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INTRODUCTION TO MODERN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING - Chapter 2 - Industrial Engineering - Definitions and Explanation

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MODERN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING. IE OF PRODUCTS, FACILITIES & PROCESSES - Maximum Customer Value. Minimum Cost Value. Minimum Facilities and Minimum Use of Facilities.

https://academia.edu/103626052/INTRODUCTION_TO_MODERN_INDUSTRIAL_ENGINEERING_Version_3_0



INTRODUCTION TO MODERN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING - Chapter 2

Industrial Engineering - Definitions, Explanation


Industrial Engineering at Various Levels in an Organization


Industrial engineering is carried out at various levels in an organization. The following are the important levels of IE.


Industrial Engineering Strategy - Enterprise Level Industrial Engineering


Policy Decisions by Top Management: Starting and Expanding IE Department, Approval of Productivity Improvement Project Portfolio as part of Capital Budgeting of the Company, Approving Productivity Policy, Setting Productivity and Cost Reduction Goals. Setting Employee related comfort, health and safety goals. Incentive income policy making.


https://nraoiekc.blogspot.com/2014/11/industrial-engineering-strategy.html





Facilities Industrial Engineering


Facilities are used by processes. Facilities are common to processes. Taylor clearly mentioned in his "Piece Rates - Elementary Rate Fixing System" paper that he has to make modifications to all machines to increase productivity of his machine shop. Toyota even today carries out gradual improvements to the machines in the direction of autonomation. Machines are continuously improved. Period layout studies and readjustments are another example of facilities industrial engineering. 5S that demands upkeep of facilities is another example of facilities IE. It may be  the activity of operations management but industrial engineers evaluate the facilities and their upkeep as part of their facilities studies and suggest improvements.


https://nraoiekc.blogspot.com/2020/05/facilities-industrial-engineering.html



Product Industrial Engineering


Product designs are studies by industrial engineers to redesign mechanisms and  machine elements to reduce cost and increase cost value. Value engineering is the earliest method in this area. Design for Machining and Assembly is a later development.




Process Industrial Engineering - Process Machine Effort Industrial Engineering - Process Human Effort Industrial Engineering.

 

Process industrial engineering is the popular method of industrial engineering. But, the process chart method,developed by Gilbreths was promoted by Motion Study books. Thus, it gave the impression that motion study is the prime method. Process improvement is to be prime method. As motion study books are primarily for human motions improvement, the machine effort industrial engineering, that is improvement of machine effort, that was done by Taylor primarily to increase productivity got neglected in the evolution of industrial engineering. There is no other subject in industrial engineering curricula  that discussed machine effort industrial engineering. It is a weakness to be corrected to make IE a strong discipline. Process improvement and process studies have to be made the primary method in industrial engineering. Operation study, method study, motion study and work measurement are methods used in productivity studies. Such a hierarchy will make things clear to industrial engineering students. Process approach got more importance in quality management literature compared to industrial engineering books. 


https://nraoiekc.blogspot.com/2021/11/process-industrial-engineering-process.html





Operation Industrial Engineering.


Process chart is a condensed version that show the entire process of producing a full product and the production of each part. The process chart is composed by symbols representing 5 operations. Operation - Inspection - Transport - Temporary Delay (WIP) - Permanent Storage (controlled store). Using process chart, the sequence of operations can be investigated and changed for more benefit. But each operation needs to be improved. It is termed simplification in process chart analysis. To do simplification, data and information on each operation has to be collected in operation information sheets and they have to be analyzed in operation analysis sheets (Stegemerten and Maynard).


https://nraoiekc.blogspot.com/2013/11/approach-to-operation-analysis-as-step.html





Element Level Analysis in Industrial Engineering


Elements are in Operations - We can understand the term "element" from the subject "Design of Machine Elements". Each engineering product has elements. Similarly each operation, that is part of a process has elements. Some are related to machines and tools used in the process. Some are related to human operators. Some are related to working conditions. Some are related to the work being done. Taylor first named the productivity department as "Elementary Rate Fixing Department." It has to improve each and every element in task and determine the output possible for unit time in the work element. The time allowed for that element for a piece or batch is determined through these elementary standard times or allowed times. Elements are common to many processes and operations. Hence, more instances of elements can be observed being done by various operators and the best method giving the least time and cost can be identified. Scientific studies are further done on these best methods to develop science of the element. Standard method to be followed in many processes are developed for each element. These element level standard methods are then made available to all engineers to use in process designs and product designs.


