Industrial Engineering is a very unique form of engineering
in the form that it does not have a specific field. Industrial Engineers work
in any field from medicine to sports equipment to machinery to clothing and
everything in between. While Industrial Engineers did in fact start and get
their name from working in industry and the industrial revolution, many other
people have seen the impact and improvement they make. After seeing the
benefits, they have brought their principles to their work in order to improve
how they operate.
In basic terms, Industrial Engineers improve efficiency of a
company, system, or production thus saving the company time and money and
helping them to better compete in the business world. While there are many
different ways to do this, common ways are to eliminate wasted time and energy,
and use math and logic to find better ways to make and produce goods. A great
example of an Industrial Engineer would be while designing a hospital; the
engineer would make sure the emergency room is on the first floor, making it as
fast and efficient as possible saving time getting patients to where they need
to be. This saves many lives and countless dollars for hundreds of thousands of
people.
Not only do Industrial Engineers work in all different types
of fields, they work with all different types of engineers as well. Because
they work with improving an entire system, they have a hand in what all the
other engineers do in their individual fields. In making a small part for a
product they would work with mechanical, manufacturing, or electrical
engineers. If they are working on something such as designing a new building,
they would work with civil engineers. As you can see there are hundreds of
examples where industrial engineers are working with many different people and
have to balance the best of all the different engineering disciplines.
A saying that many Industrial Engineers love to use is ‘why
work hard when you can work smart instead’. This gives an excellent view point
of both how they think, and also what they do in their job. While there is a
limit to how hard human beings can work, there is no limit to how productive
and efficient they can be. Humans are physically not capable of working past a
certain limit for a specific amount of time, it is just not possible. There
for, it is very beneficial to explore ways in which to improve productivity and
efficiency of employees.
A common trait among these specific engineers is they are
constantly looking for the best way to accomplish a task. They do not just
simply start working on a project without first taking an in-depth look at it.
Instead of just jumping in, they will consider several different ways to
accomplish the task and then pick the best one based on the needs and important
factors of the problem. While other engineers might just be looking to fix a
specific problem, Industrial Engineers need to be capable of seeing the big
picture and making the decision that is best not only for the short term, but
the long term as well. If you are not interested in the big picture, chances
are you will not have much success as an Industrial Engineer.
You did a great job summing up what Industrial Engineering is. I've never considered how many fields and IE could work in. Also, the saying in the second to last paragraph sums up an IE's job very effectively.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I also never realized how many places an industrial engineering degree could take you. You did a good job of explaining the field and why IE's are so important to keep a company running efficiently. Nice work.
ReplyDeleteA very organized and informative post. I liked your phrase 'why work hard when you can work smart instead’, very nice. You definitely made me rethink about industrial engineers and their role in the engineer community. You made very concise and important points throughout the post. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteExcellent article. I do not have much previous knowledge of industrial engineering, so you did a good job of educating me and summarizing what your work will entail. I like how you incorporated the teamwork involved, referring to working with mechanical engineers for small part development or civil engineers for building construction. Well done.
ReplyDeleteIE's are very dynamic indeed. This is why you see them move seamlessly into management. You did a nice job encapturing the expanse of what makes Industrial engineering itself. I especially liked the beginning where you told of it's origin and then how it has played a bigger and bigger role in todays tech centric world.
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