Jobs / Architecture and engineering / 17-2112.03
Manufacturing Engineers
Design, integrate, or improve manufacturing systems or related processes. May work with commercial or industrial designers to refine product designs to increase producibility and decrease costs.
- US jobs
- 365,740 (SOC 17-2112 group, "Industrial Engineers")
- Median wage
- $102,440 a year
- Job family
- Architecture and engineering
Can agents do the work of manufacturing engineers?
We read the evidence for the whole job family, Architecture and engineering: Some tasks (first measured in the last 12 months)
Agents complete 20% or more of the tasks (or projects) on a direct benchmark.
Evidence: HWE-Bench, 79.9% of tasks completed.
Direct evidence that disagrees: Parametric CAD Bench V3, 9% of tasks fully completed (Perfect tasks).
0% of this occupation's work, by O*NET work activities, is measured by a direct benchmark (figures for the SOC 17-2112 group).
- 7%Document technical designs, procedures, or activitiesNot measured
- 7%Research technology designs or applicationsNot measured
- 6%Develop research plans or methodologiesNot measured
- 6%Evaluate designs, specifications, or other technical dataNot measured
- 4%Communicate with others about specifications or project detailsNot measured
- 4%Read documents or materials to inform work processesNot measured
- 4%Advise others on business or operational mattersNot measured
- 3%Manage control systems or activitiesNot measured
Benchmarks for the job family
These cover work in architecture and engineering, not always this occupation's tasks.
Direct evidence
Work benchmarks mapped primary to this family. They set the step when they report how many tasks agents complete.
- 61%Claude Opus 5.5 (max) with Claude Code 2.1.280 · 24 Sep 2026Strong
Also relevant
These benchmarks cover part of this family's work, or have no result yet. They do not set its step.
- 64.8%Claude Code + Opus 5.5 (max) · 6 Oct 2026Strong
Context only
These benchmarks span many occupations, or they test how agents behave. They give context but do not set the step.
Typical tasks
From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.
- Troubleshoot new or existing product problems involving designs, materials, or processes.
- Investigate or resolve operational problems, such as material use variances or bottlenecks.
- Identify opportunities or implement changes to improve manufacturing processes or products or to reduce costs, using knowledge of fabrication processes, tooling and production equipment, assembly methods, quality control standards, or product design, materials and parts.
- Apply continuous improvement methods, such as lean manufacturing, to enhance manufacturing quality, reliability, or cost-effectiveness.
- Provide technical expertise or support related to manufacturing.
- Incorporate new manufacturing methods or processes to improve existing operations.
- Review product designs for manufacturability or completeness.
- Determine root causes of failures or recommend changes in designs, tolerances, or processing methods, using statistical procedures.
- Prepare reports summarizing information or trends related to manufacturing performance.
- Prepare documentation for new manufacturing processes or engineering procedures.
- Design layout of equipment or workspaces to achieve maximum efficiency.
- Communicate manufacturing capabilities, production schedules, or other information to facilitate production processes.
Other job titles for this occupation (24)
Facility Engineer · Manufacturing Engineer · Plant Engineer · Process Engineer · Process Improvement Engineer · Advance Manufacturing Engineer · Automation Engineer · Design Engineer · Engineer · Foundry Process Engineer · Lean Manufacturing Engineer · Manufacturing Applications Engineer · Manufacturing Automation Engineer · Manufacturing Controls Engineer · Manufacturing Electrical Engineer · Manufacturing Process Engineer · Manufacturing Project Engineer · Manufacturing Quality Engineer · Manufacturing Specialist · Manufacturing Systems Engineer · Methods Engineer · Process Manufacturing Engineer · Product Manufacturing Engineer · Project Engineer