Wherever there is a problem, you’ll find an engineer to solve it. Civil engineers design and develop more efficient infrastructure. Electrical engineers are involved in everything from making smart devices smarter to automating manufacturing processes. Mechanical engineers draw up the schematics that technologists use to create the world around you.
Among the myriad disciplines, engineers in supply chain management make the movement of goods more efficient. These professionals develop solutions that reduce costs and provide visibility into supply chain processes so organizations can optimize, drive revenue and enrich customer service activities.
Indeed defines supply chain management as “the business side of supply chain operations … [including] every phase of delivering a product or service to a customer, including material storage, production and fulfillment.” Enggpro emphasizes the important relationship between supply chain managers and engineers: “Supply chain management is an essential part of the business because the whole company works on the idea of the supply chain, and engineers work on carrying out the production and operating process successfully.”
Professionals pursuing an advanced degree in engineering can develop the foundational skills to apply in leadership, business and supply chain spaces. Graduates of the University of New Orleans (UNO) online Master of Science in Engineering program gain the necessary engineering, management, reporting, data collection and technical abilities to improve efficiency in supply chain systems.
What Is the Role of Engineering Management in the Problem-Solving Process?
Whether the engineering team is involved in streamlining supply chain processes, designing green infrastructure or optimizing digital technologies, engineering managers play diverse roles. They guide and shape projects and set schedules. They also develop quantitative analytics to measure progress against the plan, maintain budgets and coordinate activities across teams.
STEM professionals often prepare for management roles by earning an advanced degree. Graduates of UNO’s online program gain the tools and insights to oversee innovative engineering projects in today’s technology-driven global economy. The program’s curriculum includes courses like the following:
- Project Management: comprises organizational structure, planning, execution and control of supply chain optimization initiatives
- Systems Analysis, Development, and Management: explores principles, methods and tools for system engineering as applied to complex systems development such as a supply chain
- Quality Management: uses case studies into the principles of total quality management in supply chain operations
The multidisciplinary program introduces students to business fundamentals while enabling them to expand their technical expertise, innovation and expertise.
What Tools Do Engineering Managers Use to Optimize Supply Chain Operations?
Engineering managers involved in supply chain projects have a variety of tools at their disposal to achieve diverse goals. Those objectives can include designing and deploying supply chain processes and coordinating procurement, production and logistics. Managers can also implement systems that increase visibility up and down the supply chain to ensure efficient movement of materials. Leading engineering management tools include:
- Microsoft Project helps engineers and cross-team collaborators identify connections in the process. That enhanced visibility enables them to allocate resources more efficiently, set milestones to measure implementation progress, and anticipate workflow interruptions before they detail the project. The tool uses Gantt charts to simplify timeline management and support adjustments to ensure timely completion.
- Asana supports collaboration between engineering and logistics teams on projects related to inventory management, supplier coordination and transport. Engineering managers use it to create task lists and assign responsibilities to ensure efficient teamwork, gain supply chain visibility, identify bottlenecks and make data-driven decisions to improve efficiency.
- Trello enables supply chain optimization teams to assess the efficiency of each stage, including procurement, production and distribution. Tasks are rated according to their stage of completion to improve understanding of workflow status. Giving project managers deeper insights into the individual processes supports their ability to streamline supply chain operations.
While supply chain optimization is vital across economic sectors, it is particularly important in manufacturing. A company that relies on suppliers a world away, for instance, must have visibility into its vendors’ supply chains so it can spot interruptions and adjust operations to work around them.
“And in the world of manufacturing, the collaboration (or lack thereof) between engineering and supply chain teams has a massive impact on operational efficiency and the bottom line,” according to Forbes. “New product development (NPD) and production run smoothly when engineering and supply chain teams are aligned and integrated into the same workflow.”
Learn more about UNO’s online Master of Science in Engineering program.