Blog Post 3: Famous Industrial Engineers

In my third blog post, I am going to discuss some of the most famous and also most successful Industrial Engineers. These three men used their backgrounds in Industrial Engineering to help them to be leaders in their respective industries. I will discuss Henry Ford, Michael Duke, and Tim Cook.

The first Industrial Engineer that I will discuss is Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company. One could argue that Henry Ford is the most famous Industrial Engineer of all time. One could also make a case that he was also one of the most successful. Henry Ford did not invent the automobile, but did forever change the industry. He took the design of a hand built, heavy, and expensive vehicle and transformed it into an affordable vehicle that could be mass produced. Ford also gets credit for the invention of the assembly line.

The next Industrial Engineer that has made great use of his knowledge is Michael Duke. Duke is the President and CEO of Wal-Mart. He received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering in 1971 and has since been in many powerful positions. Duke has also served on many boards and is considered by all to be a very successful man.

The last Industrial Engineer I will talk about is Tim Cook. Cook was named Apple’s CEO on August 24, 2011 after the tragic passing of Steve Jobs. He used his background in Industrial Engineering to save Apple millions by closing unnecessary warehouses and factories. This move made Apple much more efficient and got him promoted to Chief Operating Officer.

In conclusion, I have a lot of admiration for all of these men for their accomplishments. All three of them used lean knowledge and skills to become some of the most famous Industrial Engineers to date.