Engineering is a complex field and an engineering directory would be a great help to practitioners. Before we look at the specifics, let us first understand what engineering means.

What Is Engineering?
Engineering could mean several things:

* Design and development of Structures, Machines, Apparatus, Manufacturing Processes and any combination of these
* Construction or operation of the machines, apparatus or processes with a full awareness of their design
* Forecasting the behavior of these under different operating conditions

The objective of the engineering activity could be to carry out some function, improve economics of operation or ensure safety to life and property.

Engineering activities would involve developing designs to meet the objectives, testing to check whether the product or process performs as intended, without causing any harm to persons or property, and finally constructing the product and/or organizing production facilities.

The complexity of the engineering function would be evident even from the brief discussion above.

How Does an Engineering Directory Help?
Let us take a look at an engineering directory to see a typical approach.

* Engineering Categories

** Automotive
*** Paint & Finishes, Parts & Accessories, …

** Building & Civil
*** Consulting / Design, Materials, …

** Chemical
*** Pumps, Measurement, …

** Electrical
*** Lighting, Cables, Motor Control, …

* Industry Categories

** Architectural
*** Consulting / Design, Structure, …

** Communications
*** Networking, Connectors, …

** Food & Beverage
*** Conveyors, Hoses & Fittings, …

** General
*** Docs & Translations, Signage, … …. (Source: http://www.engnetglobal.com/ )

Engineering section of the Yahoo Directory has sections like Quality Management, Reliability Engineering and Journals, in addition to several Industry Categories.

What is significant is that there is an attempt to match the engineering directory listings with the complexity of the field. There are major sections, like Building & Civil, supported by more specific sub sections like Consulting/Design, Materials and so on.

A harried engineering practitioner would indeed find the engineering directory a high value resource. With its help she or he can locate urgently needed services or components to complete the task in hand. The practitioner can also explore the alternative solutions available in the market, which is also an important part of her or his work.