Industrial Engineering Essay

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DEFINITION OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING Industrial Engineers integrate people, technology, and information to enhance a globally competing enterprise This definition of Industrial Engineering has been recently developed to more accurately reflect the new global economy. Integration refers to the ability to understand the need for looking at broader system and scope and not focus on individual problems. Most engineering disciplines fail to do this. Globally competitive enterprise: Whether we like it or not one has to look at it. Foreign countries, many with lower labor costs, can manufacture many things at much lower cost than we can in USA. Shoes and clothing are few examples. One must consider all problems in a global context. Where They Work? Most in Manufacturing: Type of work/Title can be of wide variety. Few examples: Plant Engineer Manufacturing Engineer Quality Engineer Process Engineer Methods Improvement and many more Others may work for: Hospitals Banks Transportation/Logistics United Parcel Service Post Office Insurance Companies Most industrial and manufacturing engineers cannot differentiate between the two. Manufacturing engineers invariably work in manufacturing environment. On the other hand, industrial may work for both manufacturing as well as service environments. For example, such engineers working in a hospital or UPS will be called industrial engineers (and not manufacturing engineers). The academic training required for both, in general, is very similar How can they work on a wide variety of jobs? Focus is on improving production systems (manufacturing, hospitals, airlines etc.) Analysis of all production systems require similar training, tools, and knowledge. All production systems must perform at highest possible efficiency, best quality and with least cost especially in a globally competitive enterprise. Many IE and Manufacturing
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