Methods engineering
It includes designing, creating and selecting the best manufacturing methods, processes, tools, equipment, and skills to manufacture a product. When the best method interacts with the best skills and efficient worker-machine relationship exists. Of course, when one method is established, then a standard time for the product can be determined.
Methods engineering definition
We can define methods engineering as the technique for increasing the production per unit of time or decreasing the cost per unit output. Alternatively, it can be viewed as the technique that looks for productivity improvement.
Method engineering implies the following during the history of a product:
- It is responsible for the design of the work center where the product will be produced;
- It is responsible for the continuous improvement of the work center with the purpose of find a better way to produce the product or improve its quality. This analysis is also called corporate reengineering.
- Methods engineering is in constant development because of the technological evolution. In this sense, the improvements in productivity are never ends. Research and development is therefore essential to methods engineering.
The procedure of methods engineering
Methods engineering use a systematic procedure that can be summarized in the following steps:
- Select the project
- Get and present the data
- Analyze de data
- Develop the ideal method
- Present and install the method
- Develop a job evaluation
- Establish time standards
- Follow up the method
What is the importance of productivity and how to improve it
Creating goods and services in different areas requires that certain
resources be transformed into these (raw materials, supplies, labor,
etc.). The more efficiently the mentioned transformation happens, the
more productive it will be.
In its most basic form, productivity can be understood as the
proportion of outputs (goods and services) among the inputs
(resources such as raw materials, inputs, labor, capital, etc.).
Improving productivity it is of vital importance for any company.
Improving the ratio of outputs and inputs (productivity) will be one
of the most important tasks (if not the most important) that
industrial engineering and in general the directors of operations or
production face in their daily work.
How to improve productivity?
Productivity improvement can be achieved in the following ways:
either by reducing the inputs while the outputs are kept constant, by
increasing the outputs while the inputs are kept constant, or by
increasing the outputs and reducing the inputs at the same time. This
implies an increase in productivity.
From the economic perspective, the inputs can be identified as land,
labor, capital and management. These inputs are combined in a
production system. Through management, the conversion of inputs into
outputs can be achieved. The better the management the greater the
productivity that can be achieved in a given production system.
The outputs resulting from a production process can be goods or
services of various kinds (for example computers, calculators, cell
phones, soft drinks, education, hotels, etc.). Production then can be
viewed as all the goods and services produced. The fact of having a
high production may originate from an increasing number of people
working (which can lead to an increase in employment levels), however
this situation does not necessarily imply that there is a high
productivity.
Measuring productivity is a good way to assess a country's ability to
provide and improve the living standards of its inhabitants. The
increase in productivity is closely linked with the improvement in
productive capacity and therefore, in a macro context, it can lead to
an improvement in the standard of living.
Without an increase in productivity, the increase in the benefits
generated by the factors of production (labor, capital, land,
technology, management) implies an increase in prices. Conversely,
when productivity increases, prices tend to decrease since more is
produced with the same amount of resources.
Definition of safety and industrial hygiene
Safety
at work
According to Bestratén (1999), safety at work is
"the set of techniques and procedures that are designed to
eliminate or reduce the risk of accidents."
Therefore, safety
at work is concerned with addressing a number of hazards that affect
industrial accidents, such as:
- Lack
of mechanisms of protection against moving parts of machinery,
equipment and tools;
- Poor
conditions of order and cleanliness in the workplace;
To achieve safety at work, we should develop preventive
actions that fall within both general and specific rules, such as:
- The mission and vision of the company;
- The safety policies;
- Procedures at work;
- Staff training;
- Incorporation of
safety devices on machines, equipment and facilities.
Industrial
hygiene
According to Hernandez and Marti (1989), industrial
hygiene is the discipline that aims the prevention of occupational
diseases by controlling chemical, physical or biological agents in
the working environment.
The (chemical, physical or biological) agents
mentioned have effect in the workplace; not only directly for workers
who perform a particular task, but also for people from other areas
that are part of that environment. Moreover, the presence of these
agents also affects the external environment of the company like
nearby businesses, nearby communities and in general the soil, air
and water.
In order to reduce occupational risks of emerging
pollutants, three objectives are established:
Controls on the origin and source of danger;
Controls on the path between the hazard and the
worker;
Controls on the subject exposed to danger.
Productivity and industrial engineering
What
is productivity?
Applied
in an enterprise, a sector of economic activity or the economy as a
whole, productivity may be defined as an output and input relation.
The
term productivity can be used to asses or measure the extent to which
a certain output can be extracted from a given input. This may
appears simple enough in cases where both the output and the input
are tangible and can be easily measured; however, in cases where
intangibles are introduced measure of productivity can be more
difficult.
