Industrial technology
Industrial technology is the field concerned with the application of basic engineering principles and technical skills in support of industrial engineers and managers. Industrial Technology programs typically include instruction in optimization theory, human factors, organizational behavior, industrial processes, industrial planning procedures, computer applications, and report and presentation preparation.[1][2]
Planning and designing manufacturing processes and equipment is a main aspect of being an industrial technologist. An Industrial Technologist is often responsible for implementing certain designs and processes. Industrial Technology involves the management, operation, and maintenance of complex operation systems.
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[edit] Accreditation and certification
The Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering (ATMAE), accredits selected collegiate programs in Industrial Technology. An instructor or graduate of an Industrial Technology program may choose to become a Certified Technology Manager (CTM) by sitting for a rigorous exam administered by ATMAE covering Production Planning & Control, Safety, Quality, and Management/Supervison.
ATMAE program accreditation is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) for accrediting Industrial Technology programs. CHEA recognizes ATMAE in the U.S. for accrediting associate, baccalaureate, and master’s degree programs in technology, applied technology, engineering technology, and technology-related disciplines delivered by national or regional accredited institutions in the United States.(2011)[3]
[edit] Knowledge base
Industrial Technology includes wide-ranging subject matter and could be viewed as an amalgamation of industrial engineering and business topics with a focus on practicality and management of technical systems with less focus on actual engineering of those systems.
Typical curriculum at a four-year university might include courses on manufacturing process, technology and impact on society, mechanical and electronic systems, quality assurance and control, materials science, packaging, production and operations management, and manufacturing facility planning and design. In addition, the Industrial Technologist may have exposure to more vocational-style education in the form of courses on CNC manufacturing, welding, and other tools-of-the-trade in manufacturing. This differentiates the field of Industrial Technology from other engineering and business disciplines. Graduates of Industrial Technology programs work with and between engineers, top management and production-line workers.
[edit] Industrial Technologist
Industrial Technology program graduates obtain a majority of positions which are applied engineering and/or management oriented. Since "Industrial Technologist" is not a common job title in the United States, the actual bachelor degree earned by the individual is obscured by the job title he/she receives. Typical job titles for degreed industrial technologists include production manager, plant manager, project manager, production supervisor, project engineer, manufacturing engineer, process engineer, etc.
A technologist curriculum may focus or specialize in a certain technical area of study. Examples of this includes electronics, manufacturing, construction, graphics, automation/robotics, CADD, nanotechnology, aviation, etc. Industrial Technology is considered to be a career path that is separate and distinct from that of engineering. The Council for Higher Education (CHEA) acknowledges technology and engineering as independent career paths.
[edit] Technological development in industry
A major subject of study is technological development in industry. This has been defined as:
- the introduction of new tools and techniques for performing given tasks in production, distribution, data processing (etc.);
- the mechanization of the production process, or the achievement of a state of greater autonomy of technical production systems from human control, responsibility, or intervention;
- changes in the nature and level of integration of technical production systems, or enhanced interdependence;
- the development, utilization, and application of new scientific ideas, concepts, and information in production and other processes; and
- enhancement of technical performance capabilities, or increase in the efficiency of tools, equipment, and techniques in performing given tasks.
Studies in this area often employ a multi-disciplinary research methodology and shade off into the wider analysis of business and economic growth (development, performance). The studies are often based on a mixture of industrial field research and desk-based data analysis and aim to be of interest and use to practitioners in business management and investment (etc.) as well as academics. In engineering, construction, textiles, food and drugs, chemicals and petroleum, and other industries the focus has been not just on the nature and factors facilitating and hampering the introduction and utilization of new technologies but also on the impact of new technologies on the production organization (etc.) of firms and various social and other wider aspects of the technological development process.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ U.S. Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences: Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP). Retrieved on October 26, 2009 from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/cip2000/occupationallookup6d.ASP?CIP=15.0612
- ^ ATMAE Membership Venn Diagram. http://atmae.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=227&Itemid=48
- ^ ATMAE Scope of Recognition [1]
- ^ Abbott, Lewis F. Technological Development in Industry: A Business-Economic Survey and Analysis, ISR Publications, Manchester UK, revised second edition 2003, page 1. ISBN 978-0-906321-29-4.
- ^ Technological Development In Industry: A Business-Economic Survey and Analysis, op. cit.
