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Industry Overview
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Manufacturing Job Listings
Industry Overview
Manufacturing is a broad term. Virtually any process that turns a raw
material into a finished product through use of a machine can be considered
manufacturing. If you look around at the objects strewn about the room in
which you’re currently sitting, you’ll see that quite a few things are
manufactured. However, we can break down the types of manufacturing based on
what companies produce or by industry; how they produce them, discrete or
flow; and the level of engineering effort required to manufacture them. The
universe of manufacturing includes the galaxies of aerospace and defense,
automobile and transportation, chemicals and metals, consumer goods,
electronics and high tech, industrial and farm equipment, and medical and
biotech. Generally, sectors that involve technology and are less
mature—especially biotech and medical manufacturing—are high-growth
opportunities, whereas those that have reached maturity—chemical and metals,
for instance—are waning and have seen much of their growth exported overseas.
Manufacturing companies typically emphasize materials management and sourcing
functions. Additionally, the majority of overseas opportunities reside with
manufacturing firms.
While manufacturing has gotten short shrift in recent years with the rise of
the service economy and the information economy, it still occupies an
undeniably large piece of the American psyche and a very real place in the
heart of American business. Three of the 2004 top ten Fortune 500 companies
belong to the manufacturing sector: General Motors, General Electric, and
Ford. And while the behemoths of American industry hold their own, a whole
new breed of manufacturers, in the guise of specialty medical and electronics
equipment manufacturers, rank among the fastest growing and most profitable
sectors of the economy.
Within each manufacturing segment—motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts,
aerospace and defense, electronics and scientific equipment, medical
equipment, industrial and farm equipment, consumer durable goods, chemicals,
and good old-fashioned conglomerates—are handfuls of Fortune 500 companies,
making the final tally of companies within the industry a large one.
Manufacturing Job Listings
Human Factors Specialist
Manufacturer
Manufacturing Design Engineer
Manufacturing Marketing
Manufacturing Product Development
Manufacturing Sales
Manufacturing Test Engineer
R&D Engineer
Supply Chain Engineer
Supply Chain Manager
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