Industrial engineering

Industrial engineering is the engineering discipline that concerns the design, development, improvement, implementation and evaluation of integrated systems of people, knowledge, equipment, energy, and material. Industrial engineering draws upon the principles and methods of engineering analysis and synthesis, as well as mathematics, 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 engineers work to eliminate wastes of time, money, materials, energy and other resources.

Related Topics:
Engineering - Mathematics - Physical - Social sciences - Engineering analysis - Design

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Industrial Engineering is also known as Production Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or Manufacturing Systems Engineering; a distinction that seems to depend on the viewpoint or motives of the user. Recruiters or Educational establishments use the names to differentiate themselves from others.

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Whereas most engineering disciplines apply skills to very specific areas, industrial engineering is applied in virtually every industry. Examples of where industrial engineering might be used include shortening lines (or queues) at a theme park, streamlining an operating room, distributing products worldwide, and manufacturing cheaper and more reliable automobiles.

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The name "industrial engineer" can be misleading. While the term originally applied to manufacturing, it has grown to encompass services and other industries as well. Similar fields include operations research, systems engineering, ergonomics and quality engineering.

Related Topics:
Operations research - Systems engineering - Ergonomics - Quality engineering

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There are a number of things industrial engineers do in their work to make processes more efficient, to make products more manufacturable and consistent in their quality, and to increase productivity.

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