Engineering activities involved in the creation and operation of the technical and economic processes that convert raw materials, energy, and purchased items into components for sale to other manufacturers or into end products for sale to the public. Defined in this way, manufacturing engineering includes product design and manufacturing system design as well as operation of the factory.

More specifically, manufacturing engineering involves the analysis and modification of product designs so as to assure manufacturability; the design, selection, specification, and optimization of the required equipment, tooling, processes, and operations; and the determination of other technical matters required to make a given product according to the desired volume, timetable, cost, quality level, and other specifications.