Hystory of industrial engineering

History of Industrial Engineering

The origins of industrial engineering can be traced back to many different sources. "Economic Science" is the phrase to describe this field in England before American industrialization. No history of industrial engineering would be complete without mentioning Fredrick Winslow Taylor. Taylor is the best known of the pioneers in industrial engineering. He used the ASME as present his ideas on the

organization of work by management. He created the term "scientific management" to describe the methods he developed through empirical studies. Frank Bunker Gilbreth and his wife Dr. Lillian M. Gilbreth worked on understanding fatigue, skill development, motion studies, as well as time studies. Gilbreth claims that any form of work can be broken down into these simple types of work. Charles Babbage was the first person to suggest building a mechanical computer, "analytical calculating machine" for the purpose of solving complex mathematical problems in industrial engineering.

When the United States entered World War II the government enlisted scientist to study there war plans, production methods, and logistics. These scientists developed a number of techniques for modeling and predicting optimal solutions. Later when this information was declassified the field of Operation Research was born. But only a few companies where quick to develop Operation Research departments and capitalize on the benefits afforded by this new type of analytical modeling. In 1948 a new society, the American Institute for Industrial Engineers (AIIE), was opened for the first time and began to give a more professional authenticity for the practicing engineers.

During the 1960s, and after, Universities began to adopt operation research techniques and add them to the curriculum for the Industrial Engineering Degree. And for the first time the methods of industrial engineering could rest on an analytical foundation, instead of the old method of empiricism. New developments in mathematics for optimization as well as new methods of advanced statistical analysis helped to fill in the holes once left by the purely theoretical approach. During the part of the 19^th century more developments where being made that would lead to the formalization of industrial engineering.  With Digital Computer and mass storage capabilities the industrial engineer had a brand new tool for calculating massive problems quickly. With the storage capabilities of the modern digital computer, results from previous systems could be saved and compared with new information. This data gave industrial engineers a powerful way of studying production systems and their reaction to change.