Systems Engineering and Industrial Engineering
Industrial Engineering (IE) 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. (Institute of Industrial Engineers, IIE)
Industrial engineering embodies several of the complementary aspects with systems engineering (ie Production Planning and Analysis, Continuous Process Improvement, etc.) and as part of the engineered systems domain (Production Control, Supply Chain Management, Operations Planning and Preparation, Operations Management, etc.) as depicted in Figure 2.
This knowledge area covers the overarching aspects of industrial engineering and describes the synergies between IE and SE.
Topics
Topics The topics included in this knowledge area are:
- Overview of Industrial Engineering
- Industrial Engineering Body of Knowledge
Overview of Industrial Engineering
Industrial Engineers are trained to design the components comprising man-machine systems. They bring together individual elements that are designed via other engineering disciplines and properly synergize these subsystems together with the people components for a totally integrated man-machine system. Industrial Engineers are also focused with the improvement of whatever was being designed or evaluated. They make individual human tasks more productive and efficient, by optimizing flow, eliminating unnecessary motions, utilize alternate materials to improve manufacturing, improve flow of product through processes, optimize configuration of work space. Fundamentally, the Industrial Engineer is charged with reducing costs and increasing profitability through more efficient use of human, material physical, and/or financial resources. (Handbook of Industrial Enginering – Salvendy)
Industrial Engineering Body of Knowledge
The current overview of the industrial engineering body of knowledge is provided in the Handbook of Industrial Engineering. The institute of Industrial Engineers is currently in the process of developing a specific Industrial Engineering Body of Knowledge. Additionally, Industrial Engineering Terminology defines specific terms related to the industrial engineering profession. Definitions used in this section are from this reference. A recommended introductory text providing overviews of Industrial and Systems Engineering is provided as a reference.
The elements of Industrial Engineering include:
Operations Engineering and Management
Operations Engineering and Management deals with the controls and management necessary to effectively execute a business. Knowledge in the areas of product and process life cycles, forecasting, project scheduling, production scheduling, inventory management, capacity management, supply chain, and logistics, and are key to this area. Concepts such as Materials Requirements Planning and Enterprise Resource Planning find their roots in this domain.
Operations Research and Management
Operations Research is the organized and systematic analysis of complex situations, such as arise in the activities of risk-taking organizations of people and resources. The analysis makes use of certain specific disciplinary methods, such as probability, statistics, mathematical programming, and queuing theory. The purpose of operations research is to provide a more complete and explicit understanding of complex situations, thus leading to an optimum performance of individuals, utilizing the resources available. Models are developed that describe deterministic and probabilistic systems, and these models are employed to aid the decision maker. Knowledge areas in operations research include linear programming, network optimization, dynamic programming, integer programming, nonlinear programming, metaheuristics, decision analysis and game theory, queuing systems, and simulation. Classic applications include the transportation problem and the assignment problem.
Production Engineering / Work Design
Production Engineering is the design of a production or manufacturing process for the efficient creation of a product. Included in this knowledge area is classic tool and fixture design, selection of machines to produce product, and machine design. Closely related to Production Engineering, Work Design encompasses the design of processes, procedures, and work areas for the efficient creation of goods and services. Knowledge in work simplification and work measurement are key to Work Design. These elements form a key foundation, along with other knowledge areas in Industrial Engineering, for lean principles.
Facilities Engineering and Energy Management
Facilities Engineering deals with the optimum organization of factories, buildings, and offices. In addition traditional aspects of the layout inside a facility, material handling equipment and storage/warehousing are part of the knowledge. This area also encompasses the optimal location facilities along with the sizing of facilities for the activities they are required to contain. Understanding of codes compliance and use of standards is incorporated. The Energy Management aspect of this area includes atmospheric systems along with lighting and electrical systems.
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the application of a body of knowledge (life sciences, physical science, engineering, psychology, etc.) dealing with the interactions between man and the total working environment, such as atmosphere, heat, light and sound, as well as all tools and equipment of the workplace. Ergonomics is sometimes referred to as Human Factors. Knowledge in anthropometric principles, standing/sitting, repetitive task analysis, work capacity and fatigue, vision and lighting, hearing, sound, noise, vibration, human information processing, displays and controls, and human-machine interaction encompass this area. Additionally, the organizational and social aspects related with this knowledge area are considered.
