Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Industrial Engineering - A to Z 2026 - Theme Reveal Post

 




2026 A to Z Blogging April Challenge - Theme Reveal Post

The theme is Industrial Engineering - A to Z 2026.

Will have articles in the discipline of industrial engineering on selected topics.

I am consolidating  my A to Z posts of various years and also posts in the blog in a big compilation.

The above consolidation will be released as an E-book.

My earlier Ebook of blog posts was a big success.

Most popular IE publication on Academia.Edu platform.  11,950+ Downloads/Views in one location. 14,000+  Downloads/Views from 3 locations.
INTRODUCTION TO MODERN INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING. EBook. FREE Download.
A Collection of Blog Posts on Industrial Engineering. Introduction to Modern Industrial Engineering: History, Principles, Functions and Focus Areas.




Important dates for 2026:
March 9 - 14 Theme Reveal
March 23 - April 4 Sign-up
May 4 - 9 Reflections
May 11 - Road Trip opens
------------------

If you are a blogger join the challenge.


You can reveal your theme.




#AtoZChallenge  Topics for 2026


Applied IE - Agentic AI

Behavioral Aspects in  IE

Cost Reduction and Cost Management by Industrial Engineers

Decision Making in IE

Effectiveness of IE

Flow Analysis and Improvement IE

Goals of IE

Health Aspects of IE

Innovations by IEs

Job Shop IE - Shahrukh Irani

Knowledge Management for IE

Low Cost Products and Processes for IE

Management Module for IE

New Technologies Adoption by IE in Processes Under Their Productivity Management

Operations Management and IE

Production and Industrial Engineering - A Popular Branch of Engineering

Quality Related Interventions by IEs

Respect for People and Personal Relations - Assertion by F.W. Taylor

Society Prosperity - Industrial Engineering Effectiveness

Total Industrial Engineering

Understanding Processes

Value Addition by IEs

What is New in  IE in 2025-2026?

X-Platform - Industrial Engineers' Participation

YouTube - Industrial Engineering Videos by Narayana Rao

Zeal for Industrial Engineering - Productivity - Cost Reduction


Topics for 2026 - Brief Introduction


Applied IE - Agentic AI

Applied IE is explained as IE in New Technologies - IE with Technologies.

As each new technology appears, applied IE of that technology begins.

Behavioral Aspects in  IE

IEs use behavioral science discoveries and behavioral management approaches in their discipline.

Cost Reduction and Cost Management by Industrial Engineers

Cost reduction is final goal of industrial engineering. Cost reduction in all organizations of the society will give more GDP from the resources. Hence there is economic prosperity in the society.

Decision Making in IE

In IE number of decisions are to be made.

Effectiveness of IE

IE has to be effective in an organization to provide expected cost reduction.

Flow Analysis and Improvement IE

Flow is an important aspect in processes and systems.

Goals of IE

Cost reduction is the ultimate goals
Cost reduction happens through productivity improvement of each resource and total factor productivity or total resource productivity.
Incomes of employees have to go up.
Employees have to be comfortable, healthy and happy.

Health Aspects of IE

IE has to evaluate the occupation health aspects of its process changes to increase productivity

Innovations by IEs

Industrial engineers have to create useful process changes through inventions and innovations.

Job Shop IE - Shahrukh Irani

Job shop IE is the focus of a book by Shahrukh Irani.

Knowledge Management for IE

Industrial engineering is based on knowledge of engineering and IEs have to update the engineering knowledge of  Industrial engineering department as well as others in the organization on a daily basis,

Low Cost Products and Processes for IE

Searching the environment of low cost materials, low parts and products and low cost processes is also a daily activity for IED.

Management Module for IE

IE as a function and as a department needs to be managed. IE studies and projects are to be managed. Hence IEs need management inputs in their educational programs.

Mikell Groover in his  Book - Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work specially includes management of work in the title.

He gave the following chapters under management of work in third edition of the book.

Ch.27 Work organization
Ch. 28 Worker Motivation and Social Organization of Work
Ch. 29 Job Evaluation and Performance Appraisal
Ch. 30 Compensation Systems




New Technologies Adoption by IEs in Processes Under Their Productivity Management

New technologies useful for productivity improvement for the processes under their jurisdiction or ownership have to be identified by IEs. They have to learn the basics of the new technology and arrnage for pilot study in their own facility or technology supplier's facility.

Operations Management and IE

Industrial engineering plays a major role in studies of facilities, layouts and processes used in operations management.

Production and Industrial Engineering - A Popular Branch of Engineering

This is a popular specialization in many institutions.

Quality Related Interventions by IEs

Reducing defects is a task for industrial engineering. They also try to reduce cost of inspection activities.

Respect for People and Personal Relations - Assertion by F.W. Taylor

This aspect of Taylor's writing was ignored and an opinion was created that Taylor did not consider the dignity of  human factor and their physical and psychological well-being.

Society Prosperity - Industrial Engineering Effectiveness

Industrial engineering helps the economies to produce more out of the resources used. When IE is done effectively in many organizations, society will have more economic prosperity.