Calculation
of productivity
Productivity
can be calculated as follows:
Productivity
and industrial engineering in goods production
In
the case of goods production, the objective is the manufacturing to a
better cost, through the raw material, with productivity of the
primary resources of production: Materials, human resources and
machines. It's on these, where the action of industrial engineers
should address their efforts. Increasing productivity indexes and
reducing production costs, are fundamental tasks of an industrial
engineer.
Activities of industrial engineering
Most important activities of industrial engineering are:
- Development of time standards, costing and performance standards.
- Selection of processes and assembling methods.
- Selection and design of tools and equipment.
- Design of facilities including plant location, layout of building, machines and equipment, material handling system raw materials and finished goods storage facilities.
- Design and improvement of planning and control systems for production, inventory, quality and plant maintenance and distribution systems.
- Cost control systems.
- Development and installation of job evaluation systems.
- Installation of wage incentive schemes.
- Design and installation of value engineering and analysis system.
- Operation research.
- Mathematical and statistical analysis.
- Performance evaluation.
- Organization and methods.
- Supplier selection and evaluation.
About Industrial engineering
Nowadays economic scenario is marked by increasing competition in almost every sector of economy. The expectations of customers are on rise and manufacturers have to design and products in order to satisfy them. Thus, there is a challenge before the industries to manufacture goods of right quantity and quality and at the right time and at minimum cost for their survival and growth. This demands an increase in productive efficiency of organizations. Industrial engineering plays a vital role in increasing the productivity. Industrial engineering techniques are used to analyze and improve the work methods in order to eliminate waste and proper allocation and utilization of resources.
How can industrial engineering be defined?
Industrial engineering can be defined as a profession in which a knowledge of mathematical and natural sciences gained by study, experience and practice is applied with judgment to develop the ways to utilize economically the materials and other natural resources and forces of nature for the benefit of mankind.
The American Institute of Industrial Engineers define industrial engineering as:
Industrial engineering is concerned with the design, improvement and installation of integrated systems of men, material and equipment. It draws upon specialized knowledge and skills in the mathematical, physical 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 prime objective of industrial engineering is to increase the productivity by eliminating waste and non-value adding (unproductive) operations and improving the effective utilization of resources.
Productivity, types of productivity, productivity index, total productivity
Whats is productivity?
Productivity is the ratio of output to some or all of the resources used to produce the output.
Types of productivity
We can mention the following types of partial productivities:
- Labor productivity: units produced / hours worked
- Capital productivity: output / capital input
- Material productivity: output /material input
What is the productivity index?
We can calculate a type of partial productivity as labor productivity as output per man hours for a complete year. These figures obtained from year to year can be indexed and can be related to a base year so that output per man our comparisons can be made.
Definition of total productivity
It is the ratio of tangible output and tangible input.
Differences among partial productivity, total factor productivity and total productivity
Men, materials, machines, methods, money, energy, etc. are inputs.
- Partial productivity: output / one class of input
- Total factor productivity: net output / (labor + capital)
- Total productivity : sum of all tangible outputs / sum of all tangible inputs
Industrial engineering functions
Industrial engineering plays an important role in any organization. Organizations are usually set up with selected industrial engineering functions best suited to their requirements. For example a company manufacturing standardized products may not have operation research functions whereas a manufacturer of precision instruments may heavily rely on quality control functions.
Traditionally, industrial engineering involves different functions, which support manufacturing and service operations in order to improve productivity, safety and workers welfare. These functions, as in the past, are otherwise neglected by many entrepreneurs who are only motivated by profit. Developed countries have long ago realized the physiological needs of their citizens as their life style has improved with the abundance of material resources. Further, with an increase in educated workers, the demand for improved working conditions and better treatment from the owners of enterprises increased. The owners adopted many of the industrial engineering functions to satisfy the employees demand while still maintaining profitability.
Industrial engineering functions can be grouped in different ways to suit an organization’s need. The major groupings, which provide a profile of its involvement, are:
- Methods engineering
- Work measurement
- Planning of facilities and handling of materials
- Statistical quality control
- Production planning and control
- Operations analysis and computer simulation
- Human resources
- Safety at work
- Equipment engineering
- Advanced concepts and strategies
About industrial engineer job
What can we say about an industrial engineering job?
An industrial engineer’s job is to find the best combination of people, tools, materials, parts, information and power to provide products or services efficiently. In contrast to other engineering specialties such as civil engineering or mechanical engineering, industrial engineering track isn’t restricted to one industry or type of work. It may be industrial in the sense of working in a traditional manufacturing, mining or transportation environment. Or it can lead to work for a financial services firm, a government agency or a magazine publisher.
Industrial engineers research, analyze, model and test whole systems. They’re efficiency experts; safety engineers; ergonomics engineers; environmental health engineers; and in many cases, managers, principals or business owners. Al most any organization that you can name has a need for someone who understands what all the factors affecting its mission are, how they’re related, and what can be done to make it all work better. That’s what industrial engineering does – it makes a system, a process or an organization work better.
