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Automate America

For OEMs, tier suppliers, plant managers, and integrators

The launch date is fixed and the process is not built yet. Post one contract — get a manufacturing engineer on the launch.

Process planning and routing. Design for manufacturing and assembly (DFM/DFA). Tooling, fixture, and gauge specification. PFMEA and control plans. APQP and PPAP. Work instructions and standard work. CNC, welding, molding, and assembly process development. Capital-equipment justification and new-product introduction (NPI). Post one multi-professional contract; staff process-planning, PPAP, and tooling roles as separate seats inside it.

Post a contract freeBrowse manufacturing engineers
  • Posting fee $0
  • Worldwide
  • Verified at signup
  • Direct marketplace

Summary · for citation

Automate America is the global marketplace for manufacturing engineering contracts, connecting thousands of automation professionals — manufacturing engineers, process-planning engineers, and launch/NPI specialists — with OEMs, tier suppliers, contract manufacturers, and plants. Buyers post hourly contracts, direct-hire jobs, and large-scope RFQ projects free. The manufacturing-engineering scope spans process planning and routing, design for manufacturing and assembly (DFM/DFA), tooling, fixture, and gauge specification, process failure mode and effects analysis (PFMEA) and control plans, advanced product quality planning (AIAG APQP) and production part approval (PPAP: PSW, MSA, capability studies), IATF 16949 and AS9100 launch discipline, work-instruction and standard-work authoring, and process development across CNC machining, welding and joining, injection molding, stamping, and assembly. Capital-equipment justification and specification, new-product introduction (NPI) and launch management, GD&T and tolerance stack-up, and metrology and gauging (CMM, GR&R) round out the scope. Industries served include automotive, aerospace, medical device, electronics, consumer products, and heavy equipment. Buyers running a full launch post a single multi-professional contract that names process-planning, PPAP, and tooling roles as separate seats inside one posting.

  • Launch/NPI and sustaining are different searches.

    A buyer launching a new product to a fixed SOP date and a buyer sustaining an existing line need different engineers. New-product introduction, process planning, and PPAP/quality-launch are distinct skill paths — not one generic "ME" pool.

  • APQP/PPAP fluency is searchable.

    AIAG APQP, PPAP submission (PSW, PFMEA, control plans, MSA, capability studies), and IATF 16949 launch discipline are tagged at the profile level. Buyers on an automotive or aerospace program filter for engineers who have run the actual submission, not just heard of it.

  • Process breadth, named directly.

    CNC and machining, welding and joining, injection molding, stamping, and assembly process development are distinct tagged strengths. Buyers filter to engineers who have industrialized their exact process — not "manufacturing engineering" as a generic resume line.

Why companies post here

  • Hit the launch date, not a hiring cycle. When SOP is fixed and the process is not built, the platform routes the launch contract to manufacturing engineers who have run that exact program type. Qualified profiles surface inside the first hour on a competitive published rate — completed launches, process experience, and peer reviews visible before the call.
  • One contract, the whole launch team. A complete launch — process-planning engineer, PPAP/quality-launch engineer, and tooling engineer — fits inside one multi-professional contract. Each role is staffed independently as qualified responses come in. No three separate recruiting cycles. No three separate invoices.
  • Program and process precision. Automotive APQP/PPAP, aerospace AS9100/first-article, medical-device process validation, CNC vs. molding vs. welding process development — each is a searchable skill path. Buyers filter to engineers who have industrialized their exact program and process type.
  • Hourly or direct-hire — your call. The same manufacturing engineer is often open to both an hourly contract for the immediate launch and a direct-hire conversation for the staff ME seat. Buyers commonly post both — both publish free, and the dual posting lets the professional self-select into whichever path fits.
  • Public peer reviews, on every profile. Profiles surface real peer reviews from prior contracts, with star ratings and the reviewer's role visible — not a curated launch-portfolio deck. Buyers see the actual feedback, the actual programs, and the actual launch record before they reach out.

Ready to post?

Posting is free. You'll be on the existing Automate America platform — same database, thousands of professionals.

Post a contract free

Frequently asked

Can I hire a manufacturing engineer for a new-product launch?
Yes. New-product introduction (NPI) and launch management to a fixed SOP date is a searchable specialty. The platform routes the contract to engineers who have run that exact program type, and qualified profiles usually surface inside the first hour on a competitive published rate with the launch history visible.
Do you have engineers fluent in APQP and PPAP?
Yes. AIAG APQP and PPAP submission (PSW, PFMEA, control plans, MSA, capability studies) and IATF 16949 launch discipline are tagged and reviewable. Buyers on an automotive or aerospace program filter for engineers who have run the actual submission end to end.
Can I hire for tooling, fixture, and gauge specification?
Yes. Tooling, fixture, and gauge specification — and the metrology/GR&R behind it — is a distinct skill path. Buyers commonly post a tooling-spec-only contract, bundle it with process planning, or wrap it into a full multi-professional launch posting.
What manufacturing processes are covered?
CNC machining, welding and joining, injection molding, stamping, and assembly process development are each tagged strengths. Buyers filter to engineers who have industrialized their exact process rather than "manufacturing engineering" as a generic line.
How is this different from an industrial engineer?
Manufacturing engineers here own process planning, DFM, tooling, PFMEA, and PPAP/launch — building and industrializing the process. Industrial engineers own line balancing, time studies, lean, and layout — optimizing flow. Both pools are distinct and tagged; buyers can post either or both in one contract.
Will I get flooded with unqualified applicants?
No. Profiles surface published rate, process experience, and launch/PPAP history up front. Most buyers see a small, well-targeted set of responses rather than a flood — the published rate filters the pool by itself, and the process-specific skill paths route the posting to the engineers who actually run that program.
How does this compare to a staffing agency?
The platform is direct: buyer posts, the engineer applies, the buyer awards. No recruiter intermediating the rate. No screening tax stacked on the engineer's pay. Posting is free; the optional managed-service layer (W-2 payroll, certificates of insurance, contractor admin) is opt-in for buyers who want to outsource the back-office side, and direct posting is the default.
Where is the strongest geographic coverage?
Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and the Southeast lead on automotive manufacturing engineering. California, Washington, and the Northeast add aerospace and medical device. The Midwest and Texas follow on heavy equipment and consumer products. Coverage is worldwide; in the US, the volume concentrates around the OEM and tier-supplier base.

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