Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) focuses on production systems that provide products (goods and services) for customers throughout the world. Industrial engineers define, design, build, operate and improve production processes that convert resources to products effectively (e.g., high quality), efficiently (e.g., high productivity) and safely.
 

People are the fundamental components of production systems. People provide the creativity and leadership essential to make things happen. Hence, industrial engineering is the most people-oriented discipline within the engineering family. Industrial engineers are trained to think in both broad and specific terms. Practicing industrial engineers understand business parameters as well as physical and social parameters within production systems. This breadth allows industrial engineers to function effectively in a wide spectrum of activities ranging from strategic business planning to detailed task design. The wide-angle vision of industrial engineering provides career flexibility, leading to high-level leadership or specialized technical responsibilities.

Industrial engineers are found in manufacturing organizations (e.g., automotive, electronics, medical and food manufacturers), service enterprises (e.g., hospitals, banks, airlines and consulting groups), and governmental organizations (e.g., public service and regulatory organizations).