Total Industrial Engineering


Circulating Industrial Engineering Newsletters to all the employees in the company can develop total industrial engineering, industrial engineering furthered by the participation of all employees.


Access Essays on F.W. Taylor's Writing - Belt Drive Design, Productivity System and Section, Shop Management, Productivity Science of Machining, and Scientific Management

Celebrate the birthday of F.W. Taylor in your Industrial Engineering Department and Company. Share what you are implementing in your company from Taylor's Ideas.

Birthday of F.W. Taylor 20th March. Modern Industrial Engineering March  2026 Issue - Taylor Month of IE - Contribution of F.W. Taylor to Industrial Engineering and Productivity Management - Implemented and Neglected

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/march-2026-issue-taylor-month-ie-contribution-fw-industrial-kvss-71nlc


Understanding Processes

Industrial engineers have to understand processes given to them for productivity improvement in their organization.

Mikell Groover - Book - Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work

            How to Create / Develop the Chart or Diagram? - Mikell Groover.

Analyst has to become intimately familiar with the process and develop a graphic to represent it.

Steps.

Analyst observes and records information about the process

One-on-one interviews with those familiar with the process

A graphic model of the process is developed based on these interviews

Group meetings with personnel familiar with process

The analyst records the discussion of the meeting.

A graphic model of the process is developed based on the group meetings


Value Addition by IEs

What is the value to be added by IEs?

What is New in  IE in 2025-2026?

There is a bulletin board to record some new developments in engineering and industrial engineering.

X-Platform - Industrial Engineers' Participation

Is IE a popular topic on X-Platform?

YouTube - Industrial Engineering Videos by Narayana Rao and Others.

YouTube - the video sharing platform has many videos related to industrial engineering.

Zeal for Industrial Engineering - Productivity - Cost Reduction

Industrial engineers must have the zeal to contribute to the engineering professions as well as society through industrial engineering - the discipline that focuses on cost reduction through productivity increasing engineering changes and innovations.

Important to recognize.
April 4 - Birthday of Charles Buxton Going (1863)  - Principles of Industrial Engineering - Book in 1911


You can see the list of theme reveal posts in







Ud. 9.3.2026
Pub. 8.3.2026







Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Monday, March 9, 2026

Important Contributors to Industrial Engineering.

Important contributors to industrial engineering.


Ralph Barnes - Motion and Time Study

Tim Cook - Apple - Application of IE in Supply Chains - Supply Chain Industrial Engineering

R.M. Currie - Work Study


Harrington Emerson - Productivity Management - Efficiency Management

Gilbreth - Motion Study, Process Charts

Goldratt - Importance to Constraints in Production Planning and Process Improvement


Prof. Mikell P. Groover - Manufacturing Technology, Robotics, Work Systems

Harold Bright (H.B.) Maynard - Operation Analysis, Handbook of IE, MTM, Most

Nakajima - Importance of Equipment Improvement and Maintenance for Productivity


Taiichi Ohno - Importance of IE for Production Systems and Cost Reduction - TPS with Great Importance given to IE,

Shigeo Shingo - Process Improvement Methodology, SMED, Poka Yoke

F.W. Taylor - Productivity Science, Productivity Engineering, Productivity Management


This year I want to promote birthdays of important contributors to industrial engineering for celebration by IE departments in all organizations.



Celebrate the birthday of F.W. Taylor in your Industrial Engineering Department and Company. Birthday of Taylor on 20 March. Share what you are implementing in your company from Taylor's Ideas.

March 2026 Taylor Month of IE - Contribution of F.W. Taylor to Industrial Engineering and Productivity Management.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/march-2026-issue-taylor-month-ie-contribution-fw-industrial-kvss-71nlc

#IndustrialEngineering #Productivity #CostReduction  #Products  #Processes #Facilities


F.W. Taylor said in his testimony that scientific management was not a one man theory and development. Number of executives and thinkers contributed to its development.

Contributors to Industrial Engineering - Birthdays


January 8 - Shigeo Shingo (1909)


February 28 - Carl Barth (1860)

29 - Taiichi Ohno (1912)

March 20  -  Frederick Taylor (1856)


April 4 - Charles Buxton Going (1863)  - Principles of Industrial Engineering - Book in 1911

May 20 - Henry Gantt (1861)

May 24 - Lilian Gilbreth (1878),

June 11 - Kiichiro Toyoda (1894)

June 18 Philip Crosby (1926)

July 7 - Frank Gilbreth (1868)

July 13 - Henry Hallowell Farquhar (1884)

July 29 - Henri Fayol (1841)  - Fayol recognized the contribution of F.W Taylor in his paper on Management


August 24 - Henry R. Towne (1844)


September 12 - Eiji Toyoda (1913)


October 14 - W. Edwards Deming (1900)  - Quality Management  http://mtrrp.blogspot.in/2014/05/total-quality-management-approach.html

October 17 -  Ralph M Barnes (1900)

18 -  H.B. Maynard
26 - Charles E. Bedaux (1886)
29 - Captain Henry Metcalfe (1847) - Cost of Manufacture

November 1 Tim Cook (1960)
7 - Chester Barnard (1886), Tom Peters (1942)
8 - George Dantzig

December 8 - Eli Whitney (1765)
22 - Arthur G. Bedeian (1946)
24 - J.M. Juran (1904)




Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Summary and Comments on Charting and Diagramming for Operation Analysis of Work Processes - Chapter 9 - Mikell P. Groover - Work Systems Book

Groover is an important contributor to industrial engineering literature and teaching.


