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Plant Engineer skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

6 min read

Quoted Experts

Charles Jenckes,

Dr. David Grewell Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical plant engineer skills. We ranked the top skills for plant engineers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 6.0% of plant engineer resumes contained hvac as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a plant engineer needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 plant engineer skills for your resume and career

1. HVAC

Here's how plant engineers use hvac:

Directed HVAC and environmental improvements throughout the facility.
Performed both preventative and corrective maintenance on all HVAC, Boilers, Air conditioning systems and all related auxiliary systems.

2. Project Management

Here's how plant engineers use project management:

Developed and implemented engineering / construction project management and environmental regulatory tracking systems for Operations Integrity Management System for facility operations.
Supervised contractor personnel, guide them to follow the company safety standards meanwhile meet milestones established by project management methodology.

3. Plant Operations

Here's how plant engineers use plant operations:

Supervised contractors and maintenance work forces, researched and supplied technical and advisory support for plant operations and maintenance department.
Provided management of precast forming plant operations, oversight of concrete plant testing laboratory, quality and technical control.

4. Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement is an ongoing process of improvement of products, services, and processes with the help of innovative ideas. It is an organized approach that helps an organization to find its weaknesses and improve them.

Here's how plant engineers use continuous improvement:

Drive continuous improvement with regards to the consistency of the manufacturing operations by statistical analysis of operational and QC data.
Audited facilities and processes based on lean and 5S methodologies to ensure increased productivity and continuous improvement.

5. Plant Maintenance

Plant maintenance includes all preventive measures, processes, and operations concerned with plant life.

Here's how plant engineers use plant maintenance:

Provide technical support to plant maintenance department in an automotive aftermarket manufacturing business in a 250,000 square foot facility.
Directed plant maintenance activities including equipment repair, preventative maintenance programs, safety programs and new equipment selection.

6. Plumbing

Here's how plant engineers use plumbing:

Performed installation, operation, maintenance/repair of electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and other equipment.
Job also required repair and maintenance of independent patient services, television, nurse call systems and plumbing and sewer systems.

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7. Technical Support

Technical support or tech support are the services provided by any hardware or software company to users. They help in solving the technical difficulties the customers face with their products or services. Moreover, the tech support employees maintain, manage, and repair the IT faults. They are also responsible for resolving the network problems, installing and configuring hardware and software.

Here's how plant engineers use technical support:

Established and hired new Electrical/Mechanical Technicians, improving technical support structure for the operation while also reducing the overall maintenance budget.
Provided technical support, and managed all production in a fast paced, continuous automotive catalytic converter catalyst manufacturing facility.

Select Skills To Add To Your Resume

HVAC

Project Management

Plant Operations

Continuous Improvement

Plant Maintenance

Plumbing

8. OSHA

Here's how plant engineers use osha:

Prepared and reviewed project drawings/specifications to ensure compliance with OSHA environmental/quality standards, and federal, state and local environmental laws.
Developed Process Safety Management guidelines for the Packaging Coatings Division in accordance to OSHA guidelines.

9. Chemical Process

A chemical process is a process in which one or more chemicals or chemical compounds are modified through chemical reactions. Such a chemical process can take place on its own or be caused by an external force and involves a chemical reaction.

Here's how plant engineers use chemical process:

Authored job specific safety plans and performed daily site reviews within and around hazardous chemical processing operations.
Selected adequate chemical processes to carry out company operations that maximized revenue and minimized production costs.

10. Plant Equipment

The equipment that has a capital nature and can be easily moved from personal property is called plant equipment. Unlike fixed equipment, plant equipment is temporarily added to the structure of a building. These can be appliances, power tools, forklifts, vehicles, etc. Plant equipment plays a vital role in plant maintenance and ensures that the area has minimum breakdowns and the plant is fully functional at the lowest possible cost

Here's how plant engineers use plant equipment:

Fabricated parts for projects, disassembled machinery, conducted preventive maintenance on all related plant equipment.
Supervised in overhauling, emergency and preventive maintenance works of physical plant equipment.

11. Sigma

In Greek alphabets, sigma is the 18th letter that means "to sum up". In statistics, the lower case symbol of sigma is the unit of measurement for standard deviation which is used to assess the variability in a given set of data. While the upper case symbol is for summation notation means to add up all the given numbers in the data set.

Here's how plant engineers use sigma:

Utilize Six Sigma methodologies, secure personnel certification training, identify qualifying projects and promote team participation.
Implemented Six Sigma Project providing daily optimization of product pumps and compressors based on product alignment.

12. Process Improvement

Here's how plant engineers use process improvement:

Developed economic justifications for projects and process improvements including equipment repair projects, raw material acquisition processes, and chemical additives.
Evaluated current processes and suggest process improvements to ensure compliance with applicable safety and environmental regulations for existing and new processes.

13. Process Engineering

Process engineering is the agreement and use of the essential standards and laws of nature that permit us to change crude material and energy into items that are valuable to society, at a mechanical level.

Here's how plant engineers use process engineering:

Manage process engineering support to production to drive operational improvements in productivity, line balancing, and quality.
Provided process engineering support to chemical production and packaging departments including training of personnel.

