To remain a world leader, we have to increase our productivity even more. That is where the industrial engineer provides a significant contribution to society and our country. Industrial engineering differs from other branches of engineering in that it encompasses all types of industrial, commercial, and governmental activity. Further, it is the only branch of engineering concerned not only with things, but also with people. Where most engineering disciplines are concerned with the design of products, industrial engineers design and install systems which produce products or services.
Industrial engineering is a very special kind of profession.
There is a uniqueness about the field, yet there is an extraordinary breadth of application. The basic objectives of the field relate to productivity, i.e., the most effective use of each dollar spent for materials, equipment, manpower, etc. For example, during the last decade, an ever increasing number of products commonly used by the American consumer have been manufactured in other countries due to the fact that these products can be made at a lower cost in those countries. 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. The industrial engineer functions at every level of management by originating and developing operating plans, programs, and controls which will permit effective use of human and economic resources.