Groover's book is the latest book available on the subject of work systems improvement.

It still sticks to the content of motion and time study books.

It defines work system as a combination of men and machines/equipment. But it does not attempt to discuss analysis and improvement of machines and machine usage in processes.

As a physical entity, a work system is a system consisting of humans, information, and equipment designed to perform useful work.  (Chapter 1) 

 Contributes to the production of a product or delivery of a service 

 Examples: 

Worker operating a machine tool in a factory 

Robotic welding line in an automobile plant 

Material move man driving a delivery truck to make deliveries to various production sections in a plant 

Designer working at a CAD workstation




Book - Work Systems and the Methods, Measurement, and Management of Work

by Mikell P. Groover,

Chapter 9. Charting and Diagramming Techniques for Operations Analysis

Sections:

Overview of Charting and Diagramming Techniques

Network Diagrams

Traditional Engineering Charting and Diagramming Techniques

Block Diagrams and Process Maps

Gantt Charts 






 Objectives of Charts and Diagrams Used in Methods Engineering

To permit work processes to be communicated and comprehended more readily

To use algorithms specifically designed for the particular diagramming technique

To divide a given work process into its elements for analysis purposes

To provide a structure in the search for improvements

To represent a proposed new work process or method





How to Create / Develop the Chart or Diagram?

Analyst has to become intimately familiar with the process and develop a graphic to represent it.

Steps.

Analyst observes and records information about the process

One-on-one interviews with those familiar with the process

A graphic model of the process is developed based on these interviews

Group meetings with personnel familiar with process

The analyst records the discussion of the meeting.

A graphic model of the process is developed based on the group meetings





How to Analyze the Chart or Diagram to Find Improvement Ideas

Algorithmic analysis

Line balancing, critical path methods

Checklists

General questions applied to the particular process to assess whether they can be applied to the problem of interest

Brainstorming

Team activity in which participants contribute recommendations

Separating value-added and non-value-added operations

Value added steps:

Important to customer

Physically change the product or service





Checklist of Questions - Example

Material

What alternative starting material could be used?

Should the part be produced or purchased?

Production Operations

Can this operation be eliminated, combined, or simplified?

Could a different joining method be used?

Inspection Operations

Could the inspection task be automated?





Categories of Charts and Diagrams

Network diagrams

Traditional industrial engineering charts and diagrams

Operation charts

Process charts

Flow diagrams

Activity charts

Block diagrams and process maps

Gantt charts





Network Diagrams Consist of: Two-way flows (movement of materials):

Nodes representing operations, work elements, activities or other entities

Arrows connecting the nodes indicates relationships among the nodes

Direction of work flow between nodes

Precedence among nodes

Used to represent

Work elements in assembly line balancing

Work activities in CPM and PERT

Two-way flows (movement of materials):

Maximum number of arrows = n(n -1)

One-way arrows (precedence):

Maximum number of arrows =





Network Diagram - Precedence Constraints

Restrictions on the order in which work elements can be performed

Precedence diagram





Traditional IE Charts and Diagrams

Operation charts

Process charts

Flow diagrams

Activity charts





Operation Charts

Graphical and symbolic representation of the operations used to produce a product

The time to accomplish the operation is sometimes also included.

Two types of operations:

Processing and assembly operations

Changing the shape, properties or surface of a material or workpart

Joining two or more parts to form an assembly

Inspection operations

Checking the material, workpart, or assembly for quality or quantity











Checklist of Questions Used to Analyze an Operation Chart

The focus of the operation chart is on the materials of a product and the operations on them

Questions related to material

What alternative starting material could be used?

Make or buy decision: should the part be produced in the factory or purchased?

Questions related to operations

Is this processing operation necessary?

Can this operation be eliminated, combined, or simplified?

Could a different joining method be used?

Questions related to inspection

Is this inspection necessary?

Could the inspection task be automated?





Process Charts

Graphical and symbolic representation of the processing activities performed either on something or by somebody.

The chart consists of a vertical list of activities using symbols to represent operations, inspections, moves, delays and storage and other activities.

Principal types of process charts:

Flow process chart – analysis of a material or workpiece being processed

Worker process chart – analysis of a worker performing a task

Form process chart – analysis of the processing of paperwork forms

All these charts are used to examine for possible improvements of operations





Flow Process Chart

Uses five symbols to detail the work performed on a material or workpart as it is processed through a sequence of operations and activities:

Operation – processing of a material

Inspection – check for quality or quantity

Move – transport of material to new location

Delay – material waiting to be processed or moved

Storage – material kept in protected location









Flow Process Charts

If the processing operation combined with an inspection at the same workstation: combine symbols - a circle inside a square

Provides more detail about the steps required to process a material than in the operation chart:

is used to study a single work part rather than the multiple components of an assembly

The chart also indicates distances for move activities and time values for other activities










Checklist of Questions Used to Analyze a Flow Process Chart

Questions Related to Material

Make or buy decisions: Should the part be produced in the factory or purchased from an outside vendor?

