WHAT DOES A PRODUCTION ENGINEER DO?

Published: Dec 24, 2025 - The Production Engineer strengthens manufacturing performance by aligning process capability, equipment reliability, and quality requirements across the production line. This role drives continuous improvement through technical problem-solving, performance metrics, and disciplined standard work to prevent recurring failures and reduce waste. The engineer also enables smooth scale-up and change implementation by coordinating cross-functional support, documenting procedures, and training operators to sustain safe and efficient operations.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Production Engineer

1. Production Engineer Duties

  • Cross-Interface: Become the primary interface between the Production and Engineering departments
  • Issue Resolution: Act as a focal point for all production-related engineering issues, using knowledge and expertise to solve them effectively
  • Fault Analysis: Determine which issues are escalated to the Engineering team for further investigation, providing detailed fault analysis
  • Root Cause: Identify problems with the established production process, carrying out root cause analysis to ensure the correct solutions are implemented
  • Design Support: Work closely with the Engineering team throughout the design process of new products to ensure that the final deliverable will be manufacturable and testable
  • Release Support: Become a key member of the product release process, ensuring a smooth transition from Engineering to Production
  • Process Design: Design new production processes and systems
  • Process Improvement: Develop the existing production processes and techniques to improve capacity, quality and reliability
  • Safety Awareness: Take an active role in the H&S of the production department by identifying any unsafe operations and practices, and suggesting ways to improve
  • Quality Control: Acts as a quality gatekeeper for New Product Introduction
  • Test Support: Supporting off-site test and subcontract manufacturing activities
  • Task Support: Carry out any other reasonable requests

2. Production Engineer Details

  • Mechanical Design: Responsible for the design, specification, selection, and services relating to mechanical equipment and storage tanks, in the onshore and offshore oil and gas project environment
  • System Evaluation: Evaluates mechanical and electromechanical systems and products by designing and conducting research programs
  • Engineering Principles: Applying principles of mechanics, thermodynamics, hydraulics, heat transfer, and materials
  • Material Estimation: Estimate the total required material for a specific thickness and length from drawings and manage the cutting layout with optimum use of material or plates
  • Feasibility Testing: Confirms system and product capabilities by designing feasibility and testing methods, testing properties
  • Quality Testing: Assures system and product quality by designing testing methods
  • Product Testing: Testing finished product and system capabilities, confirming fabrication, assembly, and installation processes
  • Process Development: Develops manufacturing processes by designing and modifying equipment for fabricating, building, assembling, and installing components
  • Report Preparation: Prepares product reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing information and trends
  • Team Contribution: Contributes to team effort by accomplishing related results
  • Design Appraisal: Control and submit the design appraisal to maintain the validity
  • ISO Compliance: Promote ISO 9001, other relevant quality, product standards and certifications maintained by the Company
  • Schedule Coordination: Coordinate between production and the painter to achieve the delivery schedule

3. Production Engineer Responsibilities

  • Process Support: Supports Siemens Energy Tampa Operations in Process Engineering and Manufacturing aspects
  • Safety Compliance: Ensures all technicians under their control abide by all safety-related policies and immediately escalates any perceived unaddressed workplace hazards to the appropriate responsible person, including issuing “stop work” orders
  • Shopfloor Support: Provides real-time shop floor manufacturing support including leading or participating in lean and automation projects
  • Team Supervision: Provides direct supervision of hourly technicians to ensure adherence to approved processes and ensures appropriate on-floor staffing levels are present at all times
  • Daily Leadership: Acts as the primary daily lead of technicians in their assigned area
  • Ownership Culture: Lead by example and exhibit a high level of personal responsibility to create an “ownership culture” amongst their team members
  • Work Instructions: Takes part in generating shop floor work instructions and creating manufacturing standards
  • Data Analysis: Performs process data analysis, leads Six Sigma and lean continuous improvement projects, and facilitates ongoing process improvement
  • Management Coordination: Works closely with the executive site management

