Friday, June 29, 2007

Henry Laurence Gantt – His Central Interest was the Human Being

Gantt born in 1861, completed his university training at Johns Hopkins and taught at his former school, McDonagh School for four years during 1880- to 1883. . He returned to teaching at a later stage during 1886-87 and concentrated on manual work. In the interval he had qualified at Stevens Institute and obtained his degree as a mechanical engineer. In July, 1887 he left the instructor’s post and joined Midvale Steel Company as assistant in the engineering department. A year later he had become assistant to the Chief Engineer, F.W. Taylor. The following year he was promoted to Superintendent of the casting department and held this post until 1893. In the subsequent period, he held high positions in four factories.

In January, 1902, he started his consultancy work. In all, he covered some fifty assignments in the seventeen years of his active life. His selection of management to offer consultancy services was based on his assessment of management’s willingness to treat the labour fairly and reward them for higher productivity. He used to give the prospective managements his book ‘Work, Wages and Productivity’ and only if the management was willing to subscribe to the ideas in that book, Gantt accepted consultancy assignments.

His first original contribution to scientific management was the conception of “task and bonus system.” He read the paper ‘A Bonus System of Rewarding Labour’ at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in December 1901. From the outset Gantt was clear himself and enthusiastic to demonstrate to others that the bonus basis of wage payment was not merely another incentive scheme but the key to effective management. It induced workers to see that their machines were kept clean and in good running condition, in order to avoid breakdown. It entailed, as an integral part of shop management, a scientific investigation in detail of each piece of work and the determination of the best methods and times of performance. Finally, it led logically to the systematic training of operatives and, at a later stage, Gantt had a bonus plan for rewarding foremen who could up-grade the backward and inefficient workers. The scheme was a success from the start. Wherever applied, it brought arresting increases in output, a falling-off in accidents and breakdowns, and a general toning-up of workshops and operatives.

In 1904, Gantt broke new ground with an assignment as efficiency expert at a textile plant, Sayles Bleacheries. In this assignment he made special efforts in the training of workmen. He read to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers the famous paper, ‘Training workmen in Habits of Industry and Cooperation.’ Some years later he amplified his views in a further paper (1915) on ‘Modern Methods of Training Workmen.’ In making American industry accept training as a responsibility of management, Gantt’s personal influence was considerable.

The best known element in Gantt’s contribution to management is the bar chart that bears his name which he developed in June 1917, in his work under Ordinance Bureau during the First World War.

Gantt was awarded posthumously the Henry Laurence Gantt Medal by the Institute of Management and ASME for distinguished achievement in industrial management as a service to the community for his humanizing influence upon industrial management and for invention of the Gantt chart.



Abridged by Dr. K.V.S.S. Narayana Rao from “Henry Laurence Gantt (1861-1919)” in the book ‘The Making of Scientific Management vol I; Thirteen Pioneers’ edited by L. rwick and E.F.L. Brech, Sir Issac Pitman andSons Ltd., London, First published in 1994, Reprint in 1966.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Industrial Engineering Web Directory

Under Development

Please suggest websites/pages for inclusion in directory

ARTICLES

IE Career:

Position classification standard for Industrial Engineering Technician Series GS-0895
http://www.opm.gov/fedclass/gs0895.pdf

Systems thinking:

Teaching systems thinking to industrial engineering students, M. Kudret Yurtseven
http://ftp.informatik.rwth-aachen.de/Publications/CEUR-WS/Vol-72/106%20Yurtseven%20Teaching.pdf

Value Stream Mapping:

Value Stream Mapping from an Industrial Engineering Viewpoint, Sadono C. Djumin, Yuri Wibowo and Shahrukh A. Irani
http://www-iwse.eng.ohio-state.edu/ISEFaculty/IRANI/Industrial%20Engineering%20Studies/Value%20Stream%20Mapping%20from%20an%20Industrial%20Engineering%20Viewpoint.htm


BLOGS

http://processinnovation.blogspot.com/
http://about-ie.blogspot.com/

Industrial Engineering Encyclopedia

Under Development

Please send articles for inclusion in encyclopedia.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Frank Bunker Gilbreth (1868-1924): A Pioneer of Industrial Engineering

Frank Bunker Gilbreth (1868-1924): Industrial Engineering in Construction Industry

Urwick and Brech say Gilbreth takes his place with Taylor and Gantt as the third point in the triangle foundation on which the full science of management was built. He is the human element and human aspect man. Gilbreth started his employment in the building industry. Frank Gilbreth, at the age of 17, became a bricklayer’s apprentice. He planned from the outset to go through form tradesman to foreman, and thence to superintendent and manager. He attended evening classes with view to securing the technical knowledge of the building industry and in practice he worked through trade after trade until he had mastered all the arts of construction. He had opportunities of learning railway construction, estimating cost of work and carrying out jobs at headquarters. Owing to the prevailing shortage of supervisory staff, he quite soon moved up the first rungs of the ladder.

His promotion was rapid, and within 10 years, by the age of 27, he became chief superintendent of the company. He also made some significant contributions to the technical discipline. Quite early in his career, he was awarded a prize at the Mechanics Institute for a new design of scaffolding. His further contributions were a new method of water-proofing cellars, and a number of patents in the field of concrete construction. As with Fayol in coal-mining, or with Taylor in high-speed steel and belting, the first directions in which an original and powerful scientific intelligence found expression were purely technical and practical. They were concerned with improvements in the equipment and processes used in the actual task on which each of the three was engaged.

In April 1985, Gilbreth resigned and set up his own contracting business in the city of Boston. His experience of managing the construction contracts resulted in three early publications by him, Field System (1908), Concrete System (1908) and Bricklaying System (1909), each of them a study of methods by which the working organization and practice of his firm had been built up. One of his major and most valuable pieces of work was the reconstruction of California after the earthquake.