Questions Related to Operations and Inspections

Is the operation time too high?

Is the inspection operation necessary?

Questions Related to Moves

How can moves be shortened or eliminated by combining or eliminating operations?

Can the level of mechanization in material handling be increased?

Questions Related to Delays

Is the delay avoidable?

What is the reason for the delay? Can the reason be eliminated?

Questions Related to Storage

Is the storage necessary?

Why can’t the material be move immediately to the next operation?















Worker Process Charts

Used to analyze the activities of a human worker as (s)he performs a task that requires movement around a facility.

Also known as process chart-person analysis

The symbols are the same as flow process chart

Storage activity is omitted since it is difficult to interpret in the context of human work activity





Form Process Charts

Used to analyze the flow of paperwork forms and office procedures





 Flow Diagram

Drawing of the facility layout with the addition of lines representing movement of materials or workers within the facility

Arrows on the lines represent direction of movement

Often used in conjunction with a process chart

Operations, inspections, delays, and storages at specific locations are identified by numbers referenced to the activity number





 Flow Diagram

The flow diagram reveals problems in the work flow that may not readily be identified using the process chart alone.

For example, if the work flow involves considerable backtracting, this can be identified in the flow diagram, whereas it is indicated only as distances in the process chart.

Thus, it can be used to detect excessive backtracking (which might be missed in a process chart), excessive travel, possible traffic congestion, points where delays typically occur and inefficient layout.









Activity Charts

A listing of the activities of one or more subjects (e.g., workers, machines) plotted against a time scale to indicate graphically how much time is spent on each activity

These activities are generally repetitive.

Types of activity charts:

Right-hand/left-hand activity chart (a.k.a. workplace activity chart)

Worker-machine activity chart

Worker-multimachine activity chart

Gang activity chart (a.k.a. multiworker activity chart)





Shading Formats for Activity Charts

Instead of using symbols for the work activities, as in the other charts, the activities are indicated by vertical lines or bars

When bars are used, they are shaded or colored to indicate the kind of the activity being performed.





Activity Chart

Activity charts usually have more than one time scale e.g., activity time and cumulative time

Activity chart for a worker performing a repetitive task:





Multiple-Activity Charts

Used to track several participants working together

They consists of multiple columns, one for each participant.

Objective: to analyze how the workload is coordinated and shared among the entities.

Right-hand/left-hand activity chart

Worker-machine activity chart

Worker-multimachine activity chart

Gang activity chart (a.k.a. multiworker activity chart)





3Right-Hand/Left-Hand Activity Chart

Shows

contributions of the right and left hands

balance of the workload between the right and left hands

Remember the example with pegs

Task involves placing pegs into a peg board

Note that left hand is used as a workholder





Worker-Machine Activity Chart

Shows how work elements are allocated between a worker and a machine

Help to identify opportunities for cycle time improvements e.g., replacement of external work elements by internal work elements





Worker-Multimachine Activity Chart

Can be used to indicate machine interference (when a machine must wait for service because worker is currently servicing another machine)





Gang Activity Chart

This chart indicates activities in which two or more workers performing together as a team

Also known as multiworker activity chart

Can be used to analyze the operations of different stations in the the same chart

Objective: To better coordinate the activities and balance the workload among the workers





 Block Diagrams

Graphic consisting mostly of blocks and arrows to portray the relationships among components of a physical system

Commonly used in linear control theory, where

Arrows represent the flow of signals or variables in the system

Blocks contain transfer functions that define how input signals are mathematically transformed into output signals





Block Diagram

Used to depict flows and interrelationships among components in complex systems

Block diagrams are commonly used in linear control theory, as shown below for a feedback control system





Process Maps

A process is a sequence of tasks that add value to inputs to produce outputs

Basic process map is a block diagram showing the steps in a process

Widely applied to business processes

Also applicable to production, logistics, and service operations

Levels of detail:

High-level process map – macroscopic view of process and includes only the most important steps

Low-level process map – used to map each of the steps in a high-level process map





Symbols in the Basic Process Map

Process map symbols:

beginning/ending point of the process,

task or activity step,

decision point

Symbols are connected by arrows to indicate sequence


Alternative Forms of Process Maps

Relationship process map – block diagram that shows the input-output connections among departments (or other functional components) of an organization

Cross-functional process map – block diagram showing how the steps of a process are accomplished by various departments

Departments listed as rows separated by dashed lines

Also called a swim-lane chart





Relationship Map

Block diagram that shows the input-output connections among departments (or other functional components) of an organization





Cross-Functional Process Map

Block diagram showing how the steps of a process are accomplished by departments





Gantt Charts

A graphical display of schedule project activities on a time axis

Project activities are listed on a vertical axis

Activity time durations are shown as horizontal bars with starting and ending times





Gantt Chart: Planned Activities

Shows planned activities for a construction project





Gantt Chart: Progress

Shows actual work accomplished at some point during week 7





Gantt Chart Showing Precedence

Arrows can be used to indicate precedence relationships among activities



Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , ,

Sunday, March 8, 2026

150+ Years of Taylor's Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Productivity Improvement, Science, Engineering and Management - 1875 - 2026

New

Modern Industrial Engineering - Summary Explanation.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/modern-industrial-engineering-summary-explanation-april-kvss-8hiyc



Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Productivity Improvement, Science, Engineering and Management have an interesting 150 years history starting with Taylor taking up engineering education instead of law.