4. Production Engineer Accountabilities

  • Operations Supervision: Organize, supervise and optimize blending, filling and warehouse operations
  • SSHE Compliance: Ensure Blending, Filling and Warehouse are compliant with the requirements of SSHE or OIMS or CIMS or GPIMS
  • SSHE Implementation: Implement the polices or requirements of SSHE or OMIS to maintain a good environment of SSHE
  • Team Communication: Keep a good communication channel with the line operational personnel to encourage them to involve the LPS and the sunshine program
  • Control Compliance: Implement the policies or requirements of Controls CIMS, HCP, SMC, etc., and coordinate the owned control catalog
  • Control Administration: Administer in line control activities to maintain a good control environment in blending, filling and the warehouse
  • Data Analysis: Gather and analyze operational data for MEI to monitor the overall production efficiency and reliability, and find improvement opportunities
  • Process Troubleshooting: Provide process troubleshooting support, make technical recommendations, improve process engineering tools and develop process procedures
  • Supply Chain: Collaborate with Production Planning, Deployment and Distribution for achieving a robust supply chain
  • Inventory Planning: Build best practices and functional expertise around planning and inventory management
  • Cost Savings: Design and implement strategies to track and identify the potential cost savings
  • Opex Control: Monitor and control the operation expense according to the Opex target
  • Personnel Management: Personnel management and training, performance appraisal for direct reports and contractors
  • Team Coordination: Responsible for the coordination and collaboration within operations and engineering teams
  • Workflow Optimization: Optimized workflow with operation and project teams

5. Production Engineer Functions

  • HSE Improvement: Develop and implement systems to improve and sustain value in the areas of health, safety, environment, production rates, equipment reliability, cost and quality
  • Operations Direction: Follow and direct day-to-day plant operations
  • CI Leadership: Participate and/or lead Continuous Improvement teams and subteams
  • Project Scoping: Develop initial scope and business case for improvement projects
  • Capital Support: Support Capital projects through the FEL process
  • Startup Planning: Assist in developing commissioning and start-up procedures for new equipment
  • Root Cause: Lead root cause analysis studies to resolve plant process and equipment-related issues
  • Environmental Data: Provide technical data for Environmental events such as process leaks and ECAT tasks
  • MOC Approval: Participate, lead, and approve MOCs and PSSRs
  • PHA Support: Participate in PHAs
  • Audit Closure: Responsible for review and resolution of action items as a result of HES, ISO, Insurance audits and PHA studies
  • Statistical Monitoring: Monitor intermediate and product analyses and statistical data
  • Process Approval: Responsible for specifying or approving process conditions to produce new or modified products in conjunction with the Quality representative
  • Complaint Investigation: Assists in the investigation and resolution of customer complaints and nonconforming products
  • Procedure Review: Develop, modify and/or review operational procedures
  • Trial Coordination: Help coordinate and plan special product trials

6. Production Engineer Overview

  • Project Coordination: Carries out the overall project interdisciplinary coordination between members of the operations support groups, throughout one or more project phases of detail design, fabrication, offshore installation and hook-up
  • Progress Reporting: Carries out progress reporting on the project
  • Contract Scope: Understands the full contractual scope of work, contract type and milestone schedules
  • Constructability Review: Reviews constructability and ensures the work execution plan is based on the most productive option
  • Lookahead Planning: Conducts fabrication look-ahead meetings and prioritizes materials and drawings to suit
  • Change Control: Responsible for documenting all scope of work changes (change orders) and coordinating AFC estimate updates
  • Technical Resolution: Solves technical problems and initiates site queries to ensure work disruption is minimized and productivity is optimized
  • Fabrication Forecast: Forecast fabrication requirements (deliverable inputs) to meet the project contract schedule
  • Issue Escalation: Highlights issues to the Senior Production Engineer or Fabrication Operations Engineer
  • Workpack Coordination: Coordinates with MTO, warehouse, and drafting teams to issue work packs
  • Workpack Issuance: Issues work packs and follows up on all activities for work pack execution
  • Task Listing: Prepare project-specific task listing
  • Status Updates: Appraises Senior Production Engineer or Fabrication Operations Engineer of any project issues that affect the forecasted progress, productivity and schedule commitments