It is interesting to note that Urwick and Brech comment that in the book Bricklaying System, “more or less unconsciously to himself (Gilbreth) there was coming into his work systematically and finally the scientific handling of the human element.” The task of integrating human element into work systems was started by Gilbreth in this book. This initial attempt became the core focus in Motion Study (1911). The human elements in the planning of work became the dominant theme of the book.

Gilbreth met Taylor and attended his lecture courses regularly. He found that much that he had done was paralleled by what Taylor has done, and that Taylor’s method of timing how long it takes to do work was new to him, while his method of studying motions as a part of better methods leading to the one best way to do work, was new to Taylor. His work on human element in work led to interest in the psychological bases of organized human activity and Gilbreth found an ideal partner in his wife, Lillian Gilbreth. His understanding of human sciences was enriched by the assistance he gave to Lillian Gilbreth in preparing the study The Psychology of Management, the thesis for her Doctorate at the University of California. Frank Gilbreth can be given credit as the first industrial engineer, whose grounding in human sciences is very deep.

Gilbreth aimed in his lectures and discourses to demonstrate that if young men going into industry and commerce and other fields were to be successful applicants of the new science of management, they must have in their earlier years an introductory formal training with particular reference to the human aspects of the problems they would handling. As a part of his focus on human element and human behaviour at work, Gilbreth also investigated fatigue, its causes and the means of eliminating it.

Urwick and Brech aptly conclude their essay on Gilbreth with the statement, “Gilbreth must be considered the pioneer of the function of personnel management.” Gilbreth was intensely interested in the human aspects of industry, not in a superficial sense of being “anxious for the welfare of the worker,” but in the more solid sense of realising that management cannot be fully effective unless the human beings who are the major element in its work are appropriately studied and their work is rationally planned and directed.


The article is a summarized version of “Frank Bunker Gilbreth (1868-1924)” in the book The Making of Scientific Management, Volume I, Thirteen Pioneers, by L. Urwick and Brech, E.F.L, Sir Issac Pitman and Sons Ltd. London, First published in 1944, Reprint of 1966, pp.126-47.

Friday, June 15, 2007

What is Industrial Engineering? - Diverse Views - Part 2

Collected by Dr. K.V.S.S. Narayana Rao

I did the search through a google query. 177 sites were brought out by the search engine. The answers that I could collect from these sites are posted in two parts. This is the second part.

What Is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineering is concerned with system design and operation. All systems must relate to people, equipment, and materials. These resources are valuable and should be used efficiently. Industrial engineers analyze and design systems to ensure efficiency, quality, safety, and economic feasiblity. To enable the integration of such complex systems, industrial engineers are trained in areas beyond those taught in other engineering disciplines. These areas include: economics of the system, human interface and mangement of the system, and planning and control of operations.

http://www.coes.latech.edu/ie/iewhat.htm

WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING?

Here is the definition from the American Institute of Industrial Engineers :
"Industrial Engineering is concerned with the design, improvement, and installation of integrated systems of people, material, equipment, and energy. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skills in the mathematical, physical and social sciences together with the principles and method of engineering analysis and design to specify, predict, and evaluate the results to be obtained from such systems."

http://ie.cankaya.edu.tr/dept/deptbot_en.htm

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial engineers (IEs) are responsible for the optimal design, implementation, integration, operation, improvement and management of high-level systems. Such systems typically consist of chemical, electrical, electronic, mechanical or civil components. These high-level systems are not available as off-the-shelf items and cannot be imported or bought from a supplier. They normally exist within organisations as a mixture of equipment, information, people, capital, policies and processes. IEs figure out how to do things better and engineer processes and systems that improve quality and productivity, and save money. Industrial Engineering therefore is a professional engineering discipline applied to designing effective systems and procedures for using the basic resources (people, machines, material, IT systems, capital and entrepreneurial spirit) of any transformation system in organisations in which human and physical resources are combined and integrated to achieve specific objectives.

An industrial engineer draws upon knowledge of mathematics, physical and engineering sciences, and management and behavioural sciences to function as a problem-solver, innovator, coordinator and change agent. IEs understand the language and jargon of other engineers, scientists, finance experts, industrial psychologists, business analysts, environmentalists and information technologists. They have a special sensitivity for terms such as: optimality, effectiveness, efficiency, safety, productivity, profitability, reliability, quality, maintainability, availability and manufacturability. They practise in all the different manufacturing industries, service industries and government agencies. Today, more and more businesses also hire IEs in areas like sales and marketing, finance, information systems, and human resources. Other industries employing IEs are hospitals, airlines, banking, transport, and social services.

http://www.ie.sun.ac.za/03.%20About%20IE/1.%20What%20is%20IE.php


What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineering is one of the most important disciplines available to management for improving productivity. Managers, whether they are in commerce, industry or the public services, have a duty to make the best use of the resources at their disposal, i.e. to improve productivity. This in turn results in better profitability, a reduction in costs, or more efficient service- all of which go towards improving the standard of living of us all.
Industrial Engineering involves a number of techniques. Principal among them are method study which examines work in all its context with a view to making improvements, and work measurement which assesses the amount of work in a job from which standards can be set for planning and control and for payment systems. In addition, people who choose Industrial Engineering as a career need to acquire knowledge of related subjects such as computers, office systems, statistics, industrial relations and social science.

