It is true that information systems are fueled by developments in web technology. The basic principles of IE are still valid (such as Standardization, Simplification and Integration with a concern for Productivity, Quality and Reliability) . The web 2.0 has made connectivity and interactivity possible. This has changed the format but the issues of IE still remains contemporary. IT has made strides in enhancing productivity. The 24 x 7 connectivity has only enhanced customer expectations and aspirations driving quality. The new IT based architecture has also increased our awareness about reliable systems. Thus new technologies have only underlined our penchant for searching IE solutions.
Concepts of basic Industrial engineneering tools are redefined and quoted as new terms such as Lean, JIT, BPR. Basic concepts of these tools have roots emerged from IE. Unfortunately majority of academecians oversee/ignore this subject at U.G.level. especially subject like ergonomics could not be able to find in scheme of B.TECH (IPE) not even as elective, which has strong connectivity to Information systems.
Absolutely. IT has changed how IE concepts and techniques are applied, but the challenges of productivity and quality improvement are even greater today. I would cite two general trends which were greatly bolstered by IT development, but have also posed huge challenges to efficient operations management: globalization of operations and mass customization.
What I mean for the term "globalization" is the sprawling of the operations of a company among many countries, so that a product which is to be sold in Brazil is designed in Europe, manufactured in China or India, and distributed through a complex logistic network. Obviously IT plays a key role in coordinating all the operations, but the business intelligence in the background is provided by managers and engineers with solid knowledge in IE concepts and techniques.
The other trend is "mass customization", which refers to the mass production of highly customized products. Although IT allowed for the development of websites in which a customer conveniently chooses the features she wants in the product, such as color and size, the manufacturing side has to cope with all the variability this sort of customization brings about, and this requires a great deal of modern IE techniques.
I see an interesting view emerging. IE by definition is human centred. Our definition of human centred has changes a lot. Thanks to interactive and connecting technologies, we have become more and more machine centric at the same time more reconciled with emerging human issues related to man-machine interactions. And that is where IE comes into picture !
The development of the ICT (Information & Communication Technologies) has opened up an entirely new field were to apply (some of) the rules we have learnt by studying IE, from Ford down to Toyota production systems. It is the new domain of Servive Engineering.
So, contrary to being redundant, IE's scope has been redefined.
Just to make an exemple I am currently advising a company that offers large banking or insurance operators installation, warranty, repair and substitution services for their large PCs and peripherals installed bases. The issue here is how to standardize and modularize service operations.
This is interesting. From a conventional product oriented, mass production based systems, operations management has moved to service oriented , mass customization orientation. In this context, I think, web enabled developments have refined the scope and scale o IE.
Typically an industrial engineer is a specialist in generalizations !
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