Mechanical engineering - weak-hearted or Undervalued

Abstract

Serious concerns expressed by the academic community over the plight of Mechanical Engineering industry and the apparent failure of University programmes to meet the challenges posed are discussed. The question is posed whether it is the vicious cycle formed by weak industry supported by unimaginative academic programmes, which in tem are fuelled by the former. An effort is made to identify salient characteristics of performing Mechanical Engineering academic programmes and the growth drivers along with the characteristics of performing Mechanical Engineering Industries and their growth drivers through an analysis of domain leaders and to extend these for the local context. We try to discover a meaningful role for the mechanical Engineer in charting a development path for Sri Lanka. Bold steps for an aggressive programme to force a reverse flow of high value-added industrial products is proposed with details from a topical sector. Inability/inflexibility of policy makers to respond positively to turns of events in the country’s socioeconomic context is seen as a major obstacle to rapid industrial growth. We try to demonstrate how these constitute more important preoccupations for us than for industrialised countries. In this context [Fletcher, 2000] describes the constant pressure on course developers of the West thus, “the significant involvement of mechanical engineers in the development of new technologies, and in turn, the impact of these technologies on the world economy suggests that mechanical engineering education programs must be modernised to reflect the needs of the future. ... Mechanical engineering education programs must accommodate the changing technological and industrial environment and continue to provide a forum for intellectual growth in the next century.” ‘The traditional science-based theory courses, which are likely to be a part of engineering for the coming decade, give us engineering analysts. However, practice-based, well-implemented design and manufacture courses, give us the additionally important *professional component" of mechanical engineering [Henderson, 2000].”