IE Research Paper

Technology's  Impact  on  the  Future  of  Industrial Engineering

C. Patrick Koelling, Mario G. Beruvides, and Kriengkrai Tankoonsombut

19th International Conference on Computers  and Industrial Engineering

ABSTRACT

Industrial engineers of the future will be working with, and within, high-technology systems that will greatly affect not only how they do their work, but also the work they do.  This paper addresses some of these emerging issues and presents the potential impacts on the industrial engineer of the future.

KEYWORDS: Technology; industrial engineer, computers; education

THE TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGE

Tremendous  advances  in  computing,  information,  and  communications  technology  are dramatically, and permanently, altering  the landscape  that constitutes  what we call  "work."  This landscape is not only  the future within which  industrial  engineers will work,  but  is  also  the  future that  industrial  engineers will  work  with.  That is, industrial engineers must design systems of people, machines, materials, capital, and so on, in a world that will be drastically different from  the one we  see today.  In addition to this, the current education and  tools of industrial  engineers  are rooted in an epoch  that is itself outdated for  today's needs, not to mention the future.

What are some of the key issues, at least as we know them today, that will affect these systems? One,  organizational  restructuring,  has  been  enabled  in  large  part  by  improvements  in communication, brought about by  advances  in  technology.  Client/server  computing models  are dramatically  changing  the way  in which we  store,  retrieve,  and  view  information.  And,  this information can be  available  to  all,  not just  the  chosen  few  in  the MIS  department.  Emerging visualization  tools, including virtual  reality, will  allow industrial  engineers to see systems as  they have never seen them before.

 However, let’s not be  lulled  into a state of complacency in considering these  advances-because they pale  in comparison with what  is yet to come.  We include  but  a  sampling  of what  will  be addressed  in this paper as we consider  the tremendous changes that the IE profession will  undergo in the next 10-20 years.  First, however, let's consider what industrial  engineers do.

WHAT DO INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERS DO?

We can always rely on the formal definition, from the Institute  of Industrial  Engineers,  to help us understand what IEs do.

"Industrial  engineers  design,  improve,  and  install  integrated  systems  of  people, materials,  information, equipment, and energy."

Key among these things we do are improvement  and  integration.  And,  in order  to do these  things we must measure.  Industrial  engineers are  involved in products,  processes,  and  services,  from "hard-core" manufacturing  to health  care and  insurance.  The systems  we  consider  are  facilities, information systems, various types of material handling,  and people (we could list more).

These activities  have changed very  little in the past,  at least  in comparison to the changes that will need to occur  in the next few years.  And these changes  are being brought about,  either directly  or indirectly, by one thing-computer  technology.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

In  a paper such as  this  it is  impossible  to  enumerate  the  myriad  computer  technologies  that  will affect  industrial engineers. We have chosen to highlight  a few to discuss.  Like the slow evolution from fiction to  fact, those mentioned here will  certainly  be  considered  "primitive" in  the  no  too distant future.

Tools For Collaboration

New  types of collaborative  tools are beginning  to be used,  but  only by  a  few.  Primary among these is groupware.  While a rather straightforward, and evolutionary, development, consider the effect  on  industrial  engineers.  Tracking  information  flow  will  become  a  thing  of  the  past. Imperative will  be  the measurement of the use of information and  the  assurance  that  information needs are met.  Boundaries around functions will  drift away,  and  the culture of  the  organization will  change.  Thus,  technology will beget cultural  change,  which  in  turn  will  beget  technology. Dynamic working groups will form outside of any formal organizational  structure.  Planning may become very difficult, and will at the very  least become quite different.

 The  Internet  will  continue  to  provide  remote  access  to,  and  easy  provision  of,  information. Increasingly,  Intranets  (within-company Interact  systems) will  provide  information  traditionally provided  through  other  means.  The  platform-independence  of  this  technology  will  reduce resistance to multi-platform organizations,  so finally  the "DOS-geeks" and "stinkin Mac users" can peacefully coexist, even with UNIX machines.

Java,  bringing  interactivity  to the Web, will  open new vistas  for applications,  and Java "applets" will provide productivity  tools that can be easily developed, managed, maintained,  and used.

There will be a dramatic  increase  in  the use of Electronic Data  Interchange  (EDI).  As  industrial engineers look for ways  to improve  supplier-vendor relationships,  and  increase  communication, we  will  find EDI  to  be  an  indispensable  tool.  Of  course,  some  level  of  standardization  and improved security will be required before  this becomes common place.

Teleconferencing  will  reduce  travel  and  improve  communication  through  visual  contact. Compresses  video  tools  are becoming usable,  and  increased  bandwidth  will  allow  use  of  this technology  to skyrocket.

