Examples of what an Industrial Engineer might do:
• Develop and implement a computer-based information system
• Develop a bar-code tracking system for medical devices
• Develop an optimal production schedule for a manufacturing facility
• Decide on the best way to manage the distribution of a company's products
• Streamline a hospital's emergency room
• Improve quality and efficiency in an automobile production line
• Develop an optimal plan for refining crude oil into various petroleum products
• Find the best way to lay out machines and equipment on a shop floor
• Schedule flights and crews
Industrial engineers are everywhere and make good money! Information
and computers are critical components of industrial engineering and the
advances in these areas have caused the application of industrial
engineering to expand beyond factories and manufacturing to hospitals,
transportation, consulting companies, food processing companies,
computer/computer software companies, nonprofit organizations, media
operations, banks, utilities, and government.
Starting salaries for
industrial engineers that range from $47,000 to $62,000 per year are
quite common. Interestingly, a Fortune magazine survey found the top
salaries made by industrial engineers to be, on average, much higher
than the top salaries for other engineering disciplines - this is
because many industrial engineers move on to become high-paid
upper-level managers later on in their careers. As you can see, the
opportunities for an industrial engineer are diverse and endless!