1875 - Taylor started his engineering education with an apprenticeship.

1880 - Founding of American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

1895

TAYLOR, F. W., "A Piece-Rate System, Being a Step Toward Partial Solution of the Labor Problem,"
Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 16, 856-903, 1895


Frederick Taylor's Productivity System for Rapidly Attaining The Maximum Productivity - Part 1


The advantages of this system of management (Taylor's Piece Rate System) are :

The manufactures are produced cheaper under it.
The system is rapid  in attaining the maximum productivity of each machine and man




TAYLOR, F. W., "A Piece-Rate System, Being a Step Toward Partial Solution of the Labor Problem,"
Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers 16, 856-903, 1895

A PIECE-RATE SYSTEM: BEING A STEP TOWARD PARTIAL SOLUTION OF THE LABOR PROBLEM.

BY FRED W. TAYLOR.


The system introduced by the writer (Taylor's system of productivity improvement and piece rate payment),  makes each workman’s interests the same as that of his employer, pays a premium for high efficiency, and soon convinces each man that it is for his permanent advantage to turn out each day the best quality and maximum quantity of work.

The writer has endeavored in the following pages to describe the system of management introduced by him in the works of the Midvale Steel Company, of Philadelphia, which has been employed by them during the past ten years with the most satisfactory results.

The system consists of three principal elements :

( i ) An elementary rate-fixing department. - The productivity improvement department.

( 2 ) The differential rate system of piece-work.

( 3 ) What he believes to be the best method of managing men who work by the day.




Elementary rate-fixing differs from other methods of making piece-work prices in that a careful study is made of the time required to do each of the many elementary operations into which the manufacturing of an establishment may be analyzed or divided. These elementary operations are then classified, recorded, and indexed, and when a piece-work price is wanted for work the job is first divided into its elementary operations, the time required to do each elementary operation is found from the records, and the total time for the job is summed up from these data. While this method seems complicated at the first glance, it is, in fact, far simpler and more effective than the old method of recording the time required to do whole jobs of work, and then, after looking over the records of similar jobs, guessing at the time required for any new piece of work.

The differential rate system of piece-work consists, briefly, in offering two different rates for the same job, a high price per piece in case the work is finished in the shortest possible time and in perfect condition (quality emphasis), and a low price if it takes a longer time to do the job, or if there are any imperfections in the work. (The high rate should be such that the workman can earn more per day than is usually paid in similar establishments.) 

The system by which the writer proposes managing the men who are on day-work consists in paying men and not positions. Each man’s wages, as far as possible, are fixed according to the skill and energy with which he performs his work, and not according to the position which he fills. Every endeavor is made to stimulate each man’s personal ambition. This involves keeping systematic and careful records of the performance of each man, as to his punctuality, attendance, integrity, rapidity, skill, and accuracy, and a readjustment from time to time of the wages paid him, in accordance with this record.

The advantages of this system of management are :

First. That the manufactures are produced cheaper under it (cost of production per unit is reduced), while at the same time the workmen earn higher wages than are usually paid.

Second . Since the rate-fixing is done from accurate knowledge instead of more or less by guess-work, the motive for holding back on work, or “ soldiering ”, and endeavoring to deceive the employers as to the time required to do work, is entirely removed, and with it the greatest cause for hard feelings and war between the management and the men.

Third. Since the basis from which piece-work as well as day rates are fixed is that of exact observation, instead of being founded upon accident or deception, as is too frequently the case under ordinary systems, the men are treated with greater uniformity and justice, and respond by doing more and better work.

Fourth, It is for the common interest of both the management and the men to cooperate in every way, so as to turn out each day the maximum quantity and best quality of work.

Fifth. The system is rapid, while other systems are slow, in attaining the maximum productivity of each machine and man ; and when this maximum is once reached, it is automatically maintained by the differential rate.

Sixth. It automatically selects and attracts the best men for each class of work, and it develops many first-class men who would otherwise remain slow or inaccurate, while at the same time it discourages and sifts out men who are incurably lazy or inferior.

Finally. One of the chief advantages derived from the above effects of the system is, that it promotes a most friendly feeling between the men and their employers, and so renders labor unions and strikes unnecessary.

There has never been a strike under the differential rate system of piece-work, although it has been in operation for the past ten years in the steel business, which has been during this period more subject to strikes and labor troubles than almost any other industry. In describing the above system of management the writer has been obliged to refer to other piece-work methods, and to indicate briefly what he believes to be their shortcomings.

