IntroductionIndustrial engineering is a branch of engineering that entails the utilization of essential factors of production to create new products and improve the quality of already existing product and services. The major production factors include machines, information, people, money, knowledge, materials, and energy. These factors together with physical, mathematical, economical, and social science assist the industrial engineers to base their focus on reducing the cost of production and improving the efficiency of work. To achieve this, industrial engineers evaluate, predict, and implement a strategy for the existing business in orders to save available resources needed for production.
Industrial Engineers and their Pay
Industrial engineers are individuals who have the knowledge, skills, and experience to operate the industry’s production and processing units. They are professionals in project management, facility and engineering design, accounting, operations research, ergonomics, computer science, supply chain management, financial, management, systems, and process engineering (Gale, 2014).To be an industrial engineer in any field, one must have a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, or a master’s degree in the same (Beverly, 2013). Usually, they depend most on computer system to operate on duties such as conducting the flow and supply chain and designing new equipment and facilities.
Industrial engineers work either in offices or their improvement sectors such as logistics, hospitals or healthcare services, manufacturing, entertainment, energy, and many others (Watada, 2014). They major on production or inventions and processing by constructing a new facility, coming up with new tools and processes and denoting equipment purchased from the salespersons. They improve their production by providing better quality products and customer services, investing in profitable businesses, and working to ensure the reduction of the cost of new technologies (Osman & Jamaluddin, 2013).
Industrial engineers work in different departments depending on their qualifications and areas of specialization. That is, lean coordinators are available in all industries especially in manufacturing industries, and they deal with common business practice to limit on the waste. They perform duties such as lean training and other assignments concerned with the organization of the workplace, reduction of production cost, and processing improvement (Beverly, 2013). Quality assurance engineer on other hand, are found in most manufacturing industries. They use audits to standardize the quality of the products and reduce the cost of production by limiting factors that might interfere with the quality of the products. Supply chain solutions engineer organizes organization information, technology, people, movement of products and services. They achieve this by conducting various investigations on processes, materials, cost of production and technology in order to maximize customer satisfaction and the industry’s profits (Gale, 2014).
Engineers dealing with healthcare management are qualified consultants to hospitals and other healthcare organization who acts as problem solvers. They coordinate, staff, control, and implement new technologies in the health centers (Kjell, 2001).Project managers organize a group of people, assign work to them, conduct a follow-up procedure, monitor the progress, and adjust the goals when there is need. The project managers ensure the group work towards achieving the objectives of the company (Osman & Jamaluddin, 2013).
The salary of an industrial engineer begins at an excellent level and continues to rise to high rank depending on one’s education qualification and work experience (Gale, 2014). According to 2014 statistical records, the average salary for a newly graduated individual with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering ranges from $49,636 to $70,852. Those individuals with a master’s degree in industrial engineering and around eight years of experience earn between $69,849 and $106,304. Finally, senior engineers with master’s or doctorate in industrial engineering and more than 15 years of experience receive between $89,587 and $131,045 (Kjell, 2001).
Conclusion
Industrial engineers dot not only enjoy the great payments but also get more stimulating rewards to the professionals, who have relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The field of industrial engineering is very wide, and professionals demand is high. There are available scholarships and degrees in many colleges, and the career offers movements and, therefore, reduces boredom.
- Beverly, R. (2013). Engineer Salaries: Good News, So-So News. Engineered Systems, vol.30, no. (8). P.6.
- Gale, K. (2014). Industrial Engineering Technicians. Cengage Learning, vol.20, no. (81). P.116.
- Kjell, B. Z. (2001). The Role and Career of the Industrial Engineer in the Modern Organization. McGraw-Hill Professional.
- Osman, S. & Jamaluddin, N. (2013). Industrial Training as Gateway to Engineering Career: Experience Sharing. Procedia – Social And Behavioral Sciences, 102(6th International Forum on Engineering Education (IFEE 2012), 48-54. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013. vol.10, no.(7). P.12.
- Watada, J. (2014). Industrial Applications of Affective Engineering. Cham: Springer.
