What Is Industrial Engineering? | What Do Industrial Engineers Do?

Summary

This video explains the role of industrial engineers, highlighting their focus on optimizing complex systems involving people, materials, and machines. The host, Jake Voorhees, discusses the historical context of industrial engineering, including its roots in the Industrial Revolution, and explores how it differs from other engineering disciplines by focusing on whole systems rather than individual components. The video also covers various tasks industrial engineers undertake, such as improving workplace efficiency, managing supply chains, and consulting across industries. It concludes by encouraging aspiring engineers to consider industrial engineering for its diverse opportunities.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Industrial engineering focuses on optimizing complex systems involving people, money, information, equipment, and materials.
• 🏭 The field originated during the Industrial Revolution, utilizing advancements like the steam engine and mass production techniques.
• ⚙️ Key innovations include specialized labor and interchangeable parts, pioneered by figures like Eli Whitney.
• 🛠 Industrial engineers design systems that coordinate labor, materials, and machines to boost quality and productivity in various industries.
• 📊 Industrial engineering overlaps with fields like operations research, systems engineering, supply chain management, and human factors.
• 🌎 Beyond traditional manufacturing, industrial engineers work across sectors like healthcare, finance, logistics, and even entertainment.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 The field incorporates human factors, aiming to improve work environments by adapting systems rather than changing workers.
• 💡 Unlike other engineering fields, industrial engineering analyzes entire systems rather than decomposing tasks into individual parts.
• 📈 Industrial engineers use discrete math, especially linear algebra and optimization, to improve production sequences and resource allocation.
• 🏆 While industrial engineers may not need a PE (Professional Engineer) license for general practice, it can be valuable for leadership roles.

Q & A

What is industrial engineering primarily concerned with?

Industrial engineering is concerned with optimizing complex processes, systems, or organizations by improving and implementing integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, and materials.

What historical event is closely linked to the origins of industrial engineering?

The roots of industrial engineering are closely linked to the Industrial Revolution, which saw the development of technologies that mechanized traditional manual operations, such as the flying shuttle and the steam engine.

What are some key innovations that contributed to the development of industrial engineering?

Key innovations include the specialization of labor and the concept of interchangeable parts, popularized by Eli Whitney, which allowed for mass production and reduced the need for skilled labor.

How does industrial engineering differ from other engineering disciplines in terms of approach?

While other engineering disciplines decompose systems into parts to understand the whole, industrial engineering takes a holistic approach, where any part is understood within the context of the entire system, and changes in one part affect the whole.

Which areas of study overlap with industrial engineering?

Industrial engineering overlaps with fields such as operations research, systems engineering, manufacturing engineering, production engineering, supply chain engineering, management science, and ergonomics or human factors engineering.

What are some examples of industries where industrial engineers might work?

Industrial engineers work in a variety of industries including manufacturing, hospitals, e-commerce, government, finance, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, sports, and even theme parks like Disneyland and Six Flags.

What types of tasks do industrial engineers typically perform?

Industrial engineers often work on tasks such as flow process charting, process mapping, designing assembly workstations, strategizing logistics, developing financial algorithms, and streamlining operations in hospitals or other service industries.

What mathematical tools are commonly used by industrial engineers?

Industrial engineers commonly use tools like predetermined motion time systems, computer simulations, mathematical optimization, queuing theory, and computational methods for system analysis and optimization.

Why is industrial engineering considered closely related to human resources?

Industrial engineering is related to human resources because it focuses on improving the working environments of people by optimizing systems, rather than changing the workers themselves. Industrial engineers apply social skills to collaborate with a wide range of employees.

Is it essential for industrial engineers to obtain a Professional Engineer (PE) license?

While a PE license is not as critical for industrial engineers as it is in other fields like civil or mechanical engineering, it can still help individuals stand out, advance in management roles, and increase their earning potential.