The Niche of Industrial Engineering
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7/27/2019 The Niche of Industrial Engineering http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-niche-of-industrial-engineering 1/2 Member forum I n d u s t r i a l E n g i n e e r • J u l y 2 0 0 3 26 with industrial engineering in name or practice. In a recent article in Industrial Engineer (“Redefining our Relevance,” May), Way Kuo, Ph.D., surmised that industrial engineering needed a niche. He suggested maintaining the core mission of industrial engineering with appropriate modern orientation. I completely agree with him; however, I believe that we already have a niche — industrial engineering. The core of the field must remain strong. The message must be clear and remain consistent. Kuo traces the origin of industrial engineering to the industrial revolution, and that is a proud heritage to have. Industrial engineering is a versatile pro- fession that probes into other areas just as other professions broaden into new challenges. The core message of our pro- fession should always be industrial engi- neering — not supply chain, not expert systems, not lean initiatives, not TQM, and not any other exploratory offshoot. Buzzwords come and go. If we remain consistent with our name and core mission, the profession will survive with a clear and recognizable identity. But if we dabble in fad-based names that have no historical roots, we will be swept around as the sentiments change. Many people are getting tired of the con- stant abnegation of the industrial engineer- ing name and profession. I don’t perceive any image problem: Maybe the problem is how we present and market the name. Changing the name of the profession will not solve the problem that some people believe exists. In more than two decades of proclaiming myself an IE nationally and internationally, no one has ever thrown eggs at me. So where is the bad image? In search of an identity that is not miss- ing, we often run under the cover of any new professional fad that comes along, to the detriment of our core competency. We need to adopt a consistent and positive outlook for what we do. Everything is already in our name. Our niche is already industrial engineering, and that is how we should continue to present ourselves. True, we a re fre quen tly a sked, “Ind ustr ial engineering? What is that?” But such ques- tions arise because we have not been proac- tive in positively proclaiming the profession’s name. Industry, the root of the name, clearly explains what we are about. Any dictionary will reveal that industry generally means the ability to produce and deliver goods and services. This relates to how human effort is harnessed to carry out work. Isn’t that what industrial engineering is all about? To renounce the name of industrial engineering is to deny that the industrial revolution ever existed. Many institutions are beginning to merge industrial engineering departments into other departments. What do we expect? We are running the name of our profession into the mud to the extent that institutional administrators might think we cannot stand on our own professional feet. The soo ne r w e e mba rk on a con sis te nt proclamation of our own identity, the sooner others will recognize our unique merit. Th an ks to th e go od ba si c en gi ne er in g training I received, I can converse with my colleagues in other engineering disciplines about fluids flow, thermodynamics, circuits, chemical reactions, and so on. This is how you earn professional respect. Instead of capitalizing on our breadth of science train- ing, we often engage in denials that hurt our professional recognition. We are the problem with our image, not the name. My little boy once asked me, “Why is everything made in China?” He asked this because almost everything he owned carried the label “Made in China.” He asso- ciated China with a place where everything was made. Maybe we should start labeling everything we do “Done by an Industrial Engineer” so future generations will associ- ate our profession with industry, thereby eliminating the need to explain or justify the industrial engineering name. Tho se who enj oy the deb ate can pic k i t up from here. I will spend the rest of my time earning more recognition for industrial engi- neering by interacting with colleagues from other disciplines. That is what it takes to establish a good image for any profession. Aded eji B . Bad iru, Ph.D., P.E., is a pro- fessor and the head of the department of industrial engineering at the University of Tennesse e in K noxv ill e, Tenn. B adir u, an IIE fellow, has been a member since 1977 and serves on the IIE Board of Trustees as senior vice president-at-large (international). Voice your opin ion To su bmi t an op in io n fo r th is co lu mn , e-mail the text to Managing Editor Monica Elliott at [email protected]. Member Forum columns must be 800 to 900 words in length. All submissions are subject to editing. Include a brief paragraph about yourself that includes your IIE membership status. We are the problem with our image. Nothing is wrong The niche of industrial engineering By Adedeji B. Badiru
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Transcript of The Niche of Industrial Engineering
7/27/2019 The Niche of Industrial Engineering
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-niche-of-industrial-engineering 1/2
Member forum
I n d u s t r i a l E n gi n e e r •
J u
l y 2 0 0 3
26
with industrial engineering in name or
practice.
