Volume 1, Issue 1
Industrial Engineering—Creating
Page 7
Future Leaders
Industrial engineering is concerned with the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, 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.
Industrial engineering is about choices. Other engineering disciplines apply skills to very specific areas. IE gives practitioners the opportunity to work in a variety of businesses.
Many practitioners say that an industrial engineering education offers the best of both worlds: an education in both engineering and business.
The most distinctive aspect of industrial engineering is the flexibility it offers. Whether it’s shortening a
rollercoaster line, streamlining an operating room, distributing products worldwide, or manufacturing
superior automobiles, these challenges share the common goal of saving company’s money and increasing efficiencies.
As companies adopt management philosophies of continuous productivity and quality improvement to
survive in the increasingly competitive world market, the need for industrial engineers is growing.
Why? Industrial engineers are the only engineering professionals trained specifically to be productivity
and quality improvement specialists.
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. This is why many industrial engineers end up being promoted into management positions.
Many people are misled by the term industrial engineer. It’s not just about manufacturing. It also encompasses service industries, with many IEs employed in entertainment industries, shipping and logistics businesses, and health care organizations. IEs 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
(www.iienet.org)