INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS IN TRANSPORTATION:THE ROLE OF THE INDUSTRIAL ENGINEER IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS

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THE ROLE OF THE INDUSTRIAL ENGINEER IN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION OPERATIONS

The role of the industrial engineer in the transportation industry is primarily to aid the organization in providing a high level of service at a competitive price. The industrial engineer has the skills necessary to assist in many areas that impact the effectiveness of the transportation system:

• Work measurement and methods analysis: Labor is a large component of the total cost of service in the transportation industry. The pilot, driver, captain, or engineer literally controls the ‘‘con- tainer’’ of goods or people in transit. The design of effective work methods and the development of the appropriate work measurement offer tools that aid management in the control and exe- cution of transportation processes and provide a mechanism by which the performance of the system can be measured. Methods design and work measurement are often used to develop comprehensive work scheduling and vehicle routing systems aimed at reducing costs and meet- ing all service commitments.

• Facility design and location: The determination of the number of facilities required to move materials and finished goods from one point to another, their capacity, and their location is often considered one of the traditional roles of the industrial engineer. The use of single (e.g., decen- tralized) vs. regional distribution center locations and the determination of the territory served by a local terminal are part of the transportation system design process. In addition, industrial engineers will often aid in the decision process to determine whether a facility should be au- tomated or be built using manual sorting systems.

• System design: The integration of the components of the transportation process into a highly efficient system also involves the industrial engineer.

• Equipment: Requirements, design and selection of trucks, trailers, containers, aircraft, scanners, communication devices, materials-handling systems, etc. are tasks undertaken by the industrial engineer.

• Facility layout: The industrial engineer is often responsible for the design of facility layouts that will offer the most effective arrangement of the physical components and materials-handling equipment inside distribution centers and delivery terminals.

• Asset utilization and control: The design of systems and procedures to balance and manage the number of trucks, trailers, containers, aircraft, scanners, communication devices, and materials- handling systems required to facilitate the transportation processes is one more area requiring the attention of the industrial engineer.

• Measurement systems: Industrial engineers also participate in the development of effective trans- portation performance measures, including customer satisfaction, cost, and plan accuracy.

As indicated by this list, the industrial engineer adds great value to the transportation industry. Industrial engineering principles are highly applicable in this complex industry. Industrial engineers continue to serve as key members of the teams responsible for the design and integration of systems to facilitate the movement of goods, people, funds, and information in this increasingly competitive industry.

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