Study reinforces idea that pace of engineering is accelerating

Which issues cause the biggest headaches for today’s engineers around the world? According to a new global study by business information provider IHS, Englewood, Colo., the pressure to work faster, the threat caused by institutional knowledge drain, and challenges posed by environmental regulations are among the chief concerns.

More than 2,100 engineers and technical professionals responded to a recent survey, the results of which appear in a report called “The Pulse of Engineering: The Changing Work Environment for Engineers Today.”

The report details the demands that engineers from around the world face from increasingly complex designs, shorter design cycles, and mounting environmental regulations. It also offers recommendations for industrial marketers to better understand their target audience, align their products more closely with buyers’ needs and industry trends, and strengthen relationships with customers and prospects.

Key findings include:

• Fifty-two percent of engineers said the pace of engineering is accelerating, and 57 percent said they are asked to do more with less.
• Respondents agreed that designs are becoming more complex at the same time that design cycles are shrinking and time-to-market pressures are increasing.
• About seven in 10 respondents noted that constraints on resources, specialized knowledge, budgets, and time were jeopardizing productivity, product quality, and innovation.
• Designing and developing environmentally sustainable products was cited by more than 90 percent of respondents as an important part of their work.

To download a complimentary copy of the report, visit http://on.ihs.com/1zBqy91.