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"People with just about any kind of a technical or a numbers-oriented degree
tend to do well," says manufacturing consultant Bill Waddell. "And it doesn't
matter if it's in engineering or it's in math or even accounting, but something
that's more toward the sciences."
Sonja Hughes has more than 20 years of experience in manufacturing and
production management.
"I have a BS in business and an MBA, but an excellent combination would
be an undergraduate degree in engineering (industrial, systems or manufacturing)
and an MBA," says Hughes. "It is really important to have a good understanding
of business practices and accounting to be a successful manager."
Kim Wolf has held many positions in the manufacturing industry, including
mechanical engineer, maintenance manager, plant manager, director and vice-president
of operations. She suggests training in IT, finance or engineering.
"I think they have the opportunity as a manufacturing manager to choose
any of those to get their training in," says Wolf. "And then once they get
into a manufacturing company then they would continue [learning].
"I do believe that most companies are looking for people that have at least
some kind of a diploma," says Wolf.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be a bachelor's degree, but they need to
have some diploma in order to continue to get their foot in the door. I also
think that getting training on continuous improvement and principles of manufacturing
[is important] -- those are the types of things that I look for on resumes."