14. Lean Manufacturing

Here's how plant engineers use lean manufacturing:

Evaluated and improved numerous technical and safety procedures emphasizing lean manufacturing and adherence to internal standards and regulations.
Developed, evaluated and implemented advanced lean manufacturing methods and processed design for high-speed operations.

15. Engineering Support

Engineering support means providing assistance to different engineers working in the company. It enables them to complete their tasks effectively and timely. Engineering support revolves around diagnosing and resolving software and hardware problems. They also look for network issues and resolve them in a timely manner.

Here's how plant engineers use engineering support:

Provided engineering support to production and maintenance departments including direct supervision of mechanical maintenance personnel and contract fabricators.
Provided expert engineering support for commissioning and validation of GMP systems ensuring completion to meet manufacturing requirements.

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What skills help Plant Engineers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on Plant Engineer resumes?

Charles Jenckes

Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

For new graduates
1.Where the candidate went to school and what was studied
2.GPA
3.Any successful internships
4.Projects completed by the student

What hard/technical skills are most important for Plant Engineers?

Dr. David Grewell Ph.D.

Department Chair and Professor, North Dakota State University

An IE must be able to break down complex problems into manageable issues and provide solutions for these problems that face the world in today's complex interconnected systems. A background in statistics, design and analysis, process management, and a strong foundation in the engineering disciplines make this possible.

What Plant Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Kamran Abedini

Professor and Chairman, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

First of all, I do not recommend a gap year or any interruptions in education as it could require additional warm-up and setup for starting it again in the future. However, if they "need" to do so, I recommend they at least take one course so that they understand the trend and the expectations of students in an educational environment. For example, in the last couple of semesters, both faculty and students have learned and experienced new methods of virtual learning and assessment. If you just plan on coming to school after a few semesters, you would be highly surprised by the changes, taking you much time to prepare, and it would cause falling behind your coursework.

What type of skills will young Plant Engineers need?

Neil Littell

Associate Professor and Kraft Family Scholar, Ohio University

I believe that all young graduates should focus on building their soft-skills in addition to building technical skills. New graduates' ability to apply technical skills, in conjunction with being a great team member who is well-liked and can communicate well, combine to form a powerful synergy for conquering the job market. Being involved in student organizations such as SME (the Society of Manufacturing Engineers) or ATMAE (the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering) are great places to volunteer, learn, and grow both soft and technical skills. I see a trend in students who are pursuing certificates, in addition to their undergraduate degrees, to communicate their interest in specific fields aligned to the jobs they desire. For example, at Ohio University, we offer undergraduate certificates in project management, lean/six-sigma, and sales, among many others. These certificates exist as groupings of classes designed to go further in an area than a typical undergraduate experience. I am also seeing students pursue industrial certifications as a way to prove what they can do. ATMAE, SME, and others provide these certifications. Our program requires each of our students to participate in at least one certification exam; usually, the Certified Manufacturing Specialist exam through ATMAE.

What technical skills for a Plant Engineer stand out to employers?

Tracy Farrell

Adjunct Instructor, Clarkson University

Technical skills that employers are seeking include "real" computer skills like Microsoft Office Suite tools, proper communication skills via email and website development and postings, developing proper document format that is appropriate to send to stakeholders (i.e., letter formatting, report writing, email formatting); strong communication skills that include speaking professionally and respectfully to stakeholders as well as writing professionally (i.e., making eye contact when speaking, proper handshake, respectful dialogue including questioning); project management - knowing how to organize work and develop a timeline that includes who will be responsible for what and follow through; data analysis - being able to not only present data in an organized and understandable manner; but, be able to interpret data correctly offering the justification behind what they are interpreting and why.

Respectfully, today's graduates do not understand that being able to text and use social media does not prepare them for "real" computer skills. Many students that I have in high school and in college do not have proper writing skills, document formatting skills, or document management skills to know how to save documents properly and where to save to.

What soft skills should all Plant Engineers possess?

Brian Denton Ph.D.

Professor and Department Chair, University of Michigan

Communications, both written and verbal, are always important. So is leadership training, teamwork, and resilience. We expose our students to all of these topics, often referring to them as "essential skills" to make it clear how important they are.

Do you want to know more?

List of plant engineer skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a plant engineer resume and required skills for a plant engineer to have include:

HVAC
Project Management
Plant Operations
Continuous Improvement
Plant Maintenance
Plumbing
Technical Support
OSHA
Chemical Process
Plant Equipment
Sigma
Process Improvement
Process Engineering
Lean Manufacturing
Engineering Support
Process Control
Process Equipment

Ladders
Facility Maintenance
Safety Program
CAD
PLC
Product Quality
CMMS
Troubleshooting Support
PSM
Plant Performance
Corrective Action
Provide Engineering Support
GMP
Engineering Projects
Cost Estimates
ISO
Process Optimization

Control Systems
EHS
IDS
R
Capital Improvement Projects
Production Equipment
Production Lines
Electrical Systems
Cost Reduction
SPC
Lean Six Sigma
Cost Savings
Mechanical Systems
TPM
Environmental Compliance

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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