What does an equipment engineer do?
The duties of an equipment engineer depend on one's organization or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around designing and developing mechanical and electronic equipment, analyzing and improving existing systems, performing customization according to customers' preferences, installing and removing attachments, and conducting regular maintenance procedures. An equipment engineer must also address issues and complaints, providing corrective measures promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, it is essential to coordinate with team members and other specialists, inspect and test new systems, and adhere to the company's policies and regulations.
Equipment engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real equipment engineer resumes:
- Translate all the information relate to the machines in order to get accomplish to all the ISO regulations.
- Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
- Assist with trouble-shooting and repair of CVD and PVD systems.
- Perform daily SPC (statistical process control) trend monitoring to identify/troubleshoot defect/thickness issues and implementing proper actions are taken.
- Design, standardize and upgrade all electrical, pneumatic process instrumentation, PID, PLC.
- Optimize PLC ladder logic and HMI interfaces to maximize throughput efficiency while minimizing down time.
- Set up and maintain FDC, SPC, ECM, TTTM and other systems for equipment troubleshooting.
- Track and verify CVD systems down time, alarms and or facility requirements of proper gas pressures, D.I.
- Assist in the design and implementation of a virtual environment using VMware ESX hosts, VCENTER & 3PAR SAN.
- Work with various large corporations and government entities to quickly resolve critical and complex kernel, network, and OS issues.
- Retool trimmers to part specifications and metal calibration with calipers.
- Perform tooling setup and adjustment of robotic product placement equipment.
- Install, align, calibrate and provide technical support on equipment automation robotic systems.
- Conduct repair and troubleshoot initiatives on complex mechanical and electrical assemblies used in various equipment.
- Plant engineer responsible for air permitting/hazardous waste reporting, facility CMMS management, and preventive maintenance schedules.
Equipment engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 5% of Equipment Engineers are proficient in Equipment Performance, Semiconductor, and Project Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Listening skills, and Mechanical skills.
We break down the percentage of Equipment Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Equipment Performance, 5%
Produced maintenance manuals, taught maintenance training and developed daily process management procedures that improved equipment performance and reduced downtime.
- Semiconductor, 5%
Transformed multiple semiconductor assembly, environmental test and custom finish operations from manual equipment and handling methods to complex automated equipment.
- Project Management, 4%
Acted in a Project Management capacity and provided technical information and support engineering at the Allen Manufacturing Facilities.
- CAD, 4%
Created detailed drawings utilizing CAD modeling software.
- Preventive Maintenance, 4%
Updated all Lithography PM (preventive maintenance) specifications, defined calibration schedules, developed and designed tooling for equipment fingerprinting.
- Technical Support, 3%
Provided Technical support for Power Amplifiers Manufacturing and also logistics support to the Development Engineering about new products.
Common skills that an equipment engineer uses to do their job include "equipment performance," "semiconductor," and "project management." You can find details on the most important equipment engineer responsibilities below.
