The idea of production is to take a job and break it down into simple and repeatable task that can be performed with precision by the same set of operators. If the workstation and task are not designed properly the worker will be subjected to safety and health risk. Companies sometimes choose to ignore violations due to cost. The IE should be aware of these issues and work with management to resolve them as quickly as possible.
People
This area is what sets industrial engineering apart from the other engineering disciplines. The IE undergoes several courses in psychology and social science to help them understand some of the work place dynamics involved in managing people. It also helps them develop effective methods of dealing with these problems. Other areas of concern for the IE are how many people are required, is the job designed correctly (Ergonomics), is the operation safe, what level of pay should paid for the work, etc.
Manpower Requirements
To understand the manpower requirement a great deal of time study and motion study activity will need to occur. Depending on the company’s policies for setting work standards one of several methods will be chosen. Typical time study or predetermined time systems(PTS) MTM, MOST,GSD.
Facilities Layout
The IE will also be responsible of laying out the equipment and material storage locations for the plant. The key part of this analysis is how things will flow through the plant. You don’t want the parts to travel any further then they must. Traveling is a form of waste that needs to be minimized. This were Lean Manufacturing or Kiazen comes into play.
Machines
The IE will be looking at the amount of time it will take to set-up the machine, the cycle time of the machine, the number of operators required, the foot-print size, the power requirements, as well as the ergonomic design. The IE needs to integrate the equipment in a production environment. If the machine runs too fast then the company is buying excess capacity that may not be able to be used. If the machine runs to slow then the company is injecting a bottleneck into the system. The bottleneck will regulate the output of that part of the system. These are the types of considerations that the IE goes through during the selection of a machine.
Training
Standards are set using people that are familiar with the job and people who have mastered the skills required to perform the job. If other individuals are going to be expected to perform at this level then they will need to be trained.