Aims and Objectives of Industrial Engineering - Prof F. F. Groseclose 1949

1949
November 22, 1949
F. F. Groseclose, Director
School of Industrial Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Georgia

The successfully Industrial Engineer must possess special interests and abilities in the analysis of the human, technical, and cost problems of modern manufacturing.

The Aims and Objectives of the Curriculum in Industrial Engineering

The aims and objectives of the curriculum in Industrial Engineering are to furnish young men  prepared for the field and/or job as outlined below:

The increasing magnitude and complexity of modern industrial plants has demanded the development of a branch of engineering widely recognized as Industrial Engineering.

The field of the Industrial Engineer is that of the process and production expert engaged in planning, organizing, improving, managing, and operating various processes for production manufactured products of all kinds and varieties.

New problems have arisen and new techniques have been developed during recent years which are peculiar to and characteristic of Industrial Engineering. These include the analysis of a proposed product with regard to the possible steps and sequences of operations involved in its manufacture, a selection of the most efficient machines to perform these operations, the layout of the plant and shops to provide for the flow of the product from one machine to another, organization of the material supply, avoidance or elimination of bottlenecks, together with the related problems of quality and cost control, testing, inspection, and personnel relations.

Industrial Engineering coordinates men, materials, machines, and methods so as to solve problems met in the conversion, transformation, and fabrication of raw materials into the products of industry. The successfully Industrial Engineer must possess special interests and abilities in the analysis of the human, technical, and cost problems of modern manufacturing. In addition, he must possess the personality and attributes of character which will enable him to work with and direct others in the planning and operation of manufacturing enterprises.

The Job of the Industrial Engineer

What Do Industrial Engineers Do? The Industrial (also called management of administrative) Engineer makes surveys of how industrial plants or businesses are organized and operated, and on the basis of such studies, he prepares recommendations to executives for changes in the way things are made or in the set-up of money in the conduct of business.

To carry out this work, he makes use of his knowledge of the principles of business organization and administration, engineering, economics, industrial psychology, statistics, accounting, and marketing. He may examine and observe new equipment and how men work, make time and motion studies, study production records and products, or talk with management and production personnel. He tries to obtain a comprehensive view of any plant or business activity such as: planning and scheduling of production; production methods, standards equipment, cost records, and control; how materials and goods are received, packed, and shipped; the hiring, training, and management of personnel; wage payment system, relation of unions to management; the system for purchasing materials and supplies; the advertising and distribution of products; and the manner in which the business is to be established. Many Industrial Engineers, especially consultants with long training and experience, are qualified to survey and advise on all phases of a business or industrial organization. Most of them work in a particular industry, such as an electric utility or a chemical process industry, and deal with a particular broad phase of industrial engineering work, for example, plant design and construction, plant production, sales and marketing, purchasing, personnel and labor relations, wage systems, finances, or traffic management.

Who Should or Should Not Take Up Industrial Engineering? The Industrial Engineer combines the aptitudes of a mechanical engineer, accountant, and business executive. He should have an aptitude for studying such college subjects as engineering, calculus, statistics, economics, and business administration. He should have an interest in all kinds of jobs and in the machines and men who manufacture goods; he should have the ability to spot a problem in getting something made, gather all the related facts about processes and costs, stick to the facts in working out a solution, and present his conclusions or ideas in clear, concise English to business executives. He should be able to visualize in three dimensions in order to develop plans for the layout of equipment or for the successive steps in getting work done.

F. F. Groseclose, Director
School of Industrial Engineering
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, Georgia
November 22, 1949