Full paper

 Part 1 -  Part 2   -  Part 3 -  Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6

1903

Paper - Shop Management  presented in ASME Conference.

Shop Management - Themes


1. Definition of Management 

2. Difference in Production Quantity between a first class man and an average man

3. Developing and Employing First Class People in an Organization

4. Confronting Soldiering - Slow Pace of Work

5. Halsey Plan - F.W. Taylor's Comments

6. Task Management

7. Investment for Increasing Productivity or Efficiency

8. Importance of people - organization

9. Modern Engineering and Modern Shop Management

10. Task Management - Starting and Ending Times

11. Task Work - Some More Thoughts

12. Usefulness of Gantt's system

13. Time Study - Part 1- F.W. Taylor in Shop Management

14. Bicylcle Ball Inspection Case Study

15. Need for Functional Foremanship or Functional Organisation of Foremen

16. Functional Foremanship

17. Production Planning and Control

18. Role of Top Management in Managing Change to High Productive Shop

19. Train Operators in High Productivity One by One and Then in Small Batches

20. Organizing a Small Workshop for High Productivity

21. Introducing Functional Foremanship


1906
Taylor - Productivity Science and Art of Metal Cutting - Important Points

1907 - 1908 - Industrial Engineering course was started by Prof. Diemer in Penn State College.

1910



                                                                         F.W. Taylor
                                                    Publications and Contribution of Taylor

Important Points of Prof. Diemer's Description of Taylor's Industrial Engineering

  • Analyze each engineering process into its ultimate, simple elements, and develop ideal or perfect elements.
  • Make all due allowances for rational and practical conditions and establish an attainable commercial unit time production standard for every step.
  • The next step is attaining continuously the unit time production standard, involving both quality and quantity for each element.
  • Process integration - Assembling the improved prime elements into a well-arranged, well-built, smooth-running engineering process (machine).
  • The industrial  engineer must be able to select mechanical devices, people and perfect the organization that suits present needs and secures prompt returns in profit.
  • Engineering as applied to production means the planning in advance of production so as to secure certain results.
  • The engineer calculates and plans with absolute certainty of the accomplishment of the final results in accordance with his plans, which are based ultimately on fundamental truths of natural science.
  • The mechanical engineer has to do with the design, construction, testing, and operating of machines. The mechanical engineer designs with certainty of correct operation and adequate strength.  Industrial engineering (Production engineering) has to do with the output of men and machines. It requires a knowledge of both. The product involved may be anything that is made by or with the aid of machinery.
  • It is the business of the Industrial engineer (production engineer) to know every single item that constitutes his finished product, and every step involved in the handling of every piece. He must know what is the most advantageous manufacturing quantity of every single item so as to secure uniformity of flow as well as economy of manufacture. He must know how long each step ought to take under the best attainable working conditions.


Process/operation element analysis was described in detail by H.B. Maynard.


TAYLOR'S INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING - PROF. DIEMER


The first president of ASME in 1880 pointed out that engineers have to make efforts to reduce cost or products.  Mr. Henry R. Towne laid the foundation for cost reduction by engineers  (industrial engineering) through his paper "The Engineer as an Economist." Towne also described his conception of industrial engineering in a 1905 convocation address to Purdue Engineering Students. Prof. Diemer specially describes the concept of industrial engineering according to F.W. Taylor.

Mr. Taylor is the earliest and foremost advocate of engineering management and industrial engineering. Taylor's contribution to production management is well known though his works shop management and scientific management. His contribution to industrial engineering is not that direct through specific works. But he is credited as the father of industrial engineering as his ideas and works became industrial engineering in practice and theory. As early as 1889, Mr. Taylor earnestly pleaded that shop statistics and cost data should be more than mere records, and that they in themselves constituted but a small portion of the field of investigation to be covered by the industrial engineer. While he did not so express himself, the gist of his treatment of factory management is this:

He considers a manufacturing establishment just as one would an intricate machine. He analyzes each process into its ultimate, simple elements, and compares each of these simplest steps or processes with an ideal or perfect condition. He then makes all due allowances for rational and practical conditions and establishes an attainable commercial standard for every step. The next process is that of attaining continuously this standard, involving both quality and quantity, and the interlocking or assembling of all of these prime elements into a well-arranged, well-built, smooth-running machine. It is quite evident that work of this character involves technical knowledge and ability in science and pure engineering, which do not enter into the field of the accountant. Yet the industrial  engineer must have the accountant's keen perception of money values. His work will not be good engineering unless he uses good business judgment. He must be able to select those mechanical devices and perfect such organization as will best suit present needs and secure prompt returns in profit. He must have sufficiently good business sense to appreciate the ratio between investment and income. 

The industrial engineer to-day must be as competent to give good business advice to his corporation as is the skilled corporation attorney. Upon his sound judgment and good advice depend very frequently the making or losing of large fortunes. Mr. James Newton Gunn is responsible for the use of the term " production engineer" or "industrial engineer" in speaking of the engineer who has to do with plant efficiency.

