How To Become A Production Tool Engineer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a production tool engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Andrea Welker Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a production tool engineer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $42.03 an hour? That's $87,416 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 10% and produce 30,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a production tool engineer?

Andrea Welker Ph.D.

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Engineering Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Villanova University

Be open to new experiences. Find a good mentor. Become a valued employee. Always remember that you are designing something for someone.

ScoreProduction Tool EngineerUS Average

Salary

6.8

Avg. Salary $87,416

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.16%

Asian 10.50%

Black or African American 3.55%

Hispanic or Latino 8.68%

Unknown 3.78%

White 73.33%

Gender

female 12.12%

male 87.88%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a production tool engineer

Explore production tool engineer education requirements

Most common production tool engineer degrees

Bachelor's

59.1 %

Master's

18.2 %

Associate

13.6 %

Start to develop specific production tool engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Value Stream	32.36%
Shop Floor	30.67%
Jigs	23.04%
Toyota	7.35%
Cost Reduction	6.58%

Complete relevant production tool engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New production tool engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a production tool engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real production tool engineer resumes.

Research production tool engineer duties and responsibilities

Lead work cells to become a team; Harmonize/unite/motivate assembly personnel using Kaizen approach.
Champion ergonomics evaluation team, assess manufacturing projects for ergonomic risk and generate solutions to resolve or mitigate risk exposure.
Champion ergonomics evaluation team, assess manufacturing projects for ergonomic risk and generate solutions to resolve or mitigate risk exposure.

Apply for production tool engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a production tool engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams