All rights reserved, 1998. Retaining world-class status requires relentless continuous improvement in all aspects of the business or governmental enterprise. Where most branches of engineering are concerned with designing, installing and improving procedures and systems for effective and efficient operation of enterprises.
Industrial engineering has a unique focus, as well as extraordinary breadth.
The primary idea is to apply systematic, disciplined, engineered thinking to all types of human enterprise. Often this means applying lessons that have been hard won in the industrial sector to service oriented enterprises, such as healthcare, transporation and government. Often, advancements in quality, cost effectiveness and timeliness that have been learned in the crucible of global industrial competition can be extended to service provders. Industrial engineers are the people who do this. The industrial engineer functions at all levels of the enterprise.