Industrial engineering studies factors related to the production of goods and services.
Industrial engineering is the discipline that analyzes the factors linked to the production of goods and services . It is dedicated to the analysis, design, planning, control and optimization of the industrial process , without neglecting the different technical, economic and social aspects.
It should be noted that engineering is the science dedicated to the study and application of the various branches of technology . The engineer is responsible for applying his inventiveness and the scientific method to translate ideas into reality and, in this way, solve human problems.
The objective of industrial engineers is to understand and develop industrial production systems, so that their results are predictable. For this reason, specialists in this science carry out a prediction task on the consequences of an industry's activity.
Origins of industrial engineering
Frederick Taylor (promoter of the scientific organization of work), Harrington Emerson (pioneer in the payment of effectiveness awards) and Henry Ford (creator of mass production using assembly lines) are considered the fathers of industrial engineering.
In England , the development of the industrial revolution was key to the emergence of industrial engineering as a science. Little by little, businessmen were trained in these issues and gained valuable knowledge about industrial organization.
Currently, industrial engineering tasks are usually carried out by hired specialists and not by the owners of the company . Likewise, management activities can be delegated to people with adequate education and the owner of the company can limit his role to that of investor.
Industrial engineering seeks to predict the consequences of an industry's activity.
Your link with ethics
Ethics is one of the fundamental elements in any activity; professionals in an area must take it into account when deciding this or that thing. She is responsible for forcing human beings to maintain a right attitude, which leads them to reject any action that minimizes the dignity of any living being.
Industrial engineering does not turn a blind eye to this element either, which is why one of the fundamental obligations of every specialist in this area is to establish behaviors that are in accordance with ethics , that is, that correspond to an activity of respect for human beings and nature.
It is considered that the success of an industrial engineer should depend absolutely on his ethical conduct and his scale of moral values because according to them he will appear to be a responsible professional or not. In order to better understand this matter, several well-defined functions of a sector specialist can be noted. These are:
- Study how to use the available resources (people, materials, machinery and equipment) efficiently, safely and as economically as possible.
- Carry out studies on the value of time and movements that have been made and recommend ways to improve performance , making better use of resources.
- Design or improve the control systems available for the distribution of goods and services and promote greater security and efficiency in this area.
- Participate in the planning of economic and social development programs of the community in which you reside.
- Evaluate projects that are underway and prepare a future investment program with the aim of offering new ways of using resources, improving production and the results obtained from it.
- Bet on technological innovation by carrying out exhaustive research and seeking to ensure the social future first.
The study areas of Industrial Engineering include economics , logistics , finance , quantitative methods and resource management and business strategies and it is essential that those who work in this sector maintain an ethical attitude when carrying out their work. profession.