Based on several observations, we have come to conclude that there are many parents who hesitate to admit their children into the designated branch of Production Engineering to make it as their professional career. The reasons which mostly dominate their decision are either some reservations about the domain or insufficient knowledge about it. This article is an attempt to throw light on the lingering questions such as ‘What is Production Engineering branch, what do students learn during this course? what are the job scenario and placement opportunities in the present market & the scope for higher education? The following information will not only answer all your doubts but also make you favour the branch as your potential career option.
Mechanical Engineering branch has three major streams viz. Thermal, Design Science and Manufacturing technology (termed as Production Technology). Generally, under mechanical course, thermal science and design-related subjects carry of 40% weightage each; and 20% weightage is given for production-related subjects. Thermal science and design both streams are nothing but basic sciences, whose elementary introduction, you come across in your 11th/12th physics/chemistry in the topics like a phenomenon of heat transfer, enthalpy and properties of metal, stress/strain and young’s modulus concept. In engineering, you will learn the in-depth details of these concepts. Using these two basic streams, engineers will decide the size and shape of the product. Now, how has this product to be manufactured? – who are trained do it? … The answer is a Production Engineer! In Production engineering you will learn how to make a particular product, various methods of manufacturing like machining, welding, foundry, to modern manufacturing techniques like computer-controlled machines, 3D printing, automation and robotics, IOT etc.
In Mechanical Engineering, Production has only 20% weightage which is actually the necessity Indian industry. But in a Production Engineering Branch, which is a specialization of Mechanical itself, 20% weightage is given, each to Thermal Science and Design, while 60% weightage for Manufacturing related subjects. The Thermal Science and Design knowledge is important for R&D, while expertise in Production is the necessity of all huge Manufacturing Industries/companies like Tata Motors, BAJAJ Auto, SKF, THERMAX, Forbes Marshall, Raymond, Groupe-Cahors, FIAT, Hyundai, GM etc.
In our country, the major contribution in the mechanical industry is towards manufacturing rather than R&D and therefore Production Engineering is an extremely important branch focusing on manufacturing with an added benefit of excessive cost reduction. Further, during the course, you will learn about techniques/methods of manufacturing as well as management of manufacturing which is directly related to the cost and quality of a product. Therefore, this branch is very useful/versatile in the manufacturing industry in our country. If you keenly go through the syllabus of Production Engineering, you will also find that the syllabus covers some major subjects of MBA course, in detail.
After graduation, if you are interested to work in an industry, Production Engineering definitely has a huge scope, as most of the engineers are needed on the shop floor than R&D. If you are interested in pursuing an MBA after graduation, even then the Production Engineering branch is appropriate as a major portion of MBA syllabus is already covered in the Production branch as compared to any other branch of Engineering. Actually, pursuing MBA no longer remains a necessity after you have graduated as a Production Engineering.
For those having an aim of pursuing higher studies after graduation, production engineering still remains the most appropriate option; why?
Many of you may be interested to pursue MS in the US, you will find nearly 60% of students join MS in Industrial/Operation research stream, which is nothing but a specialization of the Production branch and remaining 40% goes for either in design or thermal science stream.
Those aiming to pursue a career in administration/Govt services through UPSC/MPSC, Production should be a natural choice because it has management subjects, useful for administration. A Production Engineer is essentially a good manager/administrator due to coverage of the Production Management area.
If you observe carefully, you will notice that the persons who occupy top positions like GM, VP, MD in manufacturing industries, actually joined as a trainee engineer in a shop floor/machine shop rather than in the R&D department. Therefore, if your objective is to become a competitive leader in Industry, Production Engineering is your key to success. You will get exposure not only in Engineering but also in Costing, Finance, Human resource handling (Management) with experience on the shop floor rather than in R&D.
If you have a dream to own a business/enterprise, then this branch definitely gives you a head start as they highly focus on entrepreneurship development.
Even Production engineers can have a career in the IT industry as it has such interdisciplinary subjects like DBMS, Decision Science, ERP etc. In the current age, you would have heard a lot about Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of things and Blockchains. Our CNC machines are the origin of ML & AI & the core subject of production viz ‘Operations Research’ is the base for ML & AI. Therefore, you can explore your opportunity in this newly emerging area of engineering also.
Future growth in India’s GDP will come from the service sectors. More recruitments will be required in the production sector as you all are familiar with online purchasing platforms like Flipkart, Amazon etc. This sector is in need of manpower with exposure to “Operations Management”; an essential part of the service industry. This operations management is nothing but Production Management and Supply chain Management which are subjects under Production Engineering Course for Final Year. Therefore, job opportunities are also available in hospitality, travel and tourism in operations and logistics management area.
The Alumni of Production branch is not only placed in IT industries like IBM, Capgemini, Infosys, TCS apart from manufacturing but also are heading certain divisions, Departments in these big companies at positions like Projects Head, Group Leader etc.
If you see the record for the current status of senior alumni (at least 20 years’ experience) from any college, you will be finding Production branch students are doing very well in the corporate life and also leading these organizations as compared to students of any other branch.
AISSMS College of Engineering has the Production branch in a Sandwich pattern. This is yet another advantage because within the span of the 4-year course, one full year the student spends in the industry undergoing training. This training/ apprenticeship will make you conversant with the demands of the industry and also mold you into a perfectly employable graduate immediately after final year results being declared. Now the Government/AICTE are thinking on the lines of making at least three months industry internship compulsory for all branches, we already have already had 12 months training, making it four times the proposed time slot for other courses!
Written By,
Shri D. H. Joshi