Source: https://nraoiekc.blogspot.com/2013/10/industrial-engineering-history.html



Industrial Engineering - Definitions, Explanation


"Industrial Engineering is System Efficiency Engineering.

It is done through Machine Effort and Human Effort Engineering."


It is concerned with engineering products and engineering processes primarily. It continuously improves engineering elements of facilities, products and processes as the opportunity arises to increase efficiency and productivity. Various other activities that plan and control engineering products and processes are also improved by industrial engineers to assure the productivity of the engineering processes or the engineering system as a whole. Industrial engineers also focus on the study and improvement of human effort in engineering processes.


Japanese companies used industrial engineering extensively with various innovations. They  improved the understanding of industrial engineering methods among their workmen and achieved unprecedented increase in the productivity of their industrial enterprises in post-second world war period. The Japanese production systems got the distinction with the description of them as World Class Manufacturing Systems. Industrial engineering played an important role in the success of  the most famous Japanese company "Toyota Motors." Taiichi Ohno, the person credited with Toyota Production Systems appreciates Industrial Engineering as Profit Engineering, the engineering discipline that increases profits every year by decreasing cost, that leads to increased sales and more profits. 


 

Definitions

Industrial engineering directs the efficient conduct of manufacturing, construction, transportation, or even commercial enterprises of any undertaking, indeed in which human labor is directed to accomplishing any kind of work . Industrial engineering has drawn upon mechanical engineering, upon economics, sociology, psychology, philosophy, accountancy, to fuse from these older sciences a distinct body of science of its own . It is the inclusion of the economic and the human elements especially that differentiates industrial engineering from the older established branches of the profession (Going, 1911) [1].


“Industrial engineering is the engineering approach applied to all factors, including the human factor, involved in the production and distribution of products or services.” (Maynard, 1953) [2]


What is engineering approach? It is design of components based scientific relations. A prior calculation determines the actual position of each component in the machine when force is applied on the machine and moving components have displacement. Similarly strength of materials calculations determine the sizes of the machine elements. Even the oils used for lubrication have calculations that assure that they reduce the friction to desired levels. In industrial engineering, the production capacity of the plant is calculated or predetermined based on specific operations with known standard operation times. The time taken by the operations is continuously analyzed and studies to find more opportunities to reduce them.


“Industrial engineering is the design of situations for the useful coordination of men, materials and machines in order to achieve desired results in an optimum manner. The unique characteristics of Industrial Engineering center about the consideration of the human factor as it is related to the technical aspects of a situation, and the integration of all factors that influence the overall situation.” (Lehrer, 1954) [3]



“Industrial engineering is concerned with the design, improvement, and installation of integrated systems of men, materials, and equipment. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematical, 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.” (AIIE, 1955). [4]


"Industrial engineering may be defined as the art of utilizing scientific principles, psychological data, and physiological information for designing, improving, and integrating industrial, management, and human operating procedures." (Nadler, 1955) [5]


“Industrial engineering is that branch of engineering knowledge and practice which

1. Analyzes, measures, and improves the method of performing the tasks assigned to individuals,

2. Designs and installs better systems of integrating tasks assigned to a group,

3. Specifies, predicts, and evaluates the results obtained.

It does so by applying to materials, equipment and work specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematical and physical sciences and the principles and methods of engineering analysis and design. Since, however, work has to be carried out by people; engineering knowledge needs to be supplemented by knowledge derived from the biological and social sciences.” (Lyndall Urwick, 1963) [6]




Industrial engineering is concerned with the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of people, materials, information, equipment and energy. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematical, 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. [7]



“Industrial Engineering is Human Effort Engineering. It is an engineering discipline that deals with the design of human effort in all occupations: agricultural, manufacturing and service. The objectives of Industrial Engineering are optimization of productivity of work-systems and occupational comfort, health, safety and income of persons involved.” (Narayana Rao, 2006) [8]




"Industrial Engineering is Human Effort Engineering and System Efficiency Engineering. It is an engineering discipline that deals with the design of human effort and system efficiency in all occupations: agricultural, manufacturing and service. The objectives of Industrial Engineering are optimization of productivity of work-systems and occupational comfort, health, safety and income of persons involved." Narayana Rao (2011)



"Industrial Engineering is Human Effort Engineering and System Efficiency Engineering. It is an engineering-based management staff-service discipline that deals with the design of human effort and system efficiency in all occupations: agricultural, manufacturing and service. The objectives of Industrial Engineering are optimization of productivity of work-systems and occupational comfort, health, safety and income of persons involved."(Narayana Rao, 2011)


The definition can be further simplified to "Industrial Engineering is System Efficiency Engineering." 


Systems come into existence for a purpose, that is effectiveness. Effectiveness is first and next is adequate efficiency and its improvement.



References 

1. Going, Charles Buxton, Principles of Industrial Engineering, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1911, Pages 1,2,3

2. Maynard, H.B., “Industrial Engineering”, Encyclopedia Americana, Americana Corporation, Vol. 15, 1953

3. Lehrer, Robert N., “The Nature of Industrial Engineering,” The Journal of Industrial Engineering, vol.5, No.1, January 1954, Page 4

4. Maynard, H.B.,  Handbook of Industrial Engineering, 2nd Edition,  McGraw Hill, New York, 1963.

5. Nadler, Gerald, Motion and Time Study", McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York, 1955

6. Urwick, Lyndall, F., “Development of Industrial Engineering”, Chapter 1 in Handbook of Industrial Engineering, H.B. Maynard (Ed.), 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill, New York, 1963.

7. http://www.iienet2.org/Details.aspx?id=282

8. Narayana Rao, K.V.S.S., “Definition of Industrial Engineering: Suggested Modification.” Udyog Pragati, October-December 2006, Pp. 1-4.

____________________________________________________________________


What is Industrial Engineering?


Industrial engineering is engineering improvement done in engineering products and processes during the product life cycle based on the data generated during operations, studies done and engineering and technology developments. It is continuous development of engineering products and processes to increase efficiency or productivity of the process to reduce its cost of operation. Industrial engineering facilitates unit cost reduction and thereby provides the potential to reduce prices and increase demand. It is the effort of industrial engineers that enables lower and lower prices and increases volume of sales thus providing the popular engineering goods to a larger and larger sections of the society. 


Industrial engineering can be better explained with the statement that the two focus areas of industrial engineering are human effort engineering and system efficiency engineering. These two focus areas match with Urwick’s statement 1 and 2. Industrial engineering (i) analyzes, measures, and improves the method of performing the tasks assigned to individuals, and (ii) Designs and installs better systems of integrating tasks assigned to a group (Urwick, Lyndall, F., “Development of Industrial Engineering”, Chapter 1 in Handbook of Industrial Engineering, H.B. Maynard (Ed.), 2nd Edition, McGraw Hill, New York, 1963).



It is interesting to note that the first representation to the teachers and practitioners of industrial engineering was given in the name of Industrial and Efficiency Engineering Committee in 1912 in Society for Promotion of Engineering Education (S.P.E.E.). In this committee, there were three teachers and 8 practitioners and Frank Gilbreth was among practitioners (Gerald Thusesne, History of Development of Engineering Economic Representation in within A.S.E.E.).



System Efficiency Engineering - System Efficiency Design


System design and system efficiency design are to be distinguished by dividing system design into system functional design and system efficiency design. Engineers or managers with specialization in a function do the functional design part. An electrical power generation system is designed by electrical engineers and power plant engineers. Industrial engineers take up the functional design and do efficiency engineering work on it. Similarly a production planning system is designed by production managers, and industrial engineers may do efficiency engineering of it.



The explanation of industrial engineering as human effort engineering and system efficiency engineering brings out more clearly the scope of the IIE definition that industrial engineering is concerned with the design, improvement, and installation of integrated systems. The word engineering is associated with design and production, fabrication or construction according to designs.  As explained above, system design in entirety cannot be the sole preserve of industrial engineers.  The functional design of production systems in various branches of engineering can be done by engineers of that branch only. Similarly functional design of various management systems in a business organization can be done by managers of that function only. Industrial engineers'  role to play in systems design  is of designing efficiency into the functional systems designed by others on a continuous basis.


