Industrial automation is changing how business operations and everyday tasks are being done. There are companies working on automating manufacturing assembly lines, while others are working on automating food preparation (Eatsa, Zume Pizza and Creator), barista-less coffee bars (Café X), package delivery (Prime Air, Alphabet’s Wing, Matternet) and even self-driving shopping carts (Caper).
Since this is an industry that is on the rise fast, there’s a ramp up of employment opportunities within the industrial automation space. But, what do industrial automation employers look for when hiring workers – particularly engineers?
SoloPoint Solutions has worked with several of the companies mentioned above and have provided talents primarily in mechanical, electrical and software engineering.
Here are some general skill sets that we’ve seen employers look for:
MECHANICAL ENGINEER / MANUFACTURING ENGINEER
- Experience with Industrial Machine Design, Factory Automation, Robotics
- CAD Skills – Models, assemblies, detailed drawings
- Experience in design for high precision parts and systems – tight tolerances
- System integration requiring knowledge of standard automation hardware (robots, motors, actuators, sensors, etc.)
- Experience designing, test and manufacturing fixtures and tools for electro-mechanical systems
- ISO9001:2008 & 13485:2003 certification requirements; ISA (International Society of Automation) Standards and Certifications
- Six Sigma
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER / CONTROLS ENGINEER
- Control systems design and layout experience
- Create and maintain electrical schematics (including, but not limited to: system interconnects, enclosure wiring diagrams, cable harness diagrams, and cable diagrams)
- Selecting and implementing PLCs (Allen Bradley, Mitsubishi, Omron, etc.)
- Implementing and optimizing automation control systems (motors, VFD, vision systems)
- Developing graphical interfaces for human-machine interfaces (HMIs)
SOFTWARE ENGINEER
- Machine Learning (Python, C, C++, RODBC, Gmodels, Prolog, Java, Django)
- Design, implement and maintain drivers for embedded peripherals (CANOpen, EtherCAT, motor amplifiers, etc.)
- Design, implement and maintain embedded software for odometry and motion control of new and existing driving configurations for new and custom platforms.
- Good understanding of various aspects of embedded systems (SoC, microcontroller architecture, board block diagrams, board schematics, register maps, etc…)
- Experience with common embedded protocols: SPI, I2C, RS232, CANOpen, Ethernet
- RTOS (Real Time OS)
- Experience developing software to meet safety and security standards such as IEC 61508 or IEC 62443
- 802.15.1, 3, and 4 standards (Zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth, etc.)
- Knowledge of modern Intel and ARM architectures
- FPGA Design
Are you interested in a career in industrial automation? Call SoloPoint Solutions at (408)429-4596 or (714)708-3639! Our helpful recruiters are ready to help!