INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING
ABSTRACT
Industrial engineering (IE) is an engineering discipline
that applies skills to almost all kind of industries. Its
field of activity is wider than any other engineering
disciplines, and an industrial engineer can focus on
many areas. Industrial engineers have many important
tasks in organization they work. And many of them
promoted to management positions. Also industrial
engineers provide many advantages to organization
they work, such as improving efficiency. Basics of
industrial engineering have been formed between 1750
and 1850. And it started to be taught in universities in
1800s.
KEYWORDS
Industry, management, efficiency, engineering
1. DESCRIPTION
Industrial engineering (Also known as operations
management, systems engineering, production
engineering, manufacturing engineering or
manufacturing systems engineering) is a branch of
engineering that concerns the development,
improvement, implementation and evaluation of
integrated systems of people, money, knowledge,
information, equipment, energy, material and process.
1.1. Field of Activity
Whereas most of other engineering disciplines show
activity on very specific areas, industrial engineering is
active in every industry. Examples of where industrial
engineering might be used include shortening lines (or
queues) at a theme park, streamlining an operating
room, distributing products worldwide, and
manufacturing cheaper and more reliable automobiles.
Industrial engineers typically use computer simulation,
especially discrete event simulation, for system analysis
and evaluation. Industrial engineering does not include
only manufacturing; it has grown to encompass
services and other industries as well.
Here are some of the industries that industrial engineers
can work:
• Aerospace & Airplanes
• Aluminum & Steel
• Banking
• Ceramics
• Construction
• Consulting
• Electronics Assembly
• Energy
• Entertainment
• Forestry & Logging
• Insurance
• Materials Testing
• Medical Services
• Military
• Mining
• Oil & Gas
• Plastics & Forming
• Retail
• Shipbuilding
• State & Federal Government
• Transportation
1.2. Focus Areas
Industrial engineers focus on many areas. Typical focus
areas include:
• Project Management
• Manufacturing, Production and Distribution
• Supply Chain Management
• Productivity, Methods and Process Engineering
• Quality Measurement and Improvement
• Program Management
• Ergonomics/Human Factors
• Technology Development and Transfer
• Strategic Planning
2
• Management of Change
• Financial Engineering
Here is a simple graphic about industrial engineering:
Figure 1 Industrial Engineering
1.3. Tasks of an Industrial Engineer
Industrial engineering draws upon the principles and
methods of engineering analysis and synthesis, as well
as 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. In lean manufacturing
systems, Industrial engineers work to eliminate wastes
of time, money, materials, energy, and other resources.
This is why many industrial engineers end up being
promoted into management positions. Also industrial
engineers are the only engineering professionals trained
specifically to be productivity and quality improvement
specialists.
1.4. Benefits of an Industrial Engineer
Industrial engineers make processes better in the
following ways:
• More efficient and more profitable business
practices
• Better customer service and product quality
• Improved efficiency
• Increased ability to do more with less
• Making work safer, faster, easier, and more
rewarding
• Helping companies produce more products
quickly
• Making the world safer through better designed
products
• Reducing costs associated with new
technologies
1.5. Techniques Utilized by IE’s
Industrial engineers use many different techniques.
Here are some techniques used by industrial engineers:
• Benchmarking
• Design of Experiments
• Employee Involvement
• Equipment Utilization
• Flow Diagramming
• Information & Data Flow Diagramming
• Interviewing for Information
• Lean Manufacturing
• Modeling & Testing
• Operations Auditing
• Organizational Analysis
• Pilot Programs
• Plant & Equipment Layout
• Project Management
• Simulation
• Six Sigma Projects
• Statistical Analysis
• Strategic Planning
• Theory of Constraints
• Time Studies
• Work Sampling
2. HISTORY OF INDUSTRIAL
ENGINEERING
Industrial engineering courses had been taught by
multiple universities in the late 1800s along Europe,
especially in very developed countries such as
Germany, France and United Kingdom. The first
doctoral degree in industrial engineering was awarded
in the 1930s by Cornell University. But basics of
industrial engineering have been formed between years
3
1750 and 1850, with “division of tasks” concept. Until
1750, same person used to plan the work, choose and
supply materials and equipments, and do quality
control.
In Turkey, industrial engineering education has been
begun in 1968, by İTÜ and ODTÜ. Because of
industrial engineering department has formed by
separating from mechanical engineering department,
industrial engineering is officially affiliated to Chamber
of Mechanical Engineers.
3. SOME STATISTICS ABOUT IE
According to researches made in Turkey;
• 86 percent of industrial engineers work in
manufacturing sector, while 7 percent of them
work in transportation sector, and 6 percent
work in energy sector.
• 36 percent of industrial engineers work in
organizations that have more than 800
employees.
• 24 percent of businesses employ industrial
engineers.
• 29 percent of industrial engineers work in
production planning department, and 21
percent work in industrial engineering
department.