Maynard stated the scope of industrial engineering in his preface to the second edition of Hand Book of Industrial Engineering, edited by him in 1963. Industrial engineers have been traditionally concerned with the design of manufacturing plants, methods improvement, work measurement, the design and administration of wage payment systems, cost control, quality control, production control and the like. These procedures are all directed toward the reduction of cost. All the techniques of industrial engineering reflect the common denominator of all industrial engineering work – an intense interest in improving thing that is currently being done or planned to be done . Cost reduction or efficiency improvement is the focus of industrial engineering. Maynard also pointed out in his preface that developments in applied mathematics and statistics during the post world war years facilitated industrial engineer to tackle efficiency design of much larger systems with more predictive power.


In 1943, the Work Standardization Committee of the Management Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers identified the following areas as the purview of industrial engineer:  Manufacturing engineering, organization analysis, systems & procedures, budgets and cost control, and wage & salary administration. The traditional industrial engineering methods of operation analysis, motion study, work measurement, standardization of the method were included in manufacturing engineering and these techniques are relevant for hourly base wage rate determination, incentives and administration of wage payment.

 

The study of various functional areas in industrial engineering curriculum is for the purpose of understanding the functional designs in those areas and industrial engineering graduates should not claim expertise in those subjects to do functional design unless they really specialize in them through extra study and experience of efficiency design of many systems in the same functional area.



According to M.H. Mathewson, industrial engineering is distinguished from other engineering disciplines in that it:


1. Is concerned with the total system. (Productivity of the total system)

2. Predicts and interprets the economic results. (Provides cost estimates and standards and thus can predict the profit given the estimates of sales revenue. Also for each industrial engineering change proposed by it, it gives the expected reduction in cost.)

3. Places increased emphasis on the integration of human being into the system. (How the operator is going operate the machine, load and unload work pieces, move work pieces etc. are studied and redesigned by industrial engineers. the comfort, health and safety of operators is an area of focus for industrial engineering.)

4. Makes greater utilization of the contribution of the social sciences than do other engineering disciplines. (Industrial engineers have to persuade operators to learn the new methods or method changes and work according to them. In the activity of directing operators to learn new methods and work according to them, industrial engineers have to utilize social sciences.)


Industrial Engineering as practiced today can be explained by identifying three components.



1. System Efficiency Engineering (Product Industrial Engineering and Process Industrial Engineering)

2. Management of Systems Redesign, Installation and Improvement .

3. Human Effort Engineering

All methods and techniques of industrial engineering can be categorized under these three major components.


Industrial and Systems Engineering


IIE's name was changed to IISE to better reflect the definition  “Industrial engineering is concerned with the design, improvement, and installation of integrated systems of men, materials, and equipment. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skill in the mathematical, 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.” (AIIE, 1955). 


The design function was clearly brought into focus with the term "systems engineering."


We can now see two major areas System Industrial Engineering and Industrial Systems Engineering.


Techniques of Industrial Engineering


Human Effort Engineering - Techniques

1. Principles of Motion Economy

2. Motion Study

3. Workstation Design

4. Application of Ergonomics and Biomechanics

5. Fatigue Studies

6. Productivity/Safety/Comfort Device Design

7. Standardization of  Methods - Methods Study

8. Time study of human effort or work elements - Work measurement of human work

9. Operator training

10. Incentive Systems

11. Job Evaluation

12. Learning effect capture


System Efficiency Improvement Techniques of Industrial engineering 


1. Process Analysis and Improvement

2. Operation Analysis and Improvement

3. Time estimates and time study of machine work

4. Value engineering

5. Statistical quality control

6. Statistical inventory control and ABC Classification Based Inventory Systems

7. Six sigma

8. Operations research

9. Variety reduction

10. Standardization

11. Waste reduction or elimination

12. Activity based management

13. Business process improvement

14. Engineering economy analysis

15. Learning effect capture and continuous improvement (Kaizen, Quality circles and suggestion schemes)

16. Standard costing

17. 5S - Work Place Orderliness or Plant Orderliness

18. SMED

19. Poka Yoke


Go to.

Chapter 3. Contribution of Taylor, Gilbreth and Harrington Emerson



INTRODUCTION TO MODERN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING - Chapter 1

2. Definition and Explanation

3. Contribution of Taylor, Gilbreth and Harrington Emerson

4. Principles of Industrial Engineering

5. Functions of Industrial Engineering

6. Focus Areas of Industrial Engineering


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