The word "production" indicates the making or manufacturing of commodities. Engineering as applied to production means the planning in advance of production so as to secure certain results. A man may be a good mechanic but no engineer. The distinction between the mechanic and the engineer is that the mechanic cuts and tries, and works by formulae based on empiricism. The engineer calculates and plans with absolute certainty of the accomplishment of the final results in accordance with his plans, which are based ultimately on fundamental truths of natural science.

The mechanical engineer has to do with the design, construction, testing, and operating of machines. The mechanical engineer designs with certainty of correct operation and adequate strength. Production engineering has to do with the output of men and machines. It requires a knowledge of both. The product involved may be anything that is made by or with the aid of machinery.

It is the business of the production engineer to know every single item that constitutes his finished product, and every step involved in the handling of every piece. He must know what is the most advantageous manufacturing quantity of every single item so as to secure uniformity of flow as well as economy of manufacture. He must know how long each step ought to take under the best attainable working conditions. He must be able to tell at any time the exact condition as regards quantity and state of finishedness of every part involved in his manufacturing process.

The engineer must be able not only to design, but to execute. A draftsman may be able to design, but unless he is able to execute his designs to successful operation he cannot be classed as an engineer. The production engineer must be able to execute his work as he has planned it. This requires two qualifications in addition to technical engineering ability: He must know men, and he must have creative ability in applying good statistical, accounting, and "system" methods to any particular production work he may undertake.

With regard to men, he must know how to stimulate ambition, how to exercise discipline with firmness, and at the same time with sufficient kindness to insure the good-will and cooperation of all. The more thoroughly he is versed in questions of economics and sociology, the better prepared will he be to meet the problems that will daily confront him. As economic production depends not only on equipment and plant, but on the psychological effect of wage systems, he must be able to discriminate in regard to which wage system is best applicable to certain classes of product.

Hugo Diemer defined or explained Industrial Engineering in chapter I in his book published in 1910.

FACTORY ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION BY HUGO DIEMER, M.E.

Professor of Industrial Engineering, Pennsylvania State College; Consulting Industrial Engineer
FIRST EDITION
McGRAW-HILL BOOK COMPANY,  NEW YORK
1910



https://archive.org/details/factoryorganiza00diemgoog

Above link was accessed by me on 8.10.2022. The book available is 3rd edition published in 1921. See page 11. Point 15. It was mentioned that in the first edition of the book, the writer outlined the methods of industrial engineer. It was briefly given again this edition.


The first edition of the book is available at

Hugo Diemer started industrial engineering with first teaching a subject, then starting a 2-year program and then a 4-year program.

1911
F.W. Taylor Scientific Management - With Appropriate Sections

1912
Testimony of Taylor before Special Investigation Committee

1915

INDUSTRIAL ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

HUGO DIMER
1915
https://archive.org/stream/industrialorgan00diemgoog/industrialorgan00diemgoog_djvu.txt


Qualifications of Time-Study Observer

(pp. 203 to 207)

It is desirable, although not absolutely essential, that the observer be trained in the trade under observation.  College training in laboratory practice in which a man has become accustomed to taking accurate readings is good preparation for this work, provided it has been followed by some shop
training in the trade involved.

The workman on whom the time study is made should always be informed of its purpose, and his interest and co-operation secured. Time study for the purpose of getting the motion and time elements should always be made on first-class men, and such percentage of extra time added in establishing a time limit as will afford an incentive for the average man.

It is customary to pay an advance over a man's ordinary rate when he is acting as a subject for time
and motion studies. This extra pay is in no sense in the nature of a bribe, but it is in recognition of the fact that the man is being called upon to assist in a higher grade f work, since he and the time-study man are now doing team work of a research nature, which is a higher grade of work than ordinary production. The workman may be called upon by the time-study man to stop suddenly in the midst of a process, and to think about certain motion elements involved, and discuss whether these elements are ordinary practice, or whether a certain improvement, short cut, or device suggested by the time-study man is feasible or not, and many similar matters.

Preparation of the Instruction Card

An instruction card is the synthetic or constructive result of the analytic or observational operation known as the time study. It will be noticed that in the instruction card each element or sub-operation is distinctly listed and the standard time which has been agreed on is listed after each sub-operation.

After the time-study work has progressed to such an extent that a considerable variety of standard elemental operations and times have been listed and filed, the building-up of the instruction card for a new piece will consist very largely in assembling these standard elements, leaving only a few elements remaining, for which the time can frequently be figured from known data, so that the actual time-study work becomes less all the time, and the result of every additional time study becomes more and more extensive.

Doing the Work According to Instructions

Where the men have never worked under instruction cards, it will require patient and systematic training and an insistence on careful reading and following of the individual steps of the elemental operation instructions. At the beginning men who have been accustomed to looking at the time consumed on a job merely in the light of the total time are apt to consider impossible the time reductions indicated on most instruction cards.

