Industrial engineers in a manufacturing organization address many issues including designing workplaces, considering not only the capabilities of machines, but also the physiological and psychological capabilities of humans. They may design computer-integrated manufacturing systems with robots and computer systems to control production or manage inventory and quality of complex products, determining plant and warehouse locations. They may also develop sales forecasts, evaluate proposals to produce new products and build new or improved production facilities.
The same skills used as an industrial engineer to design manufacturing systems are also useful in designing better systems to care for patients in hospitals, to facilitate the judicial process, to provide faster and more accurate mail distribution and to improve airline routing and reservation methods. In effect, the industrial engineer may be involved in the design of a range of systems that provide beneficial services at a cost that society can afford.