Engineering Economic Analysis
Engineering Economy is the body of knowledge and techniques concerned with the evaluation of the worth of commodities and services relative to their costs and with methods of estimating inputs. Engineering economic analysis is used to evaluate system affordability. Fundamental to this knowledge area are value and utility, classification of cost, time value of money and depreciation, These are used to perform cash flow analysis, financial decision making among alternatives, replacement analysis, break-even and minimum cost analysis, accounting and cost accounting, decision making involving risk and decision making involving uncertainty, and estimating economic elements. Tax implications involved in economic analysis are also required.
Quality & Reliability
Quality is the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs. Reliability is the ability of an item to perform a required function under stated conditions for a stated period of time. The understanding of probability and statistics form a key foundation to these concepts. Knowledge areas in quality and reliability include quality concepts, control charts, lot acceptance sampling, rectifying inspection and auditing, design of experiments, six sigma, and maintainability.
Engineering Management
Engineering Management refers to the systematic organization, allocation, and application of economic and human resources in conjunction with engineering principles to business practices. Knowledge areas include organization, people, and teamwork, customer focus, shared knowledge systems, business processes, resource and responsibility, and external influences.
Supply Chain Management
Supply Chain Management deals with the management of goods and services required as input from outside sources for a business to produce its own goods and services. Included as part of the input is information. Knowledge areas include building competitive operations, planning and logistics; managing customer and supplier relationships; and leveraging information technology to enable the supply chain.
A Systems Engineer leverages industrial engineering knowledge to provide:
- Production Planning and Analysis
- Systems Integration
- Lifecycle Planning and Estimating
- Change Analysis and Management
- Continuous Process Improvement
- Quality Assurance
- Business Case Analysis / Return on Investment
- Engineering Management
- Systems Integration
Industrial Engineers complement Systems Engineers with knowledge in:
- Supply Chain Management
- Budgeting and Economic Analysis
- Production Line Preparation
- Production
- Production Control
- Testing
- Staffing, Organizing, Directing
- Cost, Schedule, and Performance Monitoring
- Risk Monitoring and Control
- Operations Planning and Preparation
- Operations Management
References
Works Cited
Handbook of Industrial Engineering. Technology and Operations Management. Third Edition, Edited by Gavriel Salvendy, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Industrial Engineering Terminology, Revised Edition 1992, Institute of Industrial Engineers.
Primary References
Bibliographic entries for all primary references for the article.
Additional References
Introduction To Industrial And Systems Engineering (3rd Edition) by Wayne C. Turner, Joe H. Mize, Kenneth E. Case and John W. Nazemtz (Aug 31, 1992)
Engineering Economy (9th Edition), Gerald J. Thuesen, W.J. Fabrycky, Prentice Hall, 2009.
SEBoK 0.5 Review Comments
This article is new to SEBoK 0.75. Therefore, there are no associated comments from 0.5.
HillaryS review comments, 13 Feb 2012:
1. Is the discussion at right level? Yes. The main sections of the article are good and cover the sort of topics I would expect, clearly and concisely. Note that Figure 2 is missing and is there a "Fig 1"?
2. Does the article have enough citations? Not really, there are only two; one is old (1992) and the other is not given a publication date. There are probably good examples of integration of SE with IE in INCOSE conference proceedings that could usefully be cited as case studies and exemplars. The key issue is to make the best transition from working at the system level (including design and first article build and proving), to industrial implementation (series production or large-scale build).
3. Do the primary references seem adequate? No, there are none!
4. Does the article have sufficient linkages to other parts of the SEBOK? No, there are none.
5. Do I agree with the terminology? In general yes. However the introductory sentences in the opening paragraph, and in the first para in the section "overview of industrial engineering", would be absolutely correct if we replaced "industrial engineering" with "systems engineering"! These sentences should be re-crafted to make the distinction between SE and IE clear. It may be that IE is a form of SE specifically responsible for ensuring compatibility between the "prime system" being developed, and the industrial enabling systems that will be used to manufacture and prove it.