Industrial Engineering sets out to show people how to work more effectively and to eliminate unnecessary effort. They are also concerned with the use of buildings, raw materials, machinery and equipment.

http://www.iie.ie/about.htm

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial engineers focus on systems and how system components fit together. They often are the people who lead the way in understanding how to use the finite resources of the world to the maximum advantage. Industrial engineers must understand people as well as technology. Consequently, industrial engineering draws upon a variety of different disciplines, from mathematics to psychology, from communications to computer science, from production management to process control.

http://www.mie.engineering.uiowa.edu/IEProgram/IEMain.htm

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineering (IE) is the discipline of streamlining manufacturing techniques and processes to ensure maximum quality at minimum cost.
IE originated during World War II as a way of thinking systematically about the logistical challenges of supplying food, medicine and equipment to field personnel.
Today, IE is concerned with improving quality, affordability, productivity, safety and environmental compatibility in manufacturing and service industries. Industrial engineers observe processes, identify strengths and weaknesses, and make improvements. They find the best way for firms to produce goods and services – whether that firm is an airline, hospital, utility service, government agency or university.

http://www.ie.eng.fsu.edu/index.php?page=whatisie

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineering (IE) is concerned with the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment and energy.
It draws upon specialized knowledge and skills in the mathematical, physical, social and information 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. 

http://www.eng.ncat.edu/DEPT/ISEN/academic_under_detail_inf.htm

WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING?

Industrial Engineering is regarded as a leading profession whose practitioners plan, design, implement and manage integrated production and service delivery systems that assure performance, reliability, maintainability, schedule adherence and cost control.

http://www.upe.ac.za/default.asp?id=2400&sid=&bhcp=1

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial engineering is a broad field concerned with the design and management of production operations and with the development of management decision-assisting systems involving information and control elements. The curriculum explicitly provides topics useful in dealing not only with the physical aspects of problems, but also with organizational, economic and human aspects. Such problems are found in industry as well as in service organizations and government agencies. To analysis and solve the problems of operation, production, information system, the department emphasizes the cultivation of the technical knowledge and provides the students with the original and efficient research ability. The industrial engineering provides the courses not only necessary in the specific field but also essential in the other engineering fields.

http://www.kyunghee.edu/acadaemy/under_su2_01.php

What is Industrial Engineering?

... industrial engineering has broadened considerably in the past two decades. As it has broadened in its application, however, three themes persist in the fundamental science of industrial engineering. First is the dynamic nature of the flow of materials. The study of the principles of material flow arises from our origins in production systems, and continues to be a major component of industrial engineering, from flow in a factory to distribution of goods. The second is the dynamic flow of information. Whether we are trying to improve the flow of packets in a communications network, the flow of information units between Internet users, or the flow of managerial decisions in a business enterprise, we find that this more recent evolution of industrial engineering can still be approached using the fundamental mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences. The third theme, ergonomics, overlays the other two, as it has developed from Frank Gilbreth's experiments with brick laying to the design of human-computer interfaces and the design of human work environments.

From "The Development of Modern Industrial Engineering" by D. L. Kimbler. Originally published in ENGINEERING HORIZONS, Spring 1995.

http://iew3.technion.ac.il/Academ/Grad/ieInt/

WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING?

Industrial Engineering involves the analysis, design, implementation, and control of integrated systems of industrial resources (personnel, materials, equipment, information), and effective interaction and communication among the resources. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skills in mathematics, engineering sciences, and social sciences. A typical industrial engineering graduate is expected to specify, predict, evaluate and improve such industrial engineering systems in productivity and quality of output, and in ease and safety operation and maintenance.

http://www.me.concordia.ca/Main/descriptions/INDU_DESC.htm


What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineering (IE) deals with a broad range of complex challenges involving both people and technology. It creates value through a total systems approach, the scientific method, engineering design and integration of new technologies. Like other engineering fields, the base curriculum includes mathematics and the physical sciences. IEs are known as system integrators, since they are mostly concerned with seamless integration of all functions in a system.

What sets IE apart from other engineering disciplines is the emphasis on life and social sciences. This study of the human element leads to systems designs that enhance the quality of life for people, both as producers and consumers.


http://ie.ou.edu/about/discoverie.php


WHAT IS INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING?



Industrial engineering applies methods and principles of scientific management to business operations to make the best use of available resources and to lower costs, while improving quality and increasing safety.

http://istil.univ-lyon1.fr/english/productique.html

What is Industrial Engineering?

Definition of Industrial Engineering - The Work of an Industrial Engineer
The field of engineering is subdivided in several major disciplines like mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, civil engineering, electronical engineering, chemical engineering, metallurgical engineering, and also industrial engineering. Certainly this disciplines can also be subdivided further. Industrial Engineering integrates knowledge and skills from several fields of science: From the Technical Sciences, Economic Sciences as well as Human Science - all these can also be supported with skills in Information Sciences. The Industrial Engineer comprehends knowledge in those sciences in order to increase the productivity of processes, achieve quality products and assures Labour safety.

http://www.kwaliteg.co.za/industrial/industrial%20engineering.htm


What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineers work with mathematics and science, people and money to get a product or a service delivered at the highest quality and at the most economical cost. Industrial Engineers solve problems that include designing manufacturing systems, management systems, determining financial returns on projects, enhancing the work environment, and even how to better operate hospitals. This broad range of problem solving abilities makes Industrial Engineers highly sought after people in the business world.

http://www-mime.eng.utoledo.edu/undergrads/IE_overview.htm


What Industrial Engineering Is:

Industrial engineers organize the people, information, energy, materials, and machines involved in the production process. They are concerned with plant design and management, quality control, and the human factors of engineering. Industrial engineers perform tasks such as finding the best location for a high-tech company's new plant or reducing the time it takes for a patient to get through the emergenct room check-in procedure.
In a nutshell, Industrial Engineers make things work better, safer, and more economically. Unlike the other engineering disciplines that focus their attention purely on the technical aspects of a system, the Industrial Engineer incorporates human and economic considerations in system design. Industrial Engineering is one of the six major engineering disciplines yet few people outside of engineering understand what Industrial Engineers do. The professional society for Industrial Engineers, the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), defines Industrial Engineering as: Industrial Engineering is concerned with the design, improvement, and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, and equipment. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematical, physical, and social sciences, together with the principles and methods of engineering analysis, to design, specify, predict, and analyze the results obtained from such systems.

