Practise for Tests and Interviews in the Manufacturing Industry

To understand what the Manufacturing Sector is, we need to understand the meaning of the verb “to manufacture.” Manufacturing involves the processing of raw materials into finished goods. This transformation is achieved by using the necessary tools and processes. What distinguishes the Manufacturing Industry from other industries is that when raw materials are manufactured into goods, they gain in value. Finished products are always much more valuable and expensive than materials from which they are produced.

Manufacturing was used as early as the first humans have appeared on the earth that provided mostly raw materials. From the times immemorial, people sought to transform raw food, vegetables, wood and ore into finished, reified products, producing processed, better tasting food, metal tools and weaponry, furniture, pottery and accessories. In so doing, they began to evaluate finished products as more useful and valuable than the materials from which they were made. More desirable and precious, finished products became pricier, which made people realize that manufacturing could be a truly profitable business. Driven by the prospects of enrichment, more and more people wanted to acquire the required knowledge and develop skills to manufacture goods.

During the whole history of humanity, people have been investing mental power and physical energy into manufacturing goods and improving means of production. How much time and what skills are needed to manufacture desired goods depend on the nature and complexity of these goods. Even now, in the time of highly sophisticated tools, some goods are manufactured by hand and by using basic tools and traditional methods of production. Hand-made items are associated with decorative art, textile or leatherwork, carpentry and metal welding. Hand-made artworks are, however, less common and, because they are individualized and produced relatively slowly, are more expensive. Most items we use today are manufactured industrially and in large quantities, in the process that is called mass production. In mass production, in contrast to hand-made manufacturing, products are standardized and usually made on assembly lines or with the help of automation technology.

Advantages offered by mass production are numerous. By using assembly lines, companies can create parts that can be used in manufacturing different finished products. This method also allows them to manufacture goods quicker, without customizing them. High-quality electronic equipment and computers improved mass-production techniques even further by introducing technologically sophisticated manufacturing methods. Products made with the help of high-tech, digital techniques require more knowledge and specialized skills from employees and are, therefore, more expensive and demand more capital input. Technologies made manufacturing more efficient and people more productive.

The Manufacturing Industry brings more wealth to the economy of every country than any other industry. Depending on what technologies and methods are used in producing goods, the Manufacturing Industry can be divided into the following subcategories:

• The Engineering Industry;
  
  
• The Construction Industry;
  
  
• The Electronic Industry;
  
  
• he Chemical Industry;
  
  
• The Energy Industry;
  
  
• The Textile Industry;
  
  
• The Food and Beverage Industry;
  
  
• The Metalworking Industry;
  
  
• The Plastic Industry;
  
  
• The Transport Industry;
  
  
• The Telecommunication, Technology and Media Industry.

Thanks to the Industrial Revolution happening in the eighteenth century, the United Kingdom experienced the earliest economic growth among other countries. Even though the importance of manufacturing has since declined, the country’s Manufacturing Sector still contributes more than £6 trillion to the global economy. This contribution makes the UK the eighth largest manufacturing nation in the world. If manufacturing continues developing, the UK is soon predicted to be the fifth-largest manufacturing nation. Because of more skilled employees, a shift to high productivity goods, improvement in automation and technology, as well as more integrated global economy, the Manufacturing Sector in the United Kingdom has increased by 1.4% each year since the post-war period. Analysts and statisticians claim that manufacturing contributes 11 percent of GVA (or Gross Value Added) and accounts for 44 percent of total exports. It also provides 13 percent of business investment and employs 2.6 million people overall. 

The industries comprising the Manufacturing Sector in the United Kingdom also increase their profit individually. Have a quick glance at these sectors below:

• British Aerospace – This sector directly employs 128.000 people and boasts £31 billion annual turnover. It also has had 30 percent of productive growth over the past five years;
  
  
• British Automotive – This industry employs 169,000 people in the United Kingdom and 78,000 employees across the UK supply chain. It has £71.6 billion annual turnover. Another interesting fact
  about the Automotive Sector is that 80 percent of vehicles are manufactured at home;
  
  
• British Chemical and Pharmaceutical – These sectors annually add £15.2 billion to the UK economy. The Chemical Sector employs 105,000 experts, while in the Pharmaceutical Sector there are 53,000 employees. The Pharmaceutical Industry is also the UK’s largest manufacturing export sector;
  
  
• British Construction – Currently, 1 million people are employed in this sector and the number of employees is expected to grow. Indeed, there are as many as 80,000 new jobs opportunities are added in the Construction Industry annually. Construction contributes £92 billion to the economy of the United Kingdom and constitutes 6.4 percent of the country’s total economic output;
  
  
• British Electronics – This sector employs 800,000 people and has £78 billion annual turnover. The UK’s electronics are considered the world’s fifth largest in terms of production;
  
  
• British Energy – There are 137,000 professionals directly employed in this industry. Annually, it also adds 5.5 billion to the UK economy;
  
  
• British Food and Drink – This industry offers jobs to 400,000 employees. 110,000 new positions are expected to open in addition to the existing ones by 2022. This sector also annually adds 21.9 billion to the UK economy. Its productivity has increased by 11% over the past five years.

Follow the links in the table below to learn more about the application and selection process of some known employers.

Because the Manufacturing Industry is not monolithic, there are plenty of job opportunities for college graduates, professionals with work experience and people who dropped out of school. Job vacancies can be found in manufacturing across the following sectors: food, drink and pharmaceuticals; clothing, plastics and adhesives; cars, heavy machinery and military vehicles. Here are several job vacancies that offer good salaries and good work conditions:

Process engineers are in high demand in the Manufacturing Sector. They help design and implement better processes for operations used in the Manufacturing Industry. They are responsible for creating more productive and efficient business operations. Process Engineers also constantly modify the existing process plants and equipment. A range of products created by Process Engineers is wide, depending on what section of the Manufacturing Industry they work, from food and drinks to oil and gas.

With the advent of sophisticated digital technology in the world, machines used in the Manufacturing Industry have also become more and more complex and difficult to use. What distinguishes machines of the new generation from their predecessors is the high use of electronics. Electronically equipped machines, in their turn, raise the demand for Electronics Technicians in many companies. The role of the Electronics Technician is similar to that of electromechanical technicians, but their duties centre on mending electronic parts of the equipment. Skills that the Electronics Technician is required to have are as follows:

• Mechanical aptitude;
  
  
• Problem-solving skills;
  
  
• Reading comprehension;
  
  
• Business skills;
  
  
• Customer service skills.

This specialization is one of the most in-demand among other areas in engineering. The major responsibility of the Manufacturing Engineer is to design and operate integrated systems for the production of various products. Among the systems that the Manufacturing Engineer produces are computer networks, machine tools, robots and different types of materials-handling equipment. The responsibilities of the Manufacturing Engineer include, but not limited to, automating a chemical manufacturing facility through computer-integrated technology, designing manufacturing processes able to reduce costs and improve product quality, implementing fabrication processes for various micro-devices, as well as developing the assignment of machines and equipment to manufacturing cells.

When machines become more sophisticated and complex, troubleshooting and repairing them also become more complex. Good engineers begin to enjoy popularity among employers. JobTestPrep does everything in its power to prepare job applicants for a difficult recruitment process in the Manufacturing Industry. Our high-quality resources contain all required tests and study guides to guide you to success. Purchase our PrepPacks™ and start making a contribution to the development of the Manufacturing Sector.