The new design: the changing role of industrial engineers in the design process through the use of simulation

The ever-increasing use of digital manufacturing and virtual factory environments is allowing the industrial engineer (IE) to be brought into the design process as a true systems integrator. The shop-floor role moves into the computer world as digital mockups, rapid prototyping, assembly simulation, ergonomic workplace assessment, and robotic simulation necessitate production requirements validation. This discussion provides insight into the current and future use of IE´s and discrete event simulation (DES) in a multi-disciplinary design environment