Handbook

The Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering stream is designed for students with a mechanical engineering major whose interests also lie in realising, commercialising and implementing mechanical and mechatronic systems and designs. The five core courses included as part of this stream have been designed on the basis of world best practice in manufacturing and industrial engineering and reflect a top-down - bottom-up approach, spanning the disciplines of Strategy and Management, Operations and Supply Chains, Analysis and Decision-making, Design of Product-Process Systems and Technology & Automation.

Within each discipline area this new stream will cover many conceptual and analytical techniques, all supporting fact- and data-based analysis and decision making with the aim of improved product and process performance, economy and sustainability. This stream is designed to help you to learn how to transform a design from a conceptual stage into a prototype and ultimately into a commercially realisable and viable product. This stream focuses on technical as well as commercial aspects and particularly in developing the ability to build a business or commercial case for making engineering related decisions, such as investment in plant, equipment and processes. Although the main emphasis will be on product and process, consideration will also be given to designing compatible and appropriate engineering support services. The stream also emphasises the strategic impact of operations decisions and the interfaces between operations and the other functional areas of organisations, including of course, finance. This stream encompasses the key elements of operations management and investment analysis and pulls them together in a coherent format that allows you to understand the 'big picture' as well as 'the specific details'. It is aimed at integrating the knowledge gained from the mechanical engineering courses you have studied into a framework and process that allows you to implement your designs, solutions and ideas in a commercial environment.

Mechanical engineers have traditionally played the major role in the analysis and design of complex machinery, devices such as actuators and sensors, as well as energy transformation, heat transfer and electro-mechanical processes. In an environment of global competition, sustainability (energy, environment as well as cost and capital), increasingly complex customer requirements and statutory regulations as well as the increasing pace of technological change and new product innovation, it is vital for modern engineers to possess the skills to not only design but equally importantly, implement and realize their designs in the most appropriate way. In this increasingly complex environment, successful organizations - public, private or governmental - need engineers with analytical and diverse skills, especially in integrating technical with commercial and organisational issues, analyses and ultimately solutions. It is the purpose and aim of the Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering stream to equip you with this knowledge and understanding to become a global engineer, indeed a leader, with the ability to apply analytical methods and quality processes to create short and long term value for your organization, your customers, and the community. It encapsulates the key elements of mechanical engineering and combines them with the five core disciplines of manufacturing and industrial engineering.

An engineer trained in Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering may be employed in a very flexible and diverse range of disciplines and areas of industrial activity, including; product design, process design, computer aided design, computer aided manufacturing, quality improvement, technical and commercial analysis and decision making, strategic decision making, consulting, sales support, technical and organisational maintenance, and supply chain management.