The tools and techniques of industrial engineering aim at improving the productivity of the organization by optimum utilization of organization’s resources, i.e. men, materials and machines.

The various tools and techniques of industrial engineering are:

i) Method study: To establish a standard method of performing a job or an operation after thorough analysis of the jobs and to establish the layout of production facilities to have an uniform flow of material without back tracking.

ii) Time study: This is a technique used to establish a standard time for a job or for an operation

iii) Motion economy: This is used to analyze the motions employed by the operators to do the work. The principles of motion economy and motion analysis are very useful in mass production or for short cycle repetitive jobs.

iv) Financial and non-financial incentives: These helps to evolve at a rational compensation for the efforts of the workers.

v) Value analysis: It ensures that no unnecessary costs are built into the product and it tries to provide the required functions at the minimum cost. Hence, helps to enhance the worth of the product.

vi) Production, planning and control: This includes the planning for the resources (like men, materials and machines), proper scheduling and controlling production activities to ensure the right quantity, quality of the product at predetermined time and pre established cost.

vii) Inventory control: To find the economic lot size and the recorder levels for the items so that the items should be made available to the production at the right time and quantity to avoid stock out situation and with minimum capital lock-up.

viii) Job evaluation: This is a technique which is used to determine the relative worth of jobs of the organization to aid in matching jobs and personnel and to arrive at sound wage policy.

ix) Material handling analysis: To scientifically analyze the movement of materials through various departments to eliminate unnecessary movement to enhance of material handling.

x) Ergonomics (Human engineering): It is concerned with study of relationship between man and his working conditions to minimize mental and physical stress. It is concerned with man-machine systems.

xi) System analysis is the study of various sub-systems and elements that make a system, their interdependencies in order to design, modify and improve them to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness.

xii) Operation research techniques: These techniques aid to arrive at the optimal solutions to the problems based on the set objective and constraints imposed on the problems.

The techniques that are more often used are:

a. Linear programming problems

b. Simulation models

c. Queuing models

d. Network analysis(CPM & PERT)

e. Assignment, sequencing and transportation models.