The first challenge in addresing this question is defining the "right things”. One way to define the "right things" is as those problems which if solved would provide the most benefit to the total operation of interest. This definition implies an integrated system view by the industrial engineer at the broadest organizational level possible.
The trend in manufacturing costs has been toward increasing the indirect labor portion while reducing the direct labor portion. Has the percentage of industrial engineering effort followed the same trend? Our perception is that industrial engineering in most companies has not done so. We hear a number of reasons for this. Some of them are as follows: 1.) We don't have as good a set of tools for dealing with indirect or white collar labor. 2.) The problems are quite different. 3.) We haven't done this before. 4.) Management is more interested in direct labor savings. 5.)Direct labor forms the basis of the cost accounting system.
Industrial engineers need to better understand and address the total functional interdependencies within a company, rather than treating manufacturing as an island. We tend to attack manufacturing costs instead of addressing total company costs. We design systems to support production engineering, but often ignore the engineering design function. Factory networks are put in place, but often don't tie into total company information networks.
Understanding the impact engineering has on manufacturing is probably one of the most critical challenges facing industrial engineers today. We do a great job of designing group technology cells, but until we convince engineering to embrace this philosophy along with the resulting design standardization, we are realizing only a portion of the potential benefits.
Inventory control has long been the forte of the industrial engineer. But how many industrial engineers understand configuration management and the tremendous impact that engineering changes have on inventory levels as well as other indirect manufacturing costs involved in implementing these changes?
For about a decade we have been seeing literature dealing with the importance of manufacturing in the strategy of the firm. The results to date have not been impressive. Industrial engineers need to accept some of the blame for this lack of results. We can point to a number of industrial engineers who have roles in the strategic areas of their businesses. However, the percentage of them is pretty low. We see this resulting in analyses and presentations that do not get the attention of general management.
Our challenge as industrial engineers is to continually seek an understanding of where our overall company or organization is headed and then be sure our plans fit this direction. The next step is to seek ways to influence the total organization's strategic plans.
The importance of selecting the right things to work on cannot be overstated. Many industrial engineers have spent a great deal of time and money working on a problem only to find out that some more strategic element has eliminated the need to solve that problem.
The trend in manufacturing costs has been toward increasing the indirect labor portion while reducing the direct labor portion. Has the percentage of industrial engineering effort followed the same trend? Our perception is that industrial engineering in most companies has not done so. We hear a number of reasons for this. Some of them are as follows: 1.) We don't have as good a set of tools for dealing with indirect or white collar labor. 2.) The problems are quite different. 3.) We haven't done this before. 4.) Management is more interested in direct labor savings. 5.)Direct labor forms the basis of the cost accounting system.
Industrial engineers need to better understand and address the total functional interdependencies within a company, rather than treating manufacturing as an island. We tend to attack manufacturing costs instead of addressing total company costs. We design systems to support production engineering, but often ignore the engineering design function. Factory networks are put in place, but often don't tie into total company information networks.
Understanding the impact engineering has on manufacturing is probably one of the most critical challenges facing industrial engineers today. We do a great job of designing group technology cells, but until we convince engineering to embrace this philosophy along with the resulting design standardization, we are realizing only a portion of the potential benefits.
Inventory control has long been the forte of the industrial engineer. But how many industrial engineers understand configuration management and the tremendous impact that engineering changes have on inventory levels as well as other indirect manufacturing costs involved in implementing these changes?
For about a decade we have been seeing literature dealing with the importance of manufacturing in the strategy of the firm. The results to date have not been impressive. Industrial engineers need to accept some of the blame for this lack of results. We can point to a number of industrial engineers who have roles in the strategic areas of their businesses. However, the percentage of them is pretty low. We see this resulting in analyses and presentations that do not get the attention of general management.
Our challenge as industrial engineers is to continually seek an understanding of where our overall company or organization is headed and then be sure our plans fit this direction. The next step is to seek ways to influence the total organization's strategic plans.
The importance of selecting the right things to work on cannot be overstated. Many industrial engineers have spent a great deal of time and money working on a problem only to find out that some more strategic element has eliminated the need to solve that problem.
1 komentar:
Ryanti Setyoningtyas Dinaputri (115060701111058)
As a industrial engineers candidates, the important thing we must do is know all of the sciences that applied in industrial engineering. This is related to our profession in the future. We must not become industrial engineers who only become graduated from an university for an industrial engineer degree. But more than that, we should become an actual industrial engineer who helped advance the development of industry in Indonesia.
The most easy and simple to do as an industrial engineering student is learning very seriously and apply the science that we get when we work later. It can minimize and avoid the mistakes and confusion when we work. Besides, it seems easy but it is very difficult to do is to be wise in our profession. Considerations and decisions will very often encountered in our work circle later.
In this case, there is a fairly complicated problem in making decisions about the portion of direct labor and indirect labor in a system. Although it is always stressed in a company : gain benefits as much as possible and keep production costs down, but we also have to consider the humanitarian side.
Direct labor, in this case human, and indirect labor called the machine, has its own advantages and disadvantages in the job. The question is which side should be overlooked first : direct labor or indirect labor? some things you should considered is 1. indirect labor have a much higher accuracy level than the direct labor 2. indirect labor have stability in production and are not affected by things that can not be illogical. 3. direct labor are very sensitive to the response in the vicinity. Then this is a policy that we should think about, whether will create a system based on direct labor or indirect labor.
So, just be wise industrial engineer guys!
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