An Operations Science to Transform the Industrial and Systems Engineering Profession

摘要

Industrial and Systems Engineering ("ISE") as a profession has lacked a single underlying science in the way that, for example, Chemistry forms the basis of Chemical Engineering. This paper will state the recently developed science underpinning ISE and suggest ideas for transforming the ISE profession to a role of industry leadership. Factory Physics [1] is a textbook selected as Book of the Year by the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers ("IISE") when it was first published in 1996. Factory Physics defines the relationships between variability, demand, inventory, capacity, response time (customer service) and cost in an innovative framework. The book provides a foundation of works systems science and is in use at universities around the world. It is also widely used in industry as a reference on operations management. Work systems science forms the basis of the ISE profession and provides an opportunity to transform the profession from application of "specialized knowledge and skill" in various related sciences to leadership in a fundamental science of industry. The implications to IISE, its members and operations management in the world at large are profound.