Introduction To Industrial Engineering
"Industrial engineering is concerned with the design,
improvement installation of integrated systems of people,
materials, eyuipment and energy. Itdraws upon specialized
knowledge and social sciences together with the principles
and methods of engineering analysis and design to .specify,
predict and eualuatc the results to be obtained from such
systems. "
- American Institute of Industrial Engineers
To be more specific, the function of an industrial engineer
is to integrate people, machines, materials and information
to facilitate an effective operation and to maximize produc-
tivity . Therefore, system management becomes one of the
key functions of an industrial engineer .
So what is the difference between industrial engineering
and other engineering disciplines'' Industrial engineering
is the interfacing of people with machines . The design of a
total system must include the behavioral characteristics,
stress-strain relationships, load carrying energy character-
istics, and motivational responses of the people who are
vital links in a system . in addition to the physical elements
of the machines .
Therefore, the uniqueness of industrial engineering is
the explicit reference to people and social sciences in addi-
tion to natural sciences . Not only design, installation, evalu-
ation and redesign of machine systems are the major con-
cerns of industrial engineering, but also the human factors
in the system .
As a part of the system management, industrial engi-
neering also emphasizes the fundamental notion of cost
reduction and more efficient use of resources, whether they
are of human, materials. physical or financial aspects.
The History and Development of
Industrial Engineering
Prior to the mid-1950s, industrial engineers were pri-
marily concerned with human interactions in the design of
manufacturing plants, construction facilities, methods of
cost and quality control, production control, materials proc-
essing and handling ; and related manufacturing operations
to produce goods or to provide services . Historically, the
design of certain subsystems such as individual work cen-
ters and production centers was also a significant part of an
industrial engineer's task . The design procedure then in
use was very qualitative in nature and heavily relied on
empirical evidence of what would work to accomplish a
given result .
In the decade of the 1950s, there was a complete re-
orientation of industrial engineering. As new mathemati-
cal and statistical techniques and equipment became avail-
able, the emphasis shifted to more quantitative methods of
problem solving which required greater reliance, emphasis
and research effort . The high-speed and stored-program
digital computer became an indispensable tool for the in-
dustrial engineers . The increased emphasis on the basic
science and the shift from empirical toward more quantita-
tive analytical methods was not, of course, peculiar to
industrial engineering; however, it was likely that these
changes were more drastic in the field of industrial engi-
neering. This was because when industrial engineering
emerged from the World War Il period, it was probably the
least quantitative oriented in the engineering field.
It is also apparent that the scope of industrial engineer-
ing has been changing . The traditional concern was the
small systems but the current one is macrosystems . Tech-
nological development, together with the previous success-
ful work of industrial engineers, have reduced the need for
direct labor. The emphasis has shifted away from the
former concentration on the design and measurement of
individual %vorkplace activities . Most significantly , the
methods for making rational designs and analysis of larger
systems are available now . The whole new area of operations
research or operations analysis emerged. It is based on
many new mathematical techniques and provides system-
atic 'ways of handling the complex operations found in
modern industrie= . governments or service organizations .
For a long time . industrial engineering did not have any
dominant science upon which industrial engineering could
rest . After the emergence of'a science of operations and the
ability- to use thi_= science for analyzing and synthesizing
any- type of operation system, the industrial engineering is
able to expand its horizons and the opportunities for its
practitioners to the point that they have become almost
limitless .
Since modern industrial engineering is based on a sci-
ence of operations . industrial engineers have a natural
outlet for their talents in operations which involve systems
of people, machines and processes. For example, in banking
business, many areas of manual operations are now being
replaced by machines such as computers and microproces-
sors . These replacements improve the information flow and
accuracy which are crucial to the banking business . This
perhaps explains why the field of banking has been receiv-
ing the attention of industrial engineers during the last few
years.
In fact, industrial engineering is applicable to many
industries provided that productivity is the primary con-
cern . Currently-. active industrial engineering programs
are found in utilities, airlines, freight transportation com-
panies, bank . agricultural areas, hotels, etc. Since educa-
tion is not productivity oriented, industrial engineering
activities have not been prominent in this area .
Researched & Compiled by Mr . Vincent Cheung,
University of Hong Kong
Mr . Daniel M. Cheng,
Immediate Past President