http://www.ucfthetatau.com/etfs3.html

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineering has been concerned with the improvement of whatever is being designed and/or evaluated. If its an individual human task, Industrial Engineering will try to make it
- more efficient
- less tiring
- with easier motions
- with less waste, energy and efforts
- and more productive
If it’s a series of tasks, Industrial Engineers will try to make them,
- more uniform and integrated
- with better flow
- and a minimum of stop and go action
- If it’s a handling task, I.E. will try to eliminate or reduce the amount of movement involved through changing the size of load
- by rearranging the layout of shop, office of service area – by the use of different parts of components that will allow for better timing, flow or similarities in processing required.
If it’s a manufacturing task, I.E. will try,
- either to redesign or to use different materials in order to use better or newer production methods.
- Provide better integration and flow between processing steps.
Succinctly stated, mission of I.E. will be to try to,
- Produce more
- Served better

http://www.iesg-lec.org/industrial_eng.html

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineering is the application of techniques and principles to the improvement, design, and installation of systems that involve people, materials, information, energy and equipment to provide efficient production of goods and services. To evaluate and work with these systems, knowledge and skills in the mathematical, physical, and social sciences are required. Industrial engineering activities form a bridge between management goals and operational performance. The industrial engineers are more concerned with increasing productivity through the management of people, methods of business organization, and technology than the engineers in other specialties, who generally work more with products or processes.

Industrial engineers are employed in multidisciplinary teams, and are usually concerned with the planning, installation, control and improvement of production activities. Such activities may include manufacturing, product innovation, provision of services, transportation, and organizational information flow.

http://ie.emu.edu.tr/about/index.php

What is Industrial Engineering?

By Jane M. Fraser

Definition of industrial engineering:

The design or improvement of a system of people, machines, information, and money to achieve some goal with efficiency, quality, and safety.

Certain words are show in bold face in the definition:
Design - Some industrial engineering tasks involve the creation of a new facility, process, or system.
Improvement - Most industrial engineering tasks involve the improvement of an existing facility, process, or system.
System - Most engineers design physical objects, but most IEs design systems. Systems include physical components, but also include processes, rules, and people. Components of a system have to work together. Material and information flow between the components of a system. A change to one part of system may affect other parts of the system.
People - Among all types of engineers, IEs think the most about people.
Machines - An IE must select the appropriate machines - including computers.
Information - Data can be used for immediate decision making and can be analyzed to make improvements to the system.
Money - An IE must weigh costs and savings now against costs and savings in the future.
Goal - Every designed system exists for some purpose. The IE must think about different ways to accomplish that goal and select the best way.
Efficiency - Whatever the goal of the system, the IE usually seeks to have the system achieve that goal quickly and with the least use of resources.
Quality - The IE?s organization always has a customer and the organization must deliver goods and services to the customer with the quality that the customer wants.
Safety - IEs have to make sure that the system is designed so that people can and will work safely.

IEs are sometimes called efficiency engineers, but some think that effectiveness engineer is more accurate. What is the difference between being efficient and being effective?
An efficient process doesn't waste any time or resources.
An effective process produces a desired effect or contributes to a desired goal.
Two words in our definition of industrial engineering (efficiency and goal) relate to these two aspects of an IE?s job. A process can be effective but not efficient if the process could be done as effectively but in less time or with fewer resources; for example, the time to produce a product might be reduced without any loss of customer satisfaction with the product. A process can be efficient but not effective; for example, a department that efficiently produces reports no one in the organization uses is not effective.

The words in bold face in the definition also indicate areas that an IE must learn about. An IE must know how to answer questions like these:

Design and improvement - Where should a facility be located? How should all the components be laid out physically? What operating procedures should be used?
System - How should the tasks be allocated among different parts of the system? How should material and information flow among the different components of a system?
People - What are people good at? What types of tasks should not be assigned to people? How can jobs be designed so that people can do their jobs quickly, safely, and well?
Machines - What types of machines are available to do different tasks, including the movement and storage of material and information?
Information - How can data be used to determine how well the system is functioning?
Money - How can we trade off costs and savings that occur at different times, maybe over a number of years?
Goal - What is the goal of this system? What are the different ways a system could achieve that goal?
Efficiency - How can we produce products and services with the least amount of time and resources?
Quality - How can we make sure that the system is consistently producing goods and services that meet customer needs?
Safety - How can we keep people from making mistakes? How can we protect people from hazards in the work place?

http://www.introtoie.com/C01.html (jane.fraser@colostate-pueblo.edu jane.fraser@colostate-pueblo.edu)


What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial engineering differs from other branches of engineering in that it encompasses all types of industrial, commercial, and governmental activity. Further, it is the only branch of engineering concerned not only with things, but also with people. Where most engineering disciplines are concerned with the design of products, industrial engineers design and install systems which produce products or services. Industrial engineering is a very special kind of profession. There is a uniqueness about the field, yet there is an extraordinary breadth of application. The basic objectives of the field relate to productivity, i.e., the most effective use of each dollar spent for materials, equipment, manpower, etc. For example, during the last decade, an ever increasing number of products commonly used by the American consumer have been manufactured in other countries due to the fact that these products can be made at a lower cost in those countries. The Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE) provides the following definition of IE:Industrial Engineering is 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. The industrial engineer functions at every level of management by originating and developing operating plans, programs, and controls which will permit effective use of human and economic resources.

http://www.ie.ndsu.nodak.edu/curriculum/about_ie.html

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

What is Industrial Engineering? - Variety of Views - Part I

Collected by Dr. K.V.S.S. Narayana Rao through google search


What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineering is concerned with the design of production systems. The Industrial Engineer analyzes and specifies integrated components of people, machines, and facilities to create efficient and effective systems that produce goods and services beneficial to mankind.

http://www.ise.ncsu.edu/about/whatIsie.html



What is Industrial Engineering ?

