Industrial engineering has its roots in the industrial revolution in the mid-18th
to early nineteenth century. As production shifted from small enterprises to largescale factories, and the production of goods became increasingly mechanized and specialized, factory owners realized that improving the efficiency of these new production processes could reduce waste and increase productivity.
Industrial engineering has come a long way since its beginnings on the shop
floors of England. Looking to the future, services are forming an ever-increasing
share of economic output, both in the United States and elsewhere. Entire industries
are being rapidly transformed via analytics and computation. Digitization and
machine learning in the workplace are changing the nature and structure of work and
the nature and structure of organizations. Automation and robotics have replaced
many jobs once done by people. Increasing numbers of people are employed as
“knowledge workers.” Digital platforms that allow for spontaneously matching
customer needs with available resources are becoming more pervasive. Industrial
engineering has evolved and will continue to evolve in the face of these and other
changes.