The Development of Industrial Engineering

A hundred years ago, Frederick W. Taylor was developing his theory of scientific management as the world, and in particular the United States, was moving from an agrarian economy to a production economy. Taylor's scientific management principles, in some forms, persist today, and, although they have been and remain controversial, there is no doubt that his initial studies into the "science of work" were attempts at solving some of the same problems that face industrial engineers today. Central to the discipline of industrial engineering are two themes: the interfaces among people and machines within systems, and the analysis of systems leading to improved performance. These issues motivated Taylor, and they motivate us today.

Thirty years later we find Frank and Lillian Gilbreth refining Taylor's principles with new focus on the human components of systems. Lillian Gilbreth was to continue their work, making it her work following Frank's death, into the 1970's. At about the same time, at Western Electric Co., Walter Shewhart was developing his own theories, concerning variation in materials, that led to their refinement in what we now know as statistical process control. Shortly after that, a young W. Edwards Deming was beginning his lifelong commitment to the application of statistics in continuous improvement of systems.

What do all of these people have in common? While they come from a variety of disciplines, they were pioneers in what is today known as industrial engineering. What they have in common is their study of human-centered engineered systems. This was the basis of our profession at its origin, and, although the form of the study has evolved, it is the basis of our profession today. In a sense, the industrial revolution has continued into the industrial evolution. While philosophers and economists can debate the relative impact of the semiconductor versus the steam driven factory, there is no doubt that our modern production and service systems are developing rapidly. As other engineers foster advances through innovative new technologies, industrial engineers deal with those technologies in their implementation and use. As these technological advances are made, industrial engineering is evolving to keep pace with their use.

From: The Development of Modern Industrial Engineering,
by D. L. Kimbler, Ph.D., P.E.,Department of Industrial Engineering, Clemson University
[Printed in ENGINEERING HORIZONS, Spring 1995. A Peterson's/COG Publication.
Posted electronically with permission.]