Creativity. The most essential soft skill for an equipment engineer to carry out their responsibilities is creativity. This skill is important for the role because "mechanical engineers design and build complex pieces of equipment and machinery." Additionally, an equipment engineer resume shows how their duties depend on creativity: "established preventive maintenance procedures, training, spare parts inventory, and operating parameters. "
Listening skills. Another essential skill to perform equipment engineer duties is listening skills. Equipment engineers responsibilities require that "mechanical engineers often work on projects with others, such as architects and computer scientists." Equipment engineers also use listening skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "communicated daily operational decisions to section managers, production managers, process engineering managers and equipment engineering managers. "
Mechanical skills. equipment engineers are also known for mechanical skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to equipment engineer responsibilities, because "mechanical skills allow engineers to apply basic engineering concepts and mechanical processes to the design of new devices and systems." An equipment engineer resume example shows how mechanical skills is used in the workplace: "guide proposal activity for mechanical equipment such as industrial air compressors and turbines. "
Problem-solving skills. For certain equipment engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of an equipment engineer rely on this skill, as "mechanical engineers need good problem-solving skills to take scientific principles and discoveries and use them to design and build useful products." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what equipment engineers do: "collaborated with equipment vendors to generate practical solutions to hardware, software, and defect issues. "
Math skills. Another common skill required for equipment engineer responsibilities is "math skills." This skill comes up in the duties of equipment engineers all the time, as "mechanical engineers use the principles of calculus, statistics, and other advanced subjects in math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." An excerpt from a real equipment engineer resume shows how this skill is central to what an equipment engineer does: "integrated logging systems into test equipment to produce first-pass yield, throughput, and failure statistics. "
The three companies that hire the most equipment engineers are:
- Samsung Electronics Device Solutions (Semiconductor & Display)57 equipment engineers jobs
- Tesla44 equipment engineers jobs
- GlobalFoundries41 equipment engineers jobs
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Compare different equipment engineers
Equipment engineer vs. Mechanical engineer
Mechanical Engineers oversee the development of various mechanical devices in different industries. Most of the responsibilities will revolve around crafting, improving, or designing technologies by utilizing extensive expertise in the subject; they identify and detect errors, provide in-depth analysis, and resolve issues. They are often in designated offices, but they can also work on-site and travel if necessary. Furthermore, Mechanical Engineers usually function in a group or team setting, often supervised by personnel in higher positions.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between equipment engineers and mechanical engineer. For instance, equipment engineer responsibilities require skills such as "equipment performance," "semiconductor," "preventive maintenance," and "provides technical support." Whereas a mechanical engineer is skilled in "mechanical systems," "mechanical design," "plumbing," and "engineering design." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Mechanical engineers tend to make the most money working in the energy industry, where they earn an average salary of $84,748. In contrast, equipment engineers make the biggest average salary, $108,645, in the energy industry.On average, mechanical engineers reach similar levels of education than equipment engineers. Mechanical engineers are 2.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Equipment engineer vs. Mechanical design engineer
A mechanical design engineer specializes in designing various mechanical devices that will be vital in developing machinery or large structures. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around conducting thorough research and analysis, establishing layouts and prototypes, producing progress reports, and working alongside fellow engineers and skilled professionals. Typically assigned in an office setting, a mechanical design engineer must visit construction sites or factories to test and observe equipment qualities. Furthermore, during production, there are instances when a mechanical engineer must coordinate with suppliers, contractors, and clients.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real equipment engineer resumes. While equipment engineer responsibilities can utilize skills like "equipment performance," "semiconductor," "preventive maintenance," and "provides technical support," mechanical design engineers use skills like "mechanical design," "gd," "creo," and "fea."
Mechanical design engineers may earn a lower salary than equipment engineers, but mechanical design engineers earn the most pay in the automotive industry with an average salary of $87,483. On the other hand, equipment engineers receive higher pay in the energy industry, where they earn an average salary of $108,645.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Mechanical design engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than equipment engineers. In fact, they're 3.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Equipment engineer vs. Research and development engineer
Research and development engineers generally execute research and tests on product ideas, develop new products, and perform redesigns. They are employed in many industries, including manufacturing, electrical, and science-based companies. Their duties vary and depend on the industries they work in. Responsibilities of these engineers include developing new technologies, designing products, and managing the projects until they are completed. Additionally, they lead the project team members to manage their schedules, design the project plans, and collaborate with key departments in developing new products.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from equipment engineer resumes include skills like "equipment performance," "semiconductor," "preventive maintenance," and "provides technical support," whereas a research and development engineer is more likely to list skills in "python," "c #," "patients," and "prototype. "
Research and development engineers earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $107,654. Equipment engineers earn the highest pay from the energy industry, with an average salary of $108,645.Most research and development engineers achieve a higher degree level compared to equipment engineers. For example, they're 9.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 3.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Equipment engineer vs. Chemical engineer
A chemical engineer provides support for chemical operations and testing new processes. The processes they successfully come up with are used to make different products from gas, oil, food, and drink. It is their job to assist in designing new chemical processes and make improvements. They implement fresh ideas to improve standard quality and efficiency. They must be good planners and schedulers of project activities to help chemical technicians to achieve their project objectives and provide technical support to maintain safe, stable, and reliable operations.
Types of equipment engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