In a recent article in Industrial Engineer
(“Redefining our Relevance,” May), Way Kuo,
Ph.D., surmised that industrial engineering
needed a niche. He suggested maintaining
the core mission of industrial engineering
with appropriate modern orientation.
I completely agree with him; however, I
believe that we already have a niche —
industrial engineering. The core of the field
must remain strong. The message must be
clear and remain consistent. Kuo traces the
origin of industrial engineering to the
industrial revolution, and that is a proud
heritage to have.
Industrial engineering is a versatile pro-
fession that probes into other areas just
as other professions broaden into new
challenges. The core message of our pro-
fession should always be industrial engi-
neering — not supply chain, not expert
systems, not lean initiatives, not TQM,
and not any other exploratory offshoot.
Buzzwords come and go. If we remainconsistent with our name and core mission,
the profession will survive with a clear and
recognizable identity. But if we dabble in
fad-based names that have no historical
roots, we will be swept around as the
sentiments change.
Many people are getting tired of the con-stant abnegation of the industrial engineer-
ing name and profession. I don’t perceive
any image problem: Maybe the problem is
how we present and market the name.
Changing the name of the profession will
not solve the problem that some people
believe exists. In more than two decades
of proclaiming myself an IE nationally and
internationally, no one has ever thrown eggs
at me. So where is the bad image?
In search of an identity that is not miss-
ing, we often run under the cover of anynew professional fad that comes along,
to the detriment of our core competency.
We need to adopt a consistent and positive
outlook for what we do. Everything is already
in our name. Our niche is already industrial
engineering, and that is how we should
continue to present ourselves.
True, we are frequently asked, “Industr ial
engineering? What is that?” But such ques-
tions arise because we have not been proac-
tive in positively proclaiming the profession’s
name.
Industry, the root of the name, clearly
explains what we are about. Any dictionary
will reveal that industry generally means
the ability to produce and deliver goods
and services. This relates to how human
effort is harnessed to carry out work. Isn’tthat what industrial engineering is all
about? To renounce the name of industrial
engineering is to deny that the industrial
revolution ever existed.
Many institutions are beginning to merge
industrial engineering departments into
other departments. What do we expect? We
are running the name of our profession into
the mud to the extent that institutional
administrators might think we cannot stand
on our own professional feet.
The sooner we embark on a consis tentproclamation of our own identity, the sooner
others will recognize our unique merit.
Thanks to the good basic engineer ing
training I received, I can converse with my
colleagues in other engineering disciplines
about fluids flow, thermodynamics, circuits,
chemical reactions, and so on. This is how
you earn professional respect. Instead of
capitalizing on our breadth of science train-
ing, we often engage in denials that hurt
our professional recognition. We are the
problem with our image, not the name.My little boy once asked me, “Why is
everything made in China?” He asked this
because almost everything he owned
carried the label “Made in China.” He asso-
ciated China with a place where everything
was made. Maybe we should start labeling
everything we do “Done by an Industrial
Engineer” so future generations will associ-
ate our profession with industry, thereby
eliminating the need to explain or justify the
industrial engineering name.
Those who enjoy the debate can pick i t
up from here. I will spend the rest of my timeearning more recognition for industrial engi-
neering by interacting with colleagues from
other disciplines. That is what it takes to
establish a good image for any profession.
Adedeji B. Badiru, Ph.D., P.E., is a pro-
fessor and the head of the department of
industrial engineering at the University of
Tennessee in Knoxv ille, Tenn. Badiru, an IIE
fellow, has been a member since 1977 and
serves on the IIE Board of Trustees as senior
vice president-at-large (international).
Voice your opinion
To submi t an opin ion for th is co lumn,
e-mail the text to Managing Editor Monica
Elliott at [email protected]. Member Forum
columns must be 800 to 900 words in
length. All submissions are subject to
editing. Include a brief paragraph about
yourself that includes your IIE membershipstatus.
We are the problem
with our image.
Nothing is wrong
The niche of industrial
engineeringBy Adedeji B. Badiru
7/27/2019 The Niche of Industrial Engineering
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/the-niche-of-industrial-engineering 2/2