Industrial engineers deal with systems. They can design, implement or improve integrated systems comprised of people, materials, information or energy. IE's can develop a better way of doing just about anything.

Industrial engineers find creative new ways to solve tough problems. From microelectronics, telecommunications, and retail to transportation, hospitals, and government, IE's make it happen more efficiently.

http://ise.tamu.edu/

Industrial engineers design and improve work systems.
These systems include people, equipment, materials, information, energy, and money.

http://www.ise.tntech.edu/IE.htm

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineering, in its current form, began in the early 20th century. The first industrial engineers began to apply scientific theory to factories. Factory owners labeled their new specialists 'industrial' or management engineers. Industrial engineering is commonly defined as the integration of machines, staff, production materials, money, and scientific methods. While current industrial engineers do deal in these areas of their discipline, the scope of work has become more general.

Today's industrial engineers work in many more settings than just factories. In recent years, information technology, energy sources, and computers have all relied on the skills of industrial engineers. Industrial engineers have expanded beyond factories and are now employed in:
hospitals and other health-care operations,
transportation,
food processing,
media,
banking,
utilities, and
local, regional and national governments.
A college degree in industrial engineering is very diverse and, as opposed to other engineering disciplines, is very people-oriented. Budding industrial engineers learn to plan, design and implement complex systems for a given industry. They do this by taking into account every conceivable variable, from budgets, to machines, to humans.

In a nutshell, industrial engineering majors learn to use engineering and scientific principles to design, manufacture, or improve systems that involve both goods and services. Industrial engineers deal with how products are created, the quality of the product, and the cost of making the product.
Industrial engineers also deal with the design and workings of the factories that make the product. They design the workstations, automation, and robotics for systems all along the supply chain. Industrial engineers are also highly involved in any managerial aspects of modern businesses. These duties range from floor manager in the plant upward to CEO.

In addition, industrial engineers are concerned with worker safety and workplace environments. They balance the implementation of responsible processes with the other requirements of making a product or providing a service of high quality.

Industrial engineers also work in distribution systems, such as:
trucking,
airline,
postal,
maritime,
rail, and
overnight delivery.

Regardless of the mode of transportation, industrial engineers work directly with routing, scheduling, and vehicle conditions. For example, an industrial engineer would be concerned with the problems inherent in getting a package delivered from Arizona to Milan, Italy.

In today's global marketplace, industrial engineering is fast becoming international engineering. Global boundaries are diminishing, thus requiring industrial engineers to be fluent in foreign languages and customs. International travel could very well be the norm for engineers, as companies expand and conduct more and more business with foreign governments.

The Groundbreaking Gilbreths
One of the earliest applications of industrial engineering occurred in the early 20th century, and it was not done in a factory. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, two of the discipline's earliest practitioners, determined that there must be a standardized way to operate in any given hospital.

This standardization provided for a comprehensive training procedure for doctors, nurses, technicians and other healthcare professionals. Thanks to the Gilbreths, operating times dropped and survival rates increased. As a result, today's engineers work in diverse fields like healthcare, transportation, lodging, food service, and other service industries.

http://www.worldwidelearn.com/online-education-guide/engineering/industrial-engineering-major.htm

What Is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineering is more properly called Industrial and Systems Engineering. This field of study is concerned with the Design, Analysis, and Operation of Systems. These can range from a single piece of equipment to large business, social, and environmental systems. In each instance, the industrial engineer's interest lies in modeling system functions and determining how best to achieve the objectives of the system. The methods employed in industrial engineering provide an excellent vehicle for considering both private and public costs and benefits. In order to develop the capacity of the industrial engineering student to handle basic engineering problems, the industrial engineering curriculum provides a background in calculus, statistics, computing, psychology, accounting, and economics. Physics, chemistry, engineering graphics, and engineering mechanics round out the areas of study among the prerequisites for the core courses in the department.

http://iwse.osu.edu/overview_whatisind.cfm

What is Industrial Engineering?

Simply put, industrial engineering is the application of engineering methods and the principles of scientific management to the design, improvement, and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information equipment and energy.

http://www.discoverengineering.org/Engineers/industrial_eng.asp

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineering (IE) is a field that integrates the technical, human, and management aspects of today's sophisticated products and processes.
IE’s use a variety of engineering methods to design, improve, and optimize processes - in both manufacturing and numerous other industries such as airlines, finance, health care, and service.

http://www.coe.neu.edu/Groups/nuiie/Pages/whatisie.html

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial engineering is the application of engineering methods and the principles of scientific management to the design, improvement, and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment, and energy.
Industrial Engineering differs from other engineering disciplines in the sense that Industrial Engineering is more people and management oriented.

http://www.imse.hku.hk/about/IE.htm

What Is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineering is more properly called Industrial and Systems Engineering. This field of study is concerned with the Design, Analysis, and Operation of Systems. These can range from a single piece of equipment to large business, social, and environmental systems. In each instance, the industrial engineer's interest lies in modeling system functions and determining how best to achieve the objectives of the system. The methods employed in industrial engineering provide an excellent vehicle for considering both private and public costs and benefits.

http://www-iwse.eng.ohio-state.edu/overview_whatisind.cfm

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineering is a broad discipline encompassing education and basic/applied research. It focuses on the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, material, information, equipment and energy
.
http://www.ie.eng.fsu.edu/overview/overview.html

Industrial engineers are primarily concerned with the analysis, design, and control of production, service, and distribution systems. They draw upon specialized knowledge and skills in mathematical, physical, and social sciences, together with the principles and methods of engineering analysis and design, to specify, predict, and evaluate the result to be obtained from such systems. Industrial engineering is unique among engineering disciplines in its focus on the human element in systems. Industrial engineers are employed in manufacturing, hospitals, utility companies, retailing, government agencies, research organizations, and consulting firms. Further opportunities in management often develop for industrial engineers.

http://ie.nmsu.edu/ie_what_is.htm

What Is Industrial Engineering?

" An industrial engineer looks at chaos and has a vision of order "
Industrial Engineering deals with the solution of the problems that occur during the phases of planning, design, implementation and development in organizations, which produce goods or services. Especially the efficient use of scarce production resources and the development of methodologies and techniques to increase quality in production are its basic functions. Industrial engineering uses the knowledge and skills of mathematics, natural and social sciences, engineering analysis and design to achieve this aim.

Industrial engineers figure out how to do things better. They engineer processes and systems that improve quality and productivity. They work to eliminate waste of time, money, materials, energy, and other commodities. Most important of all, IE's save companies money. This is why more and more companies are hiring industrial engineers and then promoting them into management positions.

'Industrial engineer' is synonymous with systems integrator - a big-picture thinker, in other words. It's an employee who takes what exists today and conceptualizes what should exist in the future.
Many people are misled by the term "industrial engineer." The 'industrial' does not mean just manufacturing. It encompasses service industries as well. It has long been known that industrial engineers have the technical training to make improvements in a manufacturing setting. Now it is becoming increasingly recognized that these same techniques can be used to evaluate and improve productivity and quality in service industries.

http://www.ie.metu.edu.tr/dep_whatis1.htm

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial Engineering is the branch of the engineering profession that is concerned with the design, analysis, and control of production and service operations and systems. Originally, an industrial engineer worked in a manufacturing plant and was involved with the operating efficiency of workers and machines. Today, industrial engineers are more broadly concerned with productivity and all of the technical problems of production management and control. They may be found working in every kind of organization: manufacturing, distribution, transportation, mercantile, and service. Their responsibilities range from the design of unit operations to that of controlling complete production and service systems. Their jobs involve the integration of the physical, financial, economic, and human components of such systems to attain specified goals.

http://www.ieor.columbia.edu/pages/dptoverview/index.html

What Is Industrial Engineering?

The Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), the premiere organization for Industrial Engineers, defines industrial engineering as the leading profession whose practitioners "plan, design, implement, and manage integrated production and service delivery systems that assure performance, reliability, maintainability, schedule adherence and cost control. These systems are sociotechnical in nature and integrate people, information, material, equipment, processes, and energy throughout the life cycle of the product, service or program." Industrial Engineers are charged with figuring out the "best" way to do things.

What is Industrial Engineering?

According to The Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), "Industrial Engineering is concerned with the design, installation, and improvement of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment, and energy by drawing upon specialized knowledge and skills 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."

What do IEs do?IEs look beyond the technical aspects of processes and systems by designing a safer workplace and by saving money. They are concerned with quality and productivity improvements. An IE can be a manufacturing engineer, a management engineer, an ergonomist, an operations analyst, and a quality engineer among others.

Where do IEs work?IEs work in virtually everywhere; from the traditional areas like manufacturing, and service industries to areas like sales and marketing, finance, information systems, and personnel. IEs can also be found in hospitals, airlines, banks, railroads, and social services. In short, the working opportunities are almost unlimited.

http://www.engr.utk.edu/ie/faq.htm

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial engineering is a discipline concerned with the design, improvement and the installation of the systems for organising the basic resources – people, materials, equipment, energy and information – to produce goods and services.

What do Industrial Engineers do?

Industrial engineers (IEs) figure out how to do things better, drawing upon specialised knowledge and skills in the mathematical and physical sciences, engineering sciences, humanities and the social sciences to analyse, design, improve, control and evaluate production systems. Some benefits that can be directly linked to the work of industrial engineers include;
· More efficient and more profitable business practices while increasing customer service and quality,
· Good organization,
· Increased ability to do more with less,
· Making work safer, faster, easier, and more rewarding,
· Reducing the costs associated with new technologies,
· Showing ways to improve the working environments.

http://ie.atilim.edu.tr/IEWebPages(English)/aboutindustrialeng.htm

What is Industrial Engineering?

According to The Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), "Industrial Engineering is concerned with the design, installation, and improvement of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment, and energy by drawing upon specialized knowledge and skills 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."

What do IEs do?
IEs look beyond the technical aspects of processes and systems by designing a safer workplace and by saving money. They are concerned with quality and productivity improvements. An IE can be a manufacturing engineer, a management engineer, an ergonomist, an operations analyst, and a quality engineer among others.

Where do IEs work?
IEs work in virtually everywhere; from the traditional areas like manufacturing, and service industries to areas like sales and marketing, finance, information systems, and personnel. IEs can also be found in hospitals, airlines, banks, railroads, and social services. In short, the working opportunities are almost unlimited.

http://www.engr.utk.edu/ie/faq.htm

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial engineering is a discipline concerned with the design, improvement and the installation of the systems for organising the basic resources – people, materials, equipment, energy and information – to produce goods and services.

What do Industrial Engineers do?
Industrial engineers (IEs) figure out how to do things better, drawing upon specialised knowledge and skills in the mathematical and physical sciences, engineering sciences, humanities and the social sciences to analyse, design, improve, control and evaluate production systems. Some benefits that can be directly linked to the work of industrial engineers include;
· More efficient and more profitable business practices while increasing customer service and quality,
· Good organization,
· Increased ability to do more with less,
· Making work safer, faster, easier, and more rewarding,
· Reducing the costs associated with new technologies,
· Showing ways to improve the working environments.

http://ie.atilim.edu.tr/IEWebPages(English)/aboutindustrialeng.htm

What is Industrial Engineering?

According to The Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), "Industrial Engineering is concerned with the design, installation, and improvement of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment, and energy by drawing upon specialized knowledge and skills 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."

What do IEs do?IEs look beyond the technical aspects of processes and systems by designing a safer workplace and by saving money. They are concerned with quality and productivity improvements. An IE can be a manufacturing engineer, a management engineer, an ergonomist, an operations analyst, and a quality engineer among others.

Where do IEs work?IEs work in virtually everywhere; from the traditional areas like manufacturing, and service industries to areas like sales and marketing, finance, information systems, and personnel. IEs can also be found in hospitals, airlines, banks, railroads, and social services. In short, the working opportunities are almost unlimited.

http://www.engr.utk.edu/ie/faq.htm

What is Industrial Engineering?

Industrial engineering is a discipline concerned with the design, improvement and the installation of the systems for organising the basic resources – people, materials, equipment, energy and information – to produce goods and services.

What do Industrial Engineers do?

Industrial engineers (IEs) figure out how to do things better, drawing upon specialised knowledge and skills in the mathematical and physical sciences, engineering sciences, humanities and the social sciences to analyse, design, improve, control and evaluate production systems. Some benefits that can be directly linked to the work of industrial engineers include;
· More efficient and more profitable business practices while increasing customer service and quality,
· Good organization,
· Increased ability to do more with less,
· Making work safer, faster, easier, and more rewarding,
· Reducing the costs associated with new technologies,
· Showing ways to improve the working environments.
http://ie.atilim.edu.tr/IEWebPages(English)/aboutindustrialeng.htm



http://www.txstate.edu/technology/prospective_students/industrial_engineering.htm

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Industrial and Organizational Psychology: Research and Practice

Paul E. Spector
John Wiley & Sons, 2005


Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction
Chapter 2 Research Methods in I/O Psychology
Chapter 3 Job analysis
Chapter 4 Performacne Appraisal
Chapter 5 Assessment Methods for Selection and Placement
Chapter 6 Selecting Employees
Chapter 7 Training
Chapter 8 Theories of Employee Motivation
Chapter 9 Feelings about Work
Chapter 10 Productive and Counterproductive Employee Behaviour
Chapter 11 Occupational Health Psychology
Chapter 12 Work Groups and Work Teams
Chapter 13 Leadership and Power in Organizations
Chapter 14 Organizational Development and Theory

Monday, June 11, 2007

What is Industrial Engineering?

Dr. K.V.S.S. Narayana Rao
Professor, National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE)
Mumbai, India


Industrial Engineering is principally concerned with developing standard operating procedures (SOP) for all the operations done by human element in a work place.

Industrial engineering department has to develop standard operating procedure, design and ensure standard working conditions, determine and specify standard time required to complete a SOP and also determine the standard pay for an operation or an operator. The rewards for achieving an output higher than the standard output per day is also to be designed by the industrial engineering department.

The objectives in designing standard operating procedures for each operation are to maximize productivity of the work system and to ensure comfort, safety and health of the operators.

Productivity of a work system is a multidimensional concept. The system has to produce output to the design specification, with minimum wastage of raw materials and machine time, and has to ensure that equipment is kept in good condition and requires minimum breakdown maintenance.

In the modern work environments, man works with most modern machines. Industrial engineer has to understand the working of the machine, and the machine elements and has to design how the operator is going do the operations that he has perform on the machine. Industrial engineer can specify the machine elements for any job if he has the competency himself or he may receive specification of machine elements required to complete a job from a specialist production engineer and then add the operations of the human element to it. In a smaller set up, industrial engineer may himself act a production technology man. Industrial engineering is traditional explained as design of man-machine-material system. Therefore, industrial engineers need to have a good grasp of production processes employed in their factories.

Industrial engineers have to specify and ensure standard working conditions. These include proper space for movement of material handling equipment, of operators and supervisors, proper ventilation and climatic conditions, proper lighting and noise conditions etc.

Industrial engineers have responsibility to train operators in the standard operating procedures and bring them to a skill level at which they can complete the job in the standard time prescribed. Once a standard operating procedure is installed, industrial engineers have to maintain a continuous improvement system to capture the learning effect. The suggestions of the operators have to collected or received systematically and they have to be evaluated and incorporated in the SOPs if appropriate giving due credit to the operator. Any changes in science/knowledge which can change an SOP and Standard Work Conditions (SWC) for better is to be recognized by the industrial engineering department on an ongoing basis and SOPs have to be modified accordingly. For this purpose, the department may do an annual review of the knowledge base as well as each SOP and SWC.

Management of Productivity, Quality, Comfort, Safety, and Health are the ongoing responsibility of industrial engineering department. They need to set standards or controls for this purpose and have to gather data on a periodic basis to compare actuals with standards. They have to use the managerial processes of planning, directing, coordinating and control to achieve the objectives in respect of productivity, quality, comfort, safety and health.

Where there is good industrial engineering practice, there has to be a workforce which is highly skilled, productive, and happy because of the relative comfort and incomes they enjoy.

Industrial engineering is a great service to the society – making everybody happy and productive in work place where the maximum time is spent by everybody in the world in the hours, they are awake - is very worthy activity.

Saturday, June 9, 2007

CALL for Articles and Papers for Handbook of Industrial Engineering - Proposed Contents

Articles and papers are invited from Industrial Engineering students, faculty and professionals for inclusion in this handbook which will come out as a blog initially.

