What emerging areas of industrial engineering is your association exploring?

1 Smart Manufacturing

Smart manufacturing is the integration of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, big data, robotics, and cloud computing, to create intelligent and connected production systems. Smart manufacturing enables real-time monitoring, analysis, and control of manufacturing processes and resources, as well as enhanced collaboration and communication among stakeholders. Smart manufacturing can improve product quality, reduce waste and energy consumption, increase flexibility and customization, and enhance competitiveness and innovation. Your association can help you learn more about smart manufacturing by providing webinars, workshops, publications, and networking opportunities with experts and practitioners in this field.

2 Healthcare Engineering

Healthcare engineering is the application of industrial engineering methods and tools to improve the delivery and quality of healthcare services. Healthcare engineering involves designing, analyzing, and optimizing healthcare systems and processes, such as patient flow, resource allocation, infection control, medical decision making, and health information management. Healthcare engineering can help reduce costs, improve outcomes, enhance patient safety and satisfaction, and address the challenges of aging populations, chronic diseases, and pandemics. Your association can support you in healthcare engineering by offering training, certification, mentoring, and advocacy programs, as well as connecting you with healthcare organizations and professionals.

3 Sustainable Engineering

Sustainable engineering is the practice of industrial engineering that considers the environmental, social, and economic impacts of engineering solutions. Sustainable engineering aims to minimize the negative effects and maximize the positive benefits of engineering activities on the natural and human systems. Sustainable engineering can involve reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving natural resources, promoting circular economy, enhancing social equity, and creating value for stakeholders. Your association can foster your sustainable engineering skills by facilitating research, education, standards, and awards in this area, as well as encouraging you to participate in sustainability initiatives and projects.

4 Data Science and Analytics

Data science and analytics is the science and art of extracting insights and value from large and complex data sets. Data science and analytics can help industrial engineers solve problems, make decisions, and generate innovations by applying techniques such as statistics, machine learning, visualization, and optimization. Data science and analytics can enable industrial engineers to discover patterns, trends, and relationships in data, as well as to predict, prescribe, and evaluate scenarios and actions. Your association can enhance your data science and analytics capabilities by providing access to data sources, tools, platforms, and best practices, as well as by organizing competitions, events, and communities in this domain.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?