The writer had experience of this sort in the assembling of automobiles and of engine-governors. After considerable preliminary work in planning and getting materials and tools ready, accompanied by careful time studies, it was decided to offer a bonus in the case of automobile-assembling, beginning at 100 total hours of assemblers' time. The best previous record had been 225 hours. With careful handling of the men the time was reduced at the first to 90 hours and ultimately it was a common occurrence for the total assembling time to take no longer than 65 or 70 hours. In the case of steam-engine governors a great deal of time had been lost by reason of poor fits and the necessity of having the assemblers do a great deal of filing. After the adoption of standard limits on the parts which were to be fitted together, the total time of assembling governors was reduced to about one-third of the former time.

A skilled demonstrator or leader needs to remain with the workers until they are able to do the tasks specified in the instruction cards, and within the time limits designated. When a job has reached the stage where it is continuously done in the time specified, it can be safely left alone. Frequently, however, after considerable savings have been made on work done by an experienced man or group of men, when a new man or group of men undertakes the same task, it takes a much longer time. Under these circumstances it is quite likely that the services of the demonstrator or leader will be again required.

2017
Principles of Industrial Engineering - Taylor - Narayana Rao

2020
THE NEW INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING (2020): CREATING ENTERPRISE EXCELLENCE
An Article in  Maynard's Industrial and Systems Engineering Handbook, 6th Edition - Edited by Prof. Bopaya M. Bidanda


Publication - Job Shop Lean: An Industrial Engineering Approach to Implementing Lean in High-Mix Low-Volume Production Systems  By Shahrukh A. Irani.

2021
#IISEAnnual2021 - Captains of Industry Forum with Apple CEO Tim Cook - Interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6kcA8weV90

Important point made. - Industrial engineers are not happy with status quo. They are constantly in search of improvement and innovation


------------------------------------------------------------------------





-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Industrial Engineering 4.0 - Computer Aided Industrial Engineering: Work Systems Analysis in Industry 4.0

Rao, Kambhampati Venkata Satya Surya Narayana; Rathod, Aniket.  IIE Annual Conference. Proceedings; Norcross (2021): 49-54.
#IndustrialEngineering #Productivity #CostReduction


Coca-Cola - A case study of total productivity management.

Rao, K V S S Narayana.  Industrial Management; Mar/Apr 2021
#IndustrialEngineering #Productivity #CostReduction



2023
Publication:
Maynard's Industrial and Systems Engineering Handbook, 6th Edition - Edited by Prof. Bopaya M. Bidanda

2024

Deepseek
DeepSeek’s  #Optimization Strategy: Redefining AI Cost and Efficiency.
By focusing on cost reduction, open-source collaboration, and efficient model architectures, 
DeepSeek redefined what’s possible in AI. 
Now in  AI, the future belongs to those who can do more with less. #IndustrialEngineering in demand.
Product and Process Industrial Engineering of Generative AI - LLM Models - Deepseek Story.




2025

2025 India National Productivity Week - 12 - 18 February Theme - From Ideas to Impact: Protecting Intellectual Property for Competitive Startups.

The theme for Productivity Week 2025 provides a crucial platform to address the interconnected challenges and opportunities related to innovation, intellectual property (IP), and productivity within the Indian startup ecosystem.

For industrial engineers innovation and productivity are important themes to focus on. 

IEs have to organize events, participate in the event actively and promote industrial engineering as the department, function and discipline to promote productivity through innovation.

I am collecting background material to support industrial engineers in preparing for the events of the week.

Background Material - 2025 India National Productivity Week - February 12- 18, Theme - From Ideas to Impact: Protecting Intellectual Property for Competitive Startups.




How Industrial Engineering is Changing the World in 2025?

AIIEM
Mission
Our mission is to empower industrial engineers and managers across the Middle East and North Africa by enhancing their skills and knowledge, enabling them to meet evolving market demands. We are committed to fostering education, promoting professional development, and conducting essential market research to create sustainable solutions in the educational sector.




Neglected Industrial Engineering of F.W. Taylor.

Machine Effort Industrial Engineering.
Quality Shop floor Foreman
Speed Shop floor Foreman
Time reduction through process improvement focus of Time Study
Employee Involvement and Personnel Relations by Managers and Process Improvement Specialists
Knowledge Management
Industrial Engineering Research and Productivity Science Development
Productivity Engineering - Engineering improvement of products, processes and facilities is the main task of industrial engineers.

Celebrate the birthday of F.W. Taylor in your Industrial Engineering Department and Company. Share what you are implementing in your company from Taylor's Ideas.

Birthday of F.W. Taylor 20th March. Modern Industrial Engineering March  2026 Issue - Taylor Month of IE - Contribution of F.W. Taylor to Industrial Engineering and Productivity Management - Implemented and Neglected Aspects

Access Essays on F.W. Taylor's Writing - Belt Drive Design, Productivity System and Section, Shop Management, Productivity Science of Machining, and Scientific Management

Sharing IE Department Newsletters in your organization can attract the attention and engage more employees in total industrial engineering. - Narayana Rao.


Ud. 8.3.2026, 12.4.2025
Pub. 4.2.2025














Posted by at No comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Comments (Atom)