The Strategies View of Industrial Engineering and Its Discussion
Rahamat Ullah Joy
B.Sc. in Textile Engineering (Daffodil International University)
M.Sc. (University of Oulu, Finland)
Email: rahamat.tex@gamil.com
Introduction:
Industrial engineering (IE) is about choices. Other engineering disciplines apply skills to very specific areas. IE gives you the opportunity to work in a variety of businesses. The most distinctive aspect of industrial engineering is the flexibility that it offers. Whether it’s shortening a roller coaster line, streamlining an operating room, distributing products worldwide, or manufacturing superior automobiles, all share the common goal of saving money and increasing efficiencies.
The most distinctive aspect of industrial engineering is the flexibility it offers. Whether it’s shortening a roller coaster 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 healthcare organizations.
Many people are misled by the term “industrial engineer.” The “industrial” does not mean just manufacturing. It encompasses service industries as well. It has long been known that industrial engineers have the technical training to make improvements in a manufacturing setting. Now it is becoming increasingly recognized that these same techniques can be used to evaluate and improve productivity and quality in service industries.
What does an Industrial Engineer Do?
Industrial engineers figure out ways to do things better. They processes and systems that improve quality and productivity. IE’s make significant contributions to their employers by saving money while making the workplace better for fellow workers. In addition to manufacturing, industrial engineers apply their skills in a variety of settings.
Here are a few examples:
- As a management engineer in a hospital, an IE may help doctors and nurses make the best use of their time in treating patients.
- As an ergonomist in a television manufacturing plant, an IE may change the tools workers use to assemble televisions to reduce the risk of repetitive stress injuries.
- As an operations analyst for an airline, an IE may design a bar coding system for identifying and transporting passengers luggage to ensure that it does not get lost.
- As a quality engineer for a public gas and electric company, an IE may improve customer satisfaction by designing a process to schedule service calls around the availability of the customer.
Manufacturing firms and service industries hire a significant number of IE’s. Today, more and more businesses hire IE’s in areas like sales and marketing, finance, information systems, and personnel. Other industries employing IE’s are hospitals, airlines, banks, railroads, and social services.
Industrial engineering has provided a systematic approach to streamline and improve productivity and efficiency in the business world.
- IE’s provide leaner, more efficient, and more profitable business practices while increasing customer service and quality.
- IE’s make the work environment safer, faster, easier, and more rewarding.
- They provide a method by which businesses can analyze their processes and try to make improvements to them. Staying focused on optimization ‐ doing more with less ‐ which helps to reduce waste in society.
- IE’s help reduce costs associated with new technologies, thus allowing more of the population to better their lives by being able to afford these advances.
Where do Industrial Engineers Work?
Manufacturing firms and service industries hire a significant number of IE’s. Today, more and more businesses hire IE’s in areas like sales and marketing, finance, information systems, and personnel. Other industries employing IE’s are hospitals, airlines, banks, railroads, and social services.
Manage Projects
- Project Management
- Project Scheduling
- Risk Management
Process Improvement
- Lean Manufacturing
- Engineering Economic Analysis
- Process Modeling
- Root Cause Analysis
- Statistical Methods
- Six Sigma
- Time Studies
- Work Sampling
Supply Chain Analysis
- Supply Chain Alignment
- Material Logistic
- Inventory Control
- Supplier Support
- Make/Buy Mfg Process
Operations Improvement
- Ergonomics & Human Factors
- Operating Plans
- Recovery Planning
- Capacity Planning
Integrated Systems
- Value Stream Analysis
- Facilities Layout
- Production System Design
- Manufacturing Process Design
- Systems Thinking
Direct Support to Production
- Production Scheduling
- Theory of Constraints
- Budgets & Forecasts
- Crew Empowerment
- Defect Analysis
- Benchmarking Analysis
Why Choose Industrial Engineering?
Industrial engineering is a versatile and diverse discipline concerned with the design, analysis, and optimization of systems at both the process and enterprise level. But even that broad‐based statement doesn’t do justice to the range of problem‐solving skills that an industrial engineering education will provide. It’s a way of thinking, examining, and analyzing. It’s a way of finding the best solution to a situation.
Industrial engineers can go anywhere. Be anything. The possibilities are limitless.
Other criteria or site of IE’s
1. Industrial Engineer’s Job Profile
It was just a couple of years back that demand of an industrial engineer has increased many times. Reason, an industrial engineer can do a lot to improve performance of the company
2. How to Calculate SAM of a Garment?
SAM or Standard Allowed Minute is used to measure task or work content of a garment. This term is widely used by industrial engineers and production people in the garment manufacturing industry. For the estimation of cost of making a garment SAM value plays a very important role
3. Comparison between Progressive bundle system and UPS system
In the industrial sewing plants various types of sewing systems are installed. A plant owner chooses these systems depending on the production volume, product categories, and cost effectiveness of high tech machineries. Among those “Progressive Bundle System” (PBS) is mostly installed sewing system till date.
4. How to calculate operator efficiency at work?
In apparel manufacturing, skills and expertise of a sewing operator is being presented in “Efficiency” term. An operator with higher efficiency produces more garments than an operator with lower efficiency in the same time frame. When operators work with higher efficiency, manufacturing cost of the factory goes down.
5. Can anybody hit 100% Efficiency of GSD (General sewing data) SAM?
I have intentionally referred ‘GSD SAM’ because most of garment engineers, industry experts and business owners believe that GSD based standard minutes are more accurate than other. You may feel that what a silly question it is. But I met numbers of young industrial engineers, who ask me questions in the same way I have titled this article.
6. What is Productivity?
Productivity is a measure of the efficiency and effectiveness to which organizational resources (inputs) are utilized for the creation of products and/or services (outputs). Productivity measurement is both a measure of input utilization and an assessment as to whether or not input utilization is growing faster than output
7. KPIs for Garment Manufacturers
Key performance Indicators (KPIs) are measured to assess where the factory currently stands and to find key focus areas where management needs to look into. Top 9 KPIs has been listed and explained below that are measured by garment manufacturers (export houses) in the apparel industry.
Conclusion
Industrial engineering is best process to improve in any sector or industry to gain more profit but invest is low. When we discuss the IE then we must be follow the work study, time study, method study and motion study an industrial engineer must follow that criteria.
IE’s 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
References:
- Industrial Engineering in Apparel Production by V. Ramesh Babu
- http://www.iienet2.org/details.aspx?id=716
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_engineering
- http://www.iienet2.org/uploadedFiles/IIE/Jobs/Jobs_Details/09PP104_RolesInIndustry_PowerPoint.pdf
You may also like:
- Industrial Engineering Formulas for Textile Students and Professionals
- Essential Formulas and Examples for Industrial Engineer in RMG Sector
- Interview Questions for Industrial Engineering Job in Apparel Industry
- Duties and Responsibilities of the Apparel Industrial Engineer
- Line Balancing and Bottleneck in Garment Production Line
- Application of Lean Manufacturing in Garment Industry
Founder & Editor of Textile Learner. He is a Textile Consultant, Blogger & Entrepreneur. He is working as a textile consultant in several local and international companies. He is also a contributor of Wikipedia.