Management Theory Review: Methods Efficiency Engineering

May 31, 2019

Methods Efficiency Engineering

Productivity Engineering - Principle of Industrial Engineering

Industrial engineering is concerned with redesign of engineering systems with a view to improve their productivity. Industrial engineers analyze productivity of each resource used in engineering systems and redesign as necessary to improve productivity.

It has to be ensured that the increase in productivity due to the use of low-cost materials, processes and increasing speed of machines and men, should not lead to any decrease in quality of the output.

Similarly, operators should not feel any discomfort, not have any health problems or safety issues in the redesigned more productive processes.

Methods Efficiency Engineering - Method of Industrial Engineering

In industrial engineering, there is a branch popularized as methods engineering, method study or work study. The right term for this subject should be "Methods Efficiency Engineering". Methods Engineering is the process of coming out with methods to manufacture a component, a product or to perform a service. Methods engineering is expected to come out with effective and efficient method. Industrial engineering participates in the methods engineering activity to provide efficiency related services.

Industrial engineers use analysis to find inefficiencies in proposed methods or existing ways of work and then synthesize the new method having the most efficient components and then standardize the method. It includes training workmen also. Then they develop standard times for the installed standard times.

For improving methods efficiency, industrial engineers use process efficiency analysis techniques, operation efficiency analysis techniques and motion efficiency analysis techniques.

Process efficiency analysis questions the need for every step in the analysis and looks at the possibilities for changing the sequence of operations and for combining or splitting operations further to enhance the efficiency of the process.

Operation analysis looks at each operation and resources used in the operations. It looks at the equipment used, time the equipment is utilized, the tools used, jigs and fixtures used, energy consumption, material consumption, work place layout, material handing method used, and inventory. Motion analysis examines the motions made by the operator.