Technical and Information Computing

Increasing  computer  power  is  available  for  things  other  than  new  types  of  communication. Client/server computing, in  existence  for  several  years,  will  continue  to  prosper.  Information needs will be met in an effective and efficient manner through these systems.  As mentioned above, Intranets are increasingly being used in companies, and  the combination  of client/server  concepts and Intranet capabilities  is a power one.

Technical computing will prosper, allowing industrial engineers to  solve problems that heretofore have been  too difficult.  High-performance workstations,  "supercomputers on  the  desktop,"  and parallel computation in its many forms will all create an environment where more difficult problems can be addressed.

In  addition,  this  computational  improvement  has  led  to  advances  in  the  use  of  scientific visualization  techniques.  Other engineering  disciplines  have  realized  the  value  of  these  tools  in identifying  trends  and patterns  in data that couldn't be  seen  otherwise.  Industrial  engineers  can also use these powerful tools, and we find their value to be tremendous.

No Time/Space Barriers

Through  e-mail,  cellular  communications,  wireless  computing,  groupware,  video  conferencing, and  telepresence, a virtual setting  is possible.  Benefits  abound.  Reduced  facility  cost,  reduced travel expenses,  less pollution, more flexible time for employees, ability  to  handle  special  needs (e.g., working mothers, handicapped),  and drawing  skills  from people around  the world  or  from people whose skills otherwise may not be utilized.

IMPACTS ON INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERS

These technologies are fun to discuss, but the bottom line  is  the  impact on  industrial  engineers.  It is evident how  they may affect our  working  lives,  and  we've  experienced much  of  this  change already.  But how will it affect  the actual work we do?  For  example, how will work be measured in this new environment?  There may be employees who have no need to be on  site.  How will we observe their work,  as we  have traditionally  done  in  the  past?  Or  do we  need  to  observe  their work?  Will we  as  IEs  concern ourselves with output  as  the  sole measure of performance?  Let's consider but a few of the issues that are  relevant.

Products/Services Issues

Virtual  products will be customer oriented,  requiring continued  focus  on  quality.  Organizations must become learning, flexible, and highly-adaptive, with high  responsiveness  to customer needs. Organizations must provide products and services with a very short  cycle time.  Also,  product  life cycles will continue to shrink.

Infrastructure Issues

Organizations will "go virtual."  There will be an  increased demand for  industrial  engineers  to use their human factors skills in designing new infrastructures.

Management Issues

Planning  how  to  hire  employees will  be  important.  We will  see  the  rise  in  the  "employee  as consultant,"  i.e.,  a "freelance worker" who may work for many different organizations, perhaps all without  leaving  his  or  her  home.  How  will  this  affect  compensation  and  performance measurement  systems?  What  sort  of job  classifications will  be  required?  What  about  quality control?  The labor force of  the future may be build on a "just-in-time" basis.

The virtual workplace will require totally  different management procedures.  Personnel  selection and  placement  will  become  more  challenging.  Employees  may  feel  isolated.  Performance measurement and evaluation will be  increasingly difficult.  Traditional  industrial  engineering  tools and techniques may not be useful in this new environment.  How will effective work measurement be conducted?

Culture is critical.  Trust will have to be at the highest  level in virtual  settings.  The organization cannot  succeed  in  partnerships  without  trust.  Since employees may be  "just-in  time"  or  on  a consulting basis, what will happen to culture,  identity,  loyalty, and a sense of  community?

Training and Skills Issues

The new environment will require working in teams.  The work place is getting  "flatter," and  team- centered.  A greater percentage of  employees will be doing knowledge work.  Industrial  engineers will  face  increasing  pressure  to  become  more  "general"  because  the  environment will  change rapidly  and  require different kinds  of  skills.  However,  increased  pressures  will  cause  IEs  to focus, providing a dilemma  for the industrial  engineer  in  the work  place.  One  thing  is  certain, industrial  engineers will require expertise in computer and information  technologies.

ARE WE READY?

Indeed, the profession of  industrial  engineering will have to evolve considerably if we  are to meet the challenges  that  lie ahead.  Are we  ready?  How do we change?  Do we  have  the  tools?  As educators, are we teaching the "right" things?

Can  what  we  do  now,  including  the  tools  we  use,  be  transferred  to  this  new,  emerging environment?  We  don't  know  the  answers  yet,  but we  do  know  they  must  be  forthcoming. Industrial  engineering, as a profession,  is  in danger of losing  its  identity.  Other professions  are encroaching on our  traditional  areas.  We must be prepared  to the challenges that lie ahead.  Are we ready?