a plant to manufacture anything, such as drugs to detergent or food to fertilizer. Elements are used to produce, or be changed into, a specific bulk or discreet product.  The processes used are usually chemical or could involve chemical reaction.  These processes are conducted continuously and repeatedly.  A process engineer will develop the actual mechanical steps involved in this. 

Bulk products are of homogenous nature, or uniform composition, and are gases, liquids, or solids.  They are made in separate batches on a continuous basis.  Discreet products are made from a process of putting together parts of products, or the end product itself, and surface finishing them.  Each piece of a discreet product is individually distinct. 

For example, the processes for bulk products are

• refining petroleum into gas
• water purification
• manufacturing penicillin by fermenting
• turning wood pulp into paper
• extraction of salt from brine
• producing liquid oxygen and nitrogen out of air
• distilling whiskey
• manufacturing paint

The processes for discreet products are:

• Heating casted metal into shapes
• making molds by shaping
• Forging, forming and finishing the surface of parts of end products
• Assembling the end products

The process engineer meets with the design engineer and then selects the processes that will be used.  Process engineers formulate the sequence that will be used during the operation.  The process engineer will order any special tools needed.  The order or system will start with introducing the element that will be changed into a specific product.  Next is outlining the specifications for the transformation take place.  Calculations and designs are drawn.  Adjustments will be made to optimize and realize the end product.  The environmental conditions that will impact the product will be studied and any restrictions or limiting factors addressed.  The resources, including personnel that are needed.  He will supervise installations and maintenance of the plant and equipment.  Safety inspections and financial management are under the scope of the process engineer.  Close attention must be paid to the safety, health, and environments because these types of products involve potential hazardous substances are used. 

The process engineer should be skilled at problem solving, flexible, good at communicating with his team in order to sustain teamwork throughout the project.  In addition to engineering courses, rigorous safety and health training is a must. 

Here are some examples of processes for different types of cases:

The process will be a live concert.  The product is the actual show.  The mission will be to entertain the public, and satisfy the critics.  The environment would be the concert hall and audience.  A constraint might be correct acoustics.  Resources would be an orchestra and instruments needed.  Elements needed for input are musical scores, and the transformation is the orchestra playing the scores to accomplish the mission. 

Another process would be a polling campaign.  The product would be voting results.  The mission is to have our candidate elected.  The environment would be a political system.  Constraints might be speaking times fitting a certain schedule.  Resources could be the campaign team for the candidate, and the element is the candidate.  The transformation would be to accomplish the mission of making sure people vote for our candidate. 

Average pay for a process engineer can be seen on this chart: