Topic 1:

Introduction to Industrial
Engineering

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BDA40102: Industrial Engineering

Outline for todays lecture

Definition of Industrial Engineering
What does an Industrial Engineer do?
What is Unique about Industrial Engineering?
Evolution of Industrial Engineering
Relationship of IE to other engineering and

scientific disciplines
Jobs and functions performed by Industrial
Engineers

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Industrial Engineering

Definition of Industrial Engineering

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.
Draw 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.

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Industrial Engineering

Definition of Industrial Engineering

(cont.)
A discipline built upon a collection of methodological

tools brought together to effect an integrated or "total"

approach to problem-solving in engineering and
management, with productivity improvement as its
overall objective.

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Industrial Engineering

What does an Industrial Engineer

do?
Industrial Engineers figure out how to do things better.
They engineer processes and systems to improve quality and

productivity. They work to eliminate waste of time, money,

materials and various resources.
While engineers from other disciplines apply their skills to very

specific areas, the Industrial Engineer has the opportunity to work in

a variety of businesses.

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Industrial Engineering

What does an Industrial Engineer

do? (Cont.)
The most distinctive aspect of ISE training is the flexibility and

versatility it can offer.

Whether it is improving product quality, planning manufacturing

resources or designing logistics distribution channels, all share the

common objective of cost-cutting, increasing efficiencies and
ultimately driving up the profit margins.
That is why more and more companies are hiring Industrial

Engineers and then promoting them into management positions.

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Industrial Engineering

What does an Industrial Engineer

do? (Cont.)
Industrial Engineers are often required to solve large and

complex real-world problems.

To accomplish this, it is necessary to adopt a holistic and

integrated approach to problem-solving that requires a unique

blend of scientific analytical methods and creativity.
They are synonymous with a systems integrator, i.e. a big-

picture thinker'. They also form the vital link between

management and engineering where scientific methods are
used heavily in making managerial decisions.

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Industrial Engineering

What does an Industrial Engineer

do? (Cont.)
Its application can be found in a wide range of areas. Some examples are:
Manufacturing industry: Ensuring that the equipment, manpower and

other resources in the manufacturing process are integrated in such a

manner so as to maintain efficient operation and for continuous
improvement.
Logistics industry: Management of supply chain systems (e.g.

manufacturing facilities, transportation carriers, distribution hubs, and

retailers) through integration and optimization with the goal of fulfilling
customer orders in the most cost effective way.

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Industrial Engineering

What does an Industrial Engineer

do? (Cont.)
Service industry: Provision of consultancies in areas related to

organizational effectiveness, service quality, information systems, project

management, banking service strategy, etc.
Defence industry: Tools to support the management of military assets

and military operations in an effective and efficient manner.

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Industrial Engineering

What does an Industrial Engineer

do? (Cont.)
Typical job titles of new IE graduates include Industrial Engineer,

Logistics Engineer, Supply Chain Engineer, Quality/Reliability

Engineer, Procurement Engineer/Executive, Planning
Engineer/Executive, Operations Analyst, Quality Management
Executive, Management Consultant, and Business Analyst.
Experiences in other countries show that a high proportion of IE

graduates work in consultancy firms or as independent consultants,

helping companies to engineer processes and systems to improve
productivity, effect efficient operation of complex systems, and manage
and optimize these processes and systems.

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10

What is Unique about Industrial

Engineering?
The domain knowledge of Industrial Engineering (IE) is derived

from combinations of engineering, mathematics, statistics,

computing and social sciences.
The IE discipline calls for the adoption of a holistic view in

resolving problems encountered and developing opportunities

presented, coupled with a strong emphasis on efficiency and
productivity improvement.
Organizations are becoming more complex and globalized, using

information and technology extensively. This result is in a greater

demand for engineers who are able to apply scientific approaches
in the design and management of both engineering and service
systems.
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What is Unique about Industrial

Engineering?

Source: www.kwaliteg.co.za

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Evolution of Industrial Engineering

Industrial & Systems

Engineering

Industrial Engineering

Scientific Mgmt

1900
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1920 1930s
Industrial Engineering

1970s
13

Relationship of IE to other engineering

and scientific disciplines

(source:Turner et. al, 1993)

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Useful Links
www.iienet.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_engineering
www.informs.org
www.asq.org
www.scienceofbetter.org

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Thank you for your attention.

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