Determination of the Level of Knowledge of Automation Required of Industrial Engineers in Costa Rica

Abstract

Aiming to control different processes and variables, for more than 20 years, diverse industries in Costa Rica have been applying automation. During this period, the trends showed the intrinsic relationship between the improvements and updates with newer technologies, and how they are advancing hand to hand. Given the rapid evolution in the subject of automation, it is necessary to investigate in companies, if the level of knowledge that industrial engineers have about automation. A survey instrument was developed, which was applied by means of an intentional no random sampling by using virtual interviews. The survey was sent to 75 companies with more than 100 employees, from which 41 returned their answers. The main findings showed that 43% of the businesses presented advanced levels of automation, from these businesses, 71% hired professionals with knowledge in automation and 20% gained the knowledge from inside the organization. From the engineers with knowledge in automation, 25% were industrial engineers. As an interesting point, more than 71% of these companies believed that the knowledge of these professionals should be within the mid and high ranges. The market requires that the training of industrial engineers be complemented with knowledge in process automation issues.