Proposed Contents

I. Industrial Engineering - Introduction

I-A. History and Evolution of Industrial Engineering
I-B. What is Industrial Engineering?
I-C. Pioneers in Industrial Engineering
I-D. Industrial Engineering Departments in Companies - Place and Responsibilities
I-E. Industrial Engineering Profession
I-F. Industrial Engineering Departments in Colleges and Universities

II. Processes/Activities that require Human Effort

II-I. Production and Maintenance Processes, Equipment and Materials Handling

II-A. Mechanical Engineering
II-B. Chemical Engineering
II-C. Electrical Engineering
II-D. Civil Engineering
II-E. Agricultural Engineering
II-F. Light Enginneering Industry
II-G. Heavy Engineering Industry
II-H. Automobile Industry
II-I. Transportation Industry
II-J. IT Hardware Industry
II-K. Telecommunications Industry
II-L. Banking and Financial Services Industry
II-M. Hospitality Industry
II-N. Hospital Sector
II-O. Retailing, Wholesale and Related Logistics
II-P. Software Industry
II-Q. Diary Industry
II-R. Light Engineering Industry
II-S. Heavy Engineering Industry
II-T. Agriculture, Horticulture
II-U. Animal Husbandry
II-V. Education Sector
II-W. Publishing Industry
II-X. Miscellaneous Agricultural and Allied Activities
II-Y. Miscellaneous Manufacturing Sectors
II-Z. Miscellaneous Service Sectors


II-II Business/Commercial/Management Processes

II-II-A. Accounting process
II-II-B. Marketing and Sales
II-II-C. Purchasing
II-II-D. Stores
II-II-E. Inventory Planning and Control
II-II-F. Inbound Logistics
II-II-G. Outbound Logistics
II-II-H. Financial Management
II-II-I. Human Resource Management
II-II-J. Corporate Planning and Strategic Management

II-III Miscellaneous Services

II-III-A. Police
II-III-B. Judicial Services
II-III-C. Design and Drafting
II-III-D. Journalism

III. Human Sciences

III-A. Physiology
III-B. Anatomy
III-C. Psychology
III-D. Sociology
III-E. Ergonomics
III-F. Work Physiology
III-G. Industrial Psychology
III-H. Industrial Sociology
III-I. Human Behaviour at Work & Organization Behaviour
III-J. Social Psychology


IV. Decision Sciences

IV-A. Engineering Economics, Financial Accounting and Cost Accounting
IV-B. Mathematics - Applications in Industrial Engineering
IV-C. Statistics - Applications in Industrial Engineering
IV-D. Operations Research and Optimization Techniques - Applications in Industrial Engineering
IV-E. Micro and Macro Economics - Applications in Industrial Engineering
IV-F. Qualitative Criteria and Processes of Decision Making
IV-G. Systems Approach to Decision Making - Applications in IE Practice

V. Industrial Engineering - Work System Improvement and Work System Redesign

V-A. Work System Documentation
V-B. Principles of Efficiency, Motion Economy and Safety
V-C. Methods Improvement
V-D. Work Station and Facility Improvement and Redesign
V-E. Work Measurement
V-F. Study of Compensation and Rewards
V-G. Study of Operator Comfort, Safety and Occupational Health
V-H. Design of Productivity and Safety Devices
V-I. Man-Machine & Man-Material Interface Design

VI. Industrial Engineering - Work System Design

VI-A. Information to Start Work System Design
VI-B. Site Location and Selection
VI-C. Design of Industrial and Office Buildings - Role of Industrial Engineers
VI-D. Climate Control in Work Places
VI-E. Technlogy and Equipment Selection - Role of Industrial Engineers
VI-F. Work Station Design and Plant & Stores Layout
VI-G. Operator Selection - Role of Industrial Engineers
VI-H. Standard Operating Procedure Design and Communication
VI-I. Training of Operators - Role of Industrial Engineers
VI-J. Initial Operation of the Plant - Role of Industrial Engineers
VI-K. Industrial Engineering Science and Techniques

VII. Management of Industrial Engineering

VII-A. Management of Industrial Engineering Studies
VII-B. Management of Industrial Engineering Department
VII-C. Management of Industrial Engineering Projects (Project Management)
VII-D. Productivity Management
VII-E. Quality Management
VII-F. Operator Comfort Management
VII-G. Safety Management
VII-H. Occupational Health Management
VII-I. Information Management in IE Department


VIII. Augmented Industrial Engineering

VIII-A. Additional Responsibilities Entrusted to IE Departments


IX. Industrial Engineering - Strategic Planning

X. Industrial Engineering - Perceptions of Other Professions

X-A. Perceptions of CEOs and COOs.
X-B. Perceptions of Marketing Managers
X-C. Perceptions of Production Managers
X-D. perceptions of Human Resource ManagementProfessionals
X-E. Perceptions of Cost Accountants
X-F. Perceptions of Trade Unions.

XI. Industrial Engineering - Significant Recent Contributions

XI-A. Recent Advances in Industrial Engineering Knowledge.
XI-B. Recent Achievements of IE Departments
XI-C. Recent Innovations of IE Departments

XII. Biographies Meritorious Industrial Engineers of Modern Period

XIII. Industrial Engineering - Books: Bibliographies, Reviews and Summaries

XIV. Industrial Engineering Encyclopedia

XV. Industrial Engineering Web Directory

Industrial Engineering Handbook - The Beginning

In a faculty forum, one of my colleagues, said that Dr. Narayana Rao is not anymore an industrial engineer, as his focus is now Stock market subjects. But as I have written an article suggesting a modification to IE definition and also came out with a curriculum to reflect the proposed definition, I made an announcement that I shall come out with a handbook on Industrial Engineering in collaboration with another colleague.

I was thinking of referring handbooks to correlate with the curriculum that I proposed and I did have a look at them. But after making this announcement, I went through the handbooks and posted the contents of them in my blog on industrial engineering www.kvssnrao-ind-engg.blogspot.com/. All three handbooks, Maynard, Salvendy and Grant & Grant have interesting themes and I felt my curriuculum is in line with the issues dealt with in those books only. But there is a need to bring all of them to one place with addiotional focus on some issues. Hence I am starting this blog to appeal to faculty, students and professional industrial engineers to contribute articles and papers and then initially post them in this blog. Subsequently I plan to apply for grant to government funding agencies and come out with an e-book hosted on NITIE website. The articles will be included in the e-book only after a peer review and required modifications. When a publisher is found the print edition will come out.