What is Industrial Engineering? & Who is an Industrial Engineer?



American Institute of Industrial Engineers has defined the special field of Industrial Engineering as:

“Concerned with the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, equipment and energy. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematical, physical and social sciences together with the principles and methods of engineering analysis and design to specify, predict and evaluate the results to be obtained from such systems”.

Industrial Engineering is engineering approach to the detailed analysis of the use and cost of resources of an organization. The main resources are men, money, materials, equipment & machinery. The industrial Engineer carries out such analysis in order to achieve the objectives (to increase productivity, or profits, etc.) and policies of the organization. An industrial engineers technique goes beyond the mechanical cost factor. He is associated with organization structure, administrative techniques, Labour problems and at the same time, he understands the relationship between efficiency and consent (of the working group).

Essentially, the industrial engineer is engaged in the design of a system and his function is primarily that of management.

If an industrial engineer had to focus on only one concept to describe his field of interest and objective, it would have to be productivity improvement.

Productivity improvement implies:

􀂾A more efficient use of resources

􀂾Less Waste per unit of input supplied

􀂾Higher levels of output for fixed levels of input supplied

The ever-increasing use of digital manufacturing and virtual factory environments is allowing the industrial engineer (IE) to be brought into the design process as a true systems integrator. The shop-floor role moves into the computer world as digital mockups, rapid prototyping, assembly simulation, ergonomic workplace assessment, and robotic simulation necessitate production requirements validation. This discussion provides insight into the current and future use of IE's and discrete event simulation (DES) in a multi-disciplinary design environment

Industrial Engineering – As in Engineers Australia Website

Industrial Engineering is concerned with the design, improvement, and installation of integrated systems of human resources, materials, equipment and finance. It draws upon specialised knowledge and skill in the mathematical, physical, physiological and social sciences together with the principles and methods of Engineering analysis and design to specify, predict and evaluate the results to be obtained from such systems and measure achievement.

Industrial Engineering is a science devoted to getting the best results from available resources, whilst still ensuring that the quality and expectations of the project are met.

Production Management versus Industrial Engineering



􀂾Production Management attempt to familiarize a person with the concept and techniques specific to the analysis and management of a production activity.

􀂾Industrial engineering, on the other hand, deals with the analysis, design, and control of productive systems. By a productive system is meant any system that produces either a product or a service.

􀂾Production management tells how to manage (i.e., direct human efforts) in a production environment, with less attention paid to the analysis and design of productive systems.

􀂾It is generally assumed that industrial engineers will not operate the systems they design.

􀂾The training of an aircraft pilot is analogous to industrial engineering education.



Roles of Industrial Engineer

Given below are different types of roles and functions, an industrial engineer may need to take on. More than one may occur at one time e.g., advisor/analyst/reviewer in evaluating the effectiveness of a new factory built a year ago.

Roles & functions of an Industrial Engineer:

1.Advisor/Consultant – available to others for interpretation of data, review etc.
2.Advocate/Activist – Promote actively a process or an approach
3.Analyst – separate a whole into parts and examine them to explore for insight and characteristics
4.Boundary Spanner – bridge the information/interest gap between industrial engineering and user.
5.Motivator – provide stimulus and skill availability to a group or individual
6.Decision Maker – select a preference from among many alternatives for topic of concern.
7.Designer/planner – produce the solution specifications.
8.Expert – provide a high level of knowledge, skill and experience on a specific topic.
9.Coordinator and Integrator
10.Innovator/inventor – seek to produce a creative or advanced technology solution.
11.Measure – obtain data and facts about existing conditions
12.Project Manager – operate, supervise and evaluate projects.
13.Trainer/educator – in the skills and knowledge of industrial engineering
14.Data gatherer
15.Negotiator

Applications of Industrial Engineering

1. Before 1940, Industrial Engineering was mainly applied to manufacturing industries for improving methods of production, to develop work standards or to formulate production control and wage policies.

2. Later on, the use of industrial engineering also expanded to non-manufacturing activities such as construction and transportation, farm and air-line operations and maintenance, public utilities, government and military operations.

3. Still today, Industrial Engineering finds major application in manufacturing plants and industries.

4. In an industry besides the production, other departments utilizing industrial engineering concept are Marketing, Finance, Purchasing, Industrial Relations etc.

- Excerpts from Industrial Engineering & Management – By – O.P. Khanna

Application in Sports



Application in Health Care



100 Years in Industrial Engineering