Industrial Engineers
I can tell you that in the moment that just passed while you were reading the title of this piece, Apple had earned roughly $12,000. In 2021 alone, Apple's revenue exceeded $365 billion. That company, which chose a bitten apple as its logo and which makes our iPhones, Macs, and other products and services, sits at the top of the world's companies with a market value that reached $2.201 trillion in 2022. But did you know that Apple was on the verge of bankruptcy in the 1990s, making no profit at all, until it hired an engineer named Tim Cook, who held a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering and had extensive experience managing manufacturing and distribution operations within companies? Early in his time there, Tim Cook worked to cut the company's costs — he reduced the number of suppliers for Apple's raw materials from 100 down to just 24, and worked to get Apple's products shipped to markets as quickly as possible. Products that used to sit in warehouses for months were now staying just five days, which helped cut the number of Apple's warehouses in half. All of this helped save millions in expenses and generate huge gains — within just a single year of his hiring, Apple achieved profits of $309 million. Tim Cook kept climbing the ranks at Apple until he became CEO of the company in 2011, and under him Apple achieved all the success we see today. Tim Cook is a living example of what a professional industrial engineer should be — the industrial engineer is responsible for improving processes within companies in a way that achieves the highest-efficiency production of products at the lowest cost and in the fastest time, examining the procedures and methods companies follow during manufacturing, storage, and shipping processes, and coming up with ways to help reduce the money spent during these stages and other matters we'll discuss in more detail in the lines ahead.
Meet the Writer: Waleed Abo Omiraa
What You'll Actually Do
The core tasks and responsibilities that fill a typical day.
- Analyze statistical data and product specifications to determine standards and establish quality and reliability objectives of finished product.
- Develop manufacturing methods, labor utilization standards, and cost analysis systems to promote efficient staff and facility utilization.
- Recommend methods for improving utilization of personnel, material, and utilities.
- Plan and establish sequence of operations to fabricate and assemble parts or products and to promote efficient utilization.
- Apply statistical methods and perform mathematical calculations to determine manufacturing processes, staff requirements, and production standards.
- Draft and design layout of equipment, materials, and workspace to illustrate maximum efficiency using drafting tools and computer.
- Review production schedules, engineering specifications, orders, and related information to obtain knowledge of manufacturing methods, procedures, and activities.
- Communicate with management and user personnel to develop production and design standards.
- Formulate sampling procedures and designs and develop forms and instructions for recording, evaluating, and reporting quality and reliability data.
- Record or oversee recording of information to ensure currency of engineering drawings and documentation of production problems.
- Study operations sequence, material flow, functional statements, organization charts, and project information to determine worker functions and responsibilities.
- Direct workers engaged in product measurement, inspection, and testing activities to ensure quality control and reliability.
- Implement methods and procedures for disposition of discrepant material and defective or damaged parts, and assess cost and responsibility.
- Evaluate precision and accuracy of production and testing equipment and engineering drawings to formulate corrective action plan.
- Complete production reports, purchase orders, and material, tool, and equipment lists.
- Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action, and control.
- Coordinate and implement quality control objectives, activities, or procedures to resolve production problems, maximize product reliability, or minimize costs.
- Confer with clients, vendors, staff, and management personnel regarding purchases, product and production specifications, manufacturing capabilities, or project status.