Industrial Engineering and Manufacturing Processes

Industrial and manufacturing engineering is about the combined art and science of designing, developing and managing the manufacture of quality products. Industrial engineers are concerned with reducing production costs, increasing efficiency, improving the quality of products and services, ensuring worker health and safety, protecting the environment and complying with government regulations. They are constantly challenged to use both innovation and imagination to find better ways to make the products that we need such as mobile phones, cars, planes, food, pharmaceuticals, in fact almost everything we come across needs to be manufactured. Industrial and manufacturing engineers design and develop the process that makes a product, always striving to meet the challenges of producing high quality products at the fast pace that our society now demands. They are concerned with developing processes and systems that improve quality and productivity in the manufacture of a product, while meeting the highest requirements in health and safety. Industrial engineers are involved in all stages of production and processing. They may design new facilities from the ground up, or they may be responsible for upgrading, expanding or reconfiguring existing facilities. They may be required to design new equipment or write specifications for equipment purchased from outside vendors and ensure that it meets those requirements. They may also need to repurpose existing facilities and equipment, design new processes, and design new tools and fixtures. In order to maintain these standards, industrial engineers must have a basic working knowledge of many areas of engineering and also be familiar with work processes, equipment, tools and materials in order to design facilities, systems and equipment that meet requirements for cost, quality, safety and environmental protection. Industrial engineers (IEs) apply science, mathematics, and engineering methods to complex system integration and operations. Because these systems are so large and complex, IEs need to have knowledge and skills in a wide variety of disciplines, the ability to work well with people, and a broad, systems perspective. Industrial engineers use their knowledge and skills to improve systematic processes through the use of statistical analysis, interpersonal communication, design, planning, quality control, operations management, computer simulation, and problem solving.