Does working in process engineering require operational experience?

I strongly agree with your view. This is true for process design, it applies to equipment design as well, and for engineering work, it is even more necessary to go to the site.

From practice to practice. If one has accumulated extensive experience on the production front, they will avoid unnecessary detours when designing, resulting in solutions that are more in line with the actual needs of production. So it’s better to go to the production front line first.

When designing, operational feasibility should be given considerable attention; gaining more knowledge about operations on the production floor can be of great help in one’s design work.

Agree with the person above. In many cases, working in the field of craftsmanship relies on experience, but it is not possible to work solely based on experience. It is necessary to flexibly understand the principle that theory stems from practice and, in turn, guides production.

I think process engineers who work on large-scale installations should, if possible, go to the site in person and seek advice from the factory owners, as the technical staff of those owners are usually like the plant managers there, and they are highly skilled. There were several times when I was impressed by them – they left the big international patent holders in awe, because what they introduced wasn’t just one set of technologies, but also technologies from other sources. They spent their time working directly with the actual products in the factory, so they were very familiar with them. What they said was exactly what the patent holders needed to know and understand; their arguments made perfect sense. There are truly many experts in those factories, although they are slightly less proficient in using design standards compared to those in design institutes. Hehe

What was said upstairs is correct – many factory owners are very capable, not inferior to those from design institutes; they possess considerable practical experience, which can be very instructive for them

After doing dry operations for a long time, one becomes confused and finds it uninteresting; but later, when working on actual technical tasks, one realizes that not enough was learned back then

The problem is that there’s no opportunity. Our company does have both the design and manufacturing capabilities, but I haven’t been to the site very often. You can’t work here and at the same time learn on-site, right?

Then you can ask more! Just talk to those masters who are familiar with the situation and ask more questions, that’s all It’s possible to get an indirect understanding of the scene! Another option is to ask on the forum; our Haichuan is full of talented people! All your questions will have answers!

Theory alone is not enough without practical experience; therefore, high-level designers must have extensive practical experience

I think it’s best to go and see it in person. I’m now used to going there every day to communicate with the experienced craftsmen; they have a lot of knowledge. If they also have design knowledge, it’s amazing at handling the processes they are familiar with.

I fully agree with you; with experience, you will perform better at work

What everyone has said upstairs makes sense; it seems that everyone has a deep understanding of this. I think both process design and on-site experience are important; the approach should be to start with process design and then move on to guiding operations at the factory. Because if you go to the factory and start operating there without first carrying out process design, although you will gain a lot of experience, first of all, you will be limited to specific processes within that particular factory. For someone who has just graduated, it will also take a considerable amount of time to learn how to operate that equipment. Since no design was done beforehand, you won’t know which operations need to be learned or which ones are crucial; you end up trying to handle everything at once ； Secondly, you don’t have the opportunity to come into contact with other devices of the same type but with different manufacturing processes; you are limited to the device you are operating. It’s like being a frog in a well – you have no idea whether there are better devices or better equipment available ； Third, if you go on to work in process design, given the variety of projects handled by design firms these days, it’s very likely that the projects you will be working on will be of a different type of installation. Since you only handled the operation of that particular installation in the early stage and had little knowledge of other types of installations, plus the fact that you didn’t engage in process design during that time, this will pose difficulties for your future design work. Therefore, I suggest following the approach of first carrying out process design and then going to the factory to guide operation and maintenance. In the design phase, one can take advantage of the extensive design resources and experience available at the design institute; after the design is completed, it is possible to go to the factory to oversee operation and maintenance. During this time, the client will hire experienced production staff to carry out the operations, and you can learn from their experience in production processes. By comparing this with the issues or uncertainties you had during the design process, I believe you will progress more quickly. This is also the way in which process designers grow in most engineering companies.

It is very necessary. First of all, those in charge of the manufacturing process, if they don’t know how to operate it, then they won’t understand the specific purpose and usage methods of the process that has been designed. After all, what is designed in design institutes still needs to be put into use by actual factories and people ； Secondly, if there is a lack of operational experience, an understanding of the actual working conditions will be lacking during the design process; many aspects cannot be reflected in drawings. More importantly, even if a design is excellent, without a people-centered approach to operation, such a process is bound to fail ； Third, experience the actual manufacturing process during operation. Of course, if you approach production only from an operational perspective, it won’t be of much help for your work in process design; but if you take a broader perspective while operating, your design work will surely progress more smoothly in the future ； Finally, design and operation are interrelated; one must understand many fundamental concepts in order to create something useful.

It is very necessary. First of all, those in charge of the manufacturing process, if they don’t know how to operate it, then they won’t understand the specific purpose and usage methods of the process that has been designed. After all, what is designed in design institutes still needs to be put into use by actual factories and people ； Secondly, if there is a lack of operational experience, an understanding of the actual working conditions will be lacking during the design process; many aspects cannot be reflected in drawings. More importantly, even if a design is excellent, without a people-centered approach to operation, such a process is bound to fail ； Third, experience the actual manufacturing process during operation. Of course, if you approach production only from an operational perspective, it won’t be of much help for your work in process design; but if you take a broader perspective while operating, your design work will surely progress more smoothly in the future ； Finally, design and operation are interrelated; one must understand many fundamental concepts in order to create something useful.

That’s a great idea! But it’s not necessary to work as an operator for several years either. I think you’re in a factory rather than a design office; in a factory, you can go to the various work areas or positions that are worth visiting at any time and ask the experienced workers for advice. Wouldn’t that be better?

Many of the designs produced by design institutes need to be modified on-site; there is a lack of people with extensive on-site experience

With practical experience, many mistakes can be avoided in design.

Needed! Only those with operational experience can analyze problems more accurately and quickly!