Also called: Process Improvement Engineer, IE
Finds ways to eliminate wasted time, money, energy and effort in factories, warehouses and hospitals.
You stand on a factory floor with a stopwatch watching workers build a lawn mower and notice they walk 2 miles a day fetching parts. You redesign the layout on a computer, move the parts bins, and cut build time by 15%.
BLS May 2024 median $101,140; percentiles approximate.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in industrial engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Industrial Engineering, Systems Engineering.
Growing much faster than average (about 11% over 10 years). BLS 2024-34 projection: much faster than average.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI analytics and simulation automate time studies and layout options, squeezing entry roles; floor observation and leading change stay human.
Classes: Statistics, AP Calculus, Computer science, Business.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-2112.
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