7. Production Engineer Details and Accountabilities

  • Workpack Priorities: Develops a work pack index and sets priorities and deliverable dates for the discipline teams
  • Schedule Impact: Reviews input deliverable dates (material and drawings) and advises on the impact on the fabrication schedule
  • Client Queries: Authorizes technical queries or correspondence to be issued to the client
  • Execution Planning: Participates in the development of the project fabrication execution plan to meet contract requirements most productively
  • Lessons Learned: Prepares project fabrication lessons learnt
  • Risk Management: Identifies project risks and opportunities
  • Client Relations: Establishes a productive working relationship with client representatives
  • Field Guidance: Provides field guidance to meet project specifications, schedule and targets
  • Meeting Feedback: Participates and provides feedback in regular site and look-ahead meetings
  • Subcontract Coordination: Coordinates with subcontractors for the completion of works
  • Team Coordination: Coordinates with the construction engineering team
  • QHSES Support: Participates in QHSES initiatives and drives the achievement of objectives
  • Policy Compliance: Follow the company policies

8. Production Engineer Tasks

  • Process Troubleshooting: Monitoring modifications, upgrades, and troubleshooting existing processes
  • Method Evaluation: Investigate, justify and recommend new techniques, equipment or tools, and manufacturing methods to meet competitive business needs
  • Efficiency Analysis: Analyse and improve process quality and efficiency
  • Data Reporting: Summarize data or information to be used to present and communicate with the team
  • Technical Support: Performs technical support activities to maintain reliable and safe manufacturing systems
  • Design Coordination: Interface with other internal parties to ensure a coordinated design and complete engineering deliverables
  • Abnormality Reporting: Report and document any engineering-related or process abnormalities
  • Root Cause: Analyse data to identify root causes of process problems and implement appropriate countermeasures
  • CAPA Guidance: Advice on corrective and preventive actions
  • Process Improvement: Develop and implement process improvement to optimize the tools and equipment capability
  • Productivity Improvement: Continuously to improve processes regarding Productivity, Lead time, FROT, quality and cost
  • Statistical Studies: Perform statistical process studies

9. Production Engineer Roles

  • Production Optimization: Ensuring continuity and optimization of production
  • Project Coordination: Coordinating projects on the manufacturing places as safety, quality, productivity, cost improvement and digital transformation activities
  • Problem Solving: Conducting problem-solving activities
  • Layout Planning: Machinery planning (line and layout planning, workplace ergonomics)
  • Capacity Planning: Product and process planning (Capacities and Invest or Disinvest)
  • KPI Planning: Coordinative tasks, long-term investment and strategic planning for KPIs
  • Process Improvement: Optimization and general improvement of processes and procedures
  • Project Validation: Scheduling the project, carrying out validations according to process instructions, and presenting the results to the customer
  • Machine Commissioning: Commissioning and release of new machines or new customer type

10. Production Engineer Additional Details

  • Rejection Logging: Log the rejection and find a suitable solution for the part
  • Process Planning: Responsible for creating detailed Proplans and using these within the workings to find the correct and most efficient solution, utilising OEM specifications and in-house work procedures
  • Shopfloor Support: Resolve shop floor issues, which vary from having an expired CMM, incorrect Proplans, extra work editions, process recovery to spec and providing general advice
  • Nonconformance Control: Ensure all non-compliances are managed efficiently to ensure accurate reporting, timely closure and robust containment and corrective actions are in place
  • Tooling Development: Lead the development of tooling requirements in accordance with regulatory requirements, including design, maintenance, reliability and repeatability in accordance with business procedures
  • Lean Sigma: Lead the lean sigma initiatives in a facilitating or support capacity to identify and eliminate waste activity, promote thorough standardisation and drive out operating and working capital cost
  • Training Coordination: Coordinate and assure delivery of the technical training within the value stream including the technical review outputs associated with SBs, ADs, Process specs and or CMM updates
  • OEM Liaison: Liaise with SAFRAN OEM engineering in the progression of new repairs and concessions
  • Workload Planning: Plan workload effectively, at all times, utilising the time to process map and identify improvements
Relevant Information
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