Industrial engineering is the engineering discipline that deals with the design, implementation, and improvement of complex systems and processes. These systems usually involve people, capital, information, equipment, resources, as well as others. Engineering science, mathematics, and physical sciences are used together to optimize these systems to produce the best or most efficient outcome based on the objective of the system. The implications for the use of industrial engineering are extremely wide spread, as industrial engineering principles can be used on nearly any sort of system that you can think of.
People throughout history have always been looking for a better way to complete processes or tasks. Once larger and more complex systems were starting to be built, it became evident quickly that a conscious effort to increase the efficiency of the system would be extremely beneficial. Industrial engineering as we know it today, however, could be said to have started in the early 20th century. Management started to become a science, and how people operated and completed tasks became standardized. Naturally, efforts were made, and are continually made today, to improve upon these standards and increase efficiency and reduce the wastes of resources, time, and money. A prime example of implementation of industrial engineering principles is the use of the assembly line in Henry Ford's car manufacturing factory. He reduced the time it takes to manufacture a car by an astronomical amount, as well as the cost. With the innovation of technology continuing throughout the rest of the century, Material Requirement Planning systems were built to help integrate many different aspects and departments of the firm. These systems are used to help coordinate production planning, scheduling, and inventory control in many manufacturing factories to create a more seamless and efficient manufacturing process. These systems, and derivatives of them, have been improved so much that today "Just in Time" manufacturing is a familiar practice. Basically, the coordination of the scheduling, production, and inventory is so fine that departments will receive materials and resources "just in time," so that there is little to none work-in-progress or idle time. The future of improvements and innovation in industrial engineering appears to be boundless.
When you hear industrial engineering, you probably immediately visualize manufacturing or heavy industry. But the cool thing about industrial engineering is that it can be applied to nearly any service industry as well as manufacturing! Healthcare, safety, transportation and logistics, supply, entertainment, and communication and IT services are all sectors where more and more industrial engineers are being hired to work on and improve the complex systems involved in these services. The ease at which normal consumers are able to utilize these services would not be possible without the application of industrial engineering principles.
As with any engineering discipline, upholding ethics and integrity are of the utmost importance. We are designing and implementing systems that involve large amounts of capital, and our systems affect individuals within the system and the general public as well. Our first responsibility should always be to the public, and we must not design systems that harm or injure the public.
This post provides an interesting aspect into the world of industrial engineering. I especially like how you started out with a brief overview of what industrial engineering is and then transitioned into the history of it. By doing so, you really add depth to your explanation. I also like how you incorporate the well known example of Henry Ford's assembly lines and factory. This relates to a more general audience, even if they are not in an engineering field. By using the example, you also inform about a person who may have changed history in engineering entirely. The processes that he implemented forever changed the world as we know it.
ReplyDeleteIndustrial engineering, in some ways, can be closely linked to mechanical engineering. As my background in mechanical is the manufacturing industry, I found the "Just in Time" manufacturing principle quite interesting. On somewhat of a first hand level, I have experienced this but never have heard it named that before.
As with any engineering discipline, upholding a code of ethics and responsibilities is very important. I am glad you considered the public to be the first priority. This is how it should be due to the high number of products and services engineers touch that are directly used by the public.
I enjoyed reading your blog because you have a different view of engineering than I do. I've noticed that every field has a different opinion on what engineering is. For example, in electrical we don't learn much about the history of our field. This might be because of its relative youth. Most development in my field was done post ww2. The transistor was invented in the late 40s, and the integrated circuit in the late 50s. These are both extremely important inventions in the field of electrical engineering. In fact electrical engineering didn't become its own field until much later.
ReplyDeleteYou wrote about how it is important to keep safety in mind. As an engineer it is our duty to make sure our work is without fault and will not cause harm. We have to be alert to all potential hazards that could affect the public.
I noticed your writings on "Just in Time" manufacturing. The idea that you need to be efficient with your time isn't a terribly foreign concept, but it is very important to keep in mind of all aspects of life. Time is a very limited resource, and there is no way to obtain more of it. You just to use what you have.