Factory to network: Democratizing manufacturing a new mandate for IEs
Industrial engineers will define the next era of operational excellence
By Mayank Bhalerao, Harshkumar Parmar and Shivakumar Raman
A decade ago, producing aerospace grade titanium components, biocompatible medical implants or precision automotive
assemblies required tens of millions of dollars in capital equipment, decades of accumulated process expertise and
qualification within a tightly gated supplier network. These three requirements formed the structural perimeter of
modern manufacturing, and for most of the 20th century they shaped competitive dynamics within the industry as well
as the methods and assumptions of the industrial engineering discipline itself.
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