Engineering

Shape up your business world with engineering
By John Williams, Business Writing and Research As one of the world’s oldest professions, Engineering provides us the technological skills to shape the world around us. The world we live on, the environment we live in, the plants we conduct business in, and the products and services we market begin with engineering. Essentially, the engineering industry solves problems. Engineers answer the question, “How do we…?”

No matter what you generate, either product or service, you operate in a facility that someone either purpose-built or customized for your business. Is the facility running as well as it can? Can it run more efficiently? Engineering companies ascertain answers. Think of your organization as an organism, and split engineering services into three spheres:

1. Civil engineering, including architecture, creates the shell or skeleton of your business;

2. Mechanical and Electrical Engineering provide the muscles and power to make your products;

3. Systems Engineering houses the brains that tell everything else how to run.

Structure your plant's shell with Civil Engineering firms

While the classic definition of Civil Engineering focuses on infrastructure, specifically roads, bridges, water and wastewater drainage or flood control, smart design merges the building you operate in with the land you operate on. From natural forces acting on your building to the buildings' reciprocal impact on the surrounding land, Civil Engineering addresses the problems associated with efficiently running the space enclosed by your building in relation to the environment surrounding the building.
Try:  BE&K provides engineering, construction and maintenance expertise to industries ranging from government to education, healthcare, pharmaceutical, power and manufacturing. David Evans and Associates also provides a full spectrum of Civil and Architectural Engineering services for industrial, urban and agricultural settings.

Build up powerful muscle with Mechanical Engineering

With the skeleton in place, you must locate the nerves and muscles for maximum leverage. Mechanical and Electrical Engineers design both the machinery and the systems to function safely, reliably and efficiently. As an organism, machines are the muscles, electricity is the power and HVAC and plumbing is the circulation that animates the shell.
Try:  Arup is a global engineering firm and consultancy; one of its projects is the "Water Cube" aquatics center of the Beijing Olympics. Bard, Rao + Athanas Consulting Engineers (BR+A) provides mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection engineering for healthcare, research, academic and corporate industries.

Think smart with engineering firms that install systems and IT

Animate your plant with a smart brain and nervous system. A complete IT system incorporates computer hardware, software, communications and wiring to provide feedback and control through your entire operation. The faster and more completely your plant can communicate with itself, the more efficiently you manufacture and market your products and services.
Try:  Harris Group's systems integration group can design and process control and data acquisition programming of plant systems, focusing on retrofit projects. DMC develops IT engineering solutions and customized software for manufacturing automation, process control and inventory control.

• Although you can dissect an organism into various components, it works only as a unit. Your organization works the same way. Contract with engineering firms that can work across the various engineering disciplines to design and build a fully integrated "body" for your company to function as smoothly and efficiently as possible.