What the engineering department does
Design engineers turn customer requirements into drawings, 3D models and bills of material using tools such as AutoCAD, SolidWorks or Creo. Process engineers decide how the part will be made: routing, cycle times, fixtures, tooling and the process sheets that production follows. R&D engineers develop new products, build prototypes and test them against standards. In EPC and project companies, discipline engineers prepare layouts, datasheets, cable schedules and piping isometrics, review vendor drawings and support site teams during erection and commissioning. Engineering also controls documents: every drawing has a number, a revision and a record of who approved it.
- Product design: drawings, 3D models, bills of material and design validation
- Process engineering: routings, fixtures, tooling and cycle time studies
- R&D: new product development, prototypes and testing
- Project engineering: discipline design, vendor drawing review and site support
- Document control: drawing numbers, revisions and approval records
Engineering at 50, 500 and 5,000 employees
In a 50-employee company, engineering is usually the founder, who is often an engineer, plus one or two design engineers and a draughtsman. Drawings are approved by the founder and changes are communicated by walking to the shop floor. Once the company nears 500 employees, it has an engineering manager with separate design and process teams, a pool of CAD draughtsmen, a tool room engineer and a document controller, and new products go through a written design review before release.
By 5,000 employees, a head of engineering or CTO leads design, process engineering, R&D and testing labs, often from an engineering office in a city such as Pune, Bengaluru or Vadodara that serves several plants. EPC companies of this size have discipline heads for mechanical, electrical, civil and structural, instrumentation and piping, each with lead engineers, design engineers and draughtsmen, organized into project teams under engineering managers.
How engineering works with production, purchase and sales
Sales brings customer enquiries that need a technical feasibility check, and engineering answers with drawings, deviations and cost inputs before the quote goes out. Purchase buys to engineering's specification and brings vendor drawings back for approval. Production and quality raise problems with drawings on the shop floor, and engineering either fixes the design or approves a deviation. Maintenance gives feedback on machines that are hard to service. Project and construction teams rely on engineering for issued-for-construction drawings and quick answers to site queries. HR works with engineering on the graduate trainee intake from engineering colleges and on technical skill matrices.
Drawing approvals and reporting lines
Draughtsmen and design engineers report to a lead engineer or section head, who reports to the engineering manager, then the head of engineering, who reports to the managing director, CTO or COO. Every drawing is checked by someone other than the person who made it and approved by the section head before release. Engineering changes follow a change note: the requester raises it, engineering assesses it, and quality, production and purchase sign off before the new revision is issued. Changes that affect cost, safety or a customer approval go to the head of engineering, and customer-approved drawings are revised only after the customer agrees.
Typical engineering team structure
Engineering designation hierarchy
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Book a free demoSee pricingFrequently asked questions
What does an engineering department do in a manufacturing company?
In a manufacturing company the engineering department designs products and the processes to make them. It prepares drawings and bills of material, develops tooling and fixtures, sets cycle times, runs new product development and testing, controls drawing revisions and supports production and quality when parts do not match the design.
What is the hierarchy in an engineering department?
Engineers typically join as graduate engineer trainees, alongside draughtsmen, and progress to design or process engineer, senior engineer, lead engineer or section head, engineering manager and head of engineering. EPC companies add discipline heads for mechanical, electrical, civil, instrumentation and piping between the engineering manager and the head of engineering.
What is the difference between a design engineer and a process engineer?
A design engineer decides what the product is: its dimensions, materials, tolerances and performance, captured in drawings and models. A process engineer decides how to make it: the sequence of operations, machines, fixtures, tools and cycle times on the shop floor. Both must work together, because a design that cannot be made economically has to change.
Who does the head of engineering report to?
The head of engineering usually reports to the managing director or CEO, especially where products are engineered to order. In some companies the role reports to the COO or a technical director. In EPC companies, engineering heads report to the director of engineering or projects, while project engineering managers work alongside project managers on each contract.