Deployment of Industrial Engineering in Japan after World War Ⅱ

Abstract

This paper discusses the deployment of American-style management systems in Japan after World War Ⅱ. One of the major American management methods implemented in many countries after the war was industrial engineering (IE), an advanced form of scientific management originating in the United States. Such American methods played an important role in production management and rationalization as well as the Ford system. The primary issue was the implementation of the work factor (WF) method and Methods Time Measurement (MTM) for the deployment of IE. Thus, this paper examines the deployment of IEin Japan in relation to the problems of work measurement and method engineering, the role of industrial engineers, and the influence of institutions on the implementation and promotion of IE, such as the Japan Iron and Steel Federation. Through these discussions, this paper clarifies the Japanese characteristics regarding the deployment of IE and their significance.