CIE case studies
CIE · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Certified Industrial Engineer (CIE) credential is a professional designation for engineers and analysts who design, measure, and improve production and service systems. It is most relevant to industrial engineers, manufacturing and operations engineers, process improvement specialists, and operations analysts who want independent evidence that their skills span the full industrial engineering toolkit rather than a single specialty. The exam is multiple choice and samples broadly across the discipline: work design and methods engineering, work measurement and time standards, operations research and quantitative methods, production planning and inventory control, facilities planning and material handling, quality engineering and statistical process control, engineering economy and cost analysis, human factors and ergonomics, and lean systems and process improvement. Because the exam rewards breadth, preparation should be structured rather than casual. The CIE case studies are 5 cases and about 2,342 words.
1Cell Redesign Under Mixed Demand and Fatigue Constraints
A fabricator runs a U-shaped cell assembling three harness variants. Current standard time is 4.2 min/unit at 95% performance rating, with a 12% allowance.
475 words, about 2 min2Sampling Plan Versus Process Reality in a Stamping Line
A stamping line produces 8,000 parts/shift. The quality plan uses a p-chart with n=100 sampled hourly, and a 100% final inspection.
465 words, about 2 min3Lot Sizing When the Textbook EOQ Ignores a Setup Constraint
A plant makes a bracket with annual demand 24,000 units, stable at 100/day over 240 working days. Setup cost is estimated at 180, holding cost 4/unit/year, and unit cost $12.
438 words, about 2 min4Justifying an Automation Project With Uncertain Savings
A manual assembly station uses 3 operators at 38/h fully loaded, 2,000 h/year each. A 420,000 robot cell would replace 2 operators, leaving 1 for load/unload and monitoring.
476 words, about 2 min5Kanban Sizing When Demand Variability Exceeds the Formula
A lean conversion sets up a two-bin kanban for a purchased component. Daily demand averages 400 units with a standard deviation of 120.
488 words, about 2 min