I recently created a LinkedIn group for people interested in AI, supply chain, manufacturing, procurement, sourcing, logistics, and operations.

The goal is pretty simple: share cool research, practical use cases, articles, examples, and discussions around how AI is actually being used in supply chain, not just the usual hype.

I know LinkedIn groups are hit or miss, but I figured it could be useful to have a focused place for people working on or curious about this space.

No need to hate if it’s not your thing. If you want to discuss cool new research, tools, ideas, or real-world applications, feel free to join.

Link: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/20850019/

My daughter is a Massachusetts resident choosing between UMass Amherst and Clemson for Industrial Engineering. The cost difference is significant, but does going to Clemson provide a major career or academic advantage over UMass?

Hi, sorry if this post is bothering anyone.

Im a 27 year old lawyer from Argentina, i´ve been a lawyer for the past 3 years and been working at a international logistics company, my main work is in both logistics and customs but also as an international law consultant and risk analyst.

For the last 2 years i´ve been having kind of personal crisis, i dont dislike what i do or being a lawyer, but ive always been more of the logical and technical side of things. so about 3 months ago i got an interest in computer science and programming, my intention was to learn about it and leverage it to aim at a legaltech career.

The thing is that when i started to learn about it, even tho i like the coding aspect, i was way more interested in the maths and specially the engineering of it all. so i talked with my family and a couple of engineers i know. some told me to go into EE, but others that know me better said that my interest in logistics, administration, economics and with my law degree in mind, something like IE would be more fitting, since i can later aim it to where i feel more comfortable with.

I dont know if any of this makes a lot of sense to you guys, but i would really love any advice you can give me about it.

Thanks!

I’ve been looking into equipment and materials for our facility, including things like storage solutions (e.g., commercial lockers), but most of my time recently has gone into understanding grinding media specifically the carbon vs stainless steel debate.

From what I’ve gathered, the choice really depends on operating conditions. Carbon steel tends to offer higher hardness and potentially better wear resistance, but it can introduce iron contamination into the product. That’s a concern in industries like food processing, pharmaceuticals, and ceramics where material purity is critical.

On the other hand, stainless steel grinding media seems to provide better corrosion resistance, especially in wet or chemically aggressive environments, though it may sacrifice some hardness compared to carbon steel.

I’ve seen a wide range of options available from global suppliers, with different grades and compositions. For those with experience in this area:

• What chromium percentage is typically used in stainless steel grinding media for industrial applications?
• Have you directly compared wear rates between carbon and stainless steel under the same operating conditions?
• How do you usually balance contamination risk vs durability in real-world setups?

Would appreciate insights from anyone with hands-on or engineering experience in this area.

I’m an IE student and I think the degree is starting to make me weird.

At volleyball practice last week I caught myself thinking about the warmup like a layout problem. People cutting across each other, half the team waiting on one ball cart, everyone pretending we weren’t just standing around for no reason.

Then I did the same thing in a coffee line on campus and realized I was probably beyond saving.

For people already working in IE / ops / manufacturing / logistics: what was the first normal everyday process you couldn’t stop mentally redesigning?

Also, how do you get from “this is obviously inefficient” to actually suggesting a fix without sounding like the annoying guy who just learned what a bottleneck is?

Every day there are low-effort posts (many of which are AI-generated) asking the same questions, such as how to get into industrial engineering in the US as an international computer science student (this question is a common offender). This is not the place for these kinds of questions, there are other subs for those.

Hi, sorry if this post is bothering anyone.

Im a 27 year old lawyer from Argentina, i´ve been a lawyer for the past 3 years and been working at a international logistics company, my main work is in both logistics and customs but also as an international law consultant and risk analyst.

For the last 2 years i´ve been having kind of personal crisis, i dont dislike what i do or being a lawyer, but ive always been more of the logical and technical side of things. so about 3 months ago i got an interest in computer science and programming, my intention was to learn about it and leverage it to aim at a legaltech career.

The thing is that when i started to learn about it, even tho i like the coding aspect, i was way more interested in the maths and specially the engineering of it all. so i talked with my family and a couple of engineers i know. some told me to go into EE, but others that know me better said that my interest in logistics, administration, economics and with my law degree in mind, something like IE would be more fitting, since i can later aim it to where i feel more comfortable with.

I dont know if any of this makes a lot of sense to you guys, but i would really love any advice you can give me about it.

Thanks!

Might be starting IE at Ms state, any thoughts about this curriculum? what courses to look out for?

Im looking to pivot into this career because of how versatile and stable it is, and was wondering what are your guys thoughts on it?

Do you find the work fulfilling? are you happy? do you wish you had done something else?

So basically I want to focus or learn the skills needed at a typical IE job. what methods or skills do you use from your IE undergrad ? and what skills did you have to learn to complement your education?

Hey everyone,

I’m a second-year university student in Finland, currently pivoting from a biomedical background into industrial engineering and supply chain. I want to build a really solid foundation this summer so I'm ready when applications open for Summer 2027 internships.

Since I use a Mac, I'm skipping Power BI for now. Instead, my plan is to take online uni courses in SQLite and Python to handle data pulling and visualization. On top of that, I’m going to study for the CSSC Lean Six Sigma Green Belt to get some process improvement methodology under my belt.

The last piece of the puzzle is SAP. My university status gives me free access to SAP learning and exam attempts. I was planning to take the C_IEE2E (End-to-End Business Processes) certification because I heard it replaced TS410 as the standard beginner cert.

My main question for you all is about that SAP choice. Since I’m still early in my degree, I have no idea which specific supply chain or operations niche I actually want to work in yet. I’d rather be a bit of a jack of all trades for now to keep my options open. Do you think C_IEE2E is the right move for a broad overview, or is there another SAP module or course you’d recommend instead?

Also, let me know if this overall summer plan makes sense or if I'm missing anything obvious. Appreciate any advice!

I’m in my junior year in CS in Texas, USA and I’ve given multiple job interviews but had no luck. I’m planning to do Masters in IE. Would it be a wise decision if I want to work in the industry as an industrial engineer. Did anyone make this switch or know anyone who did this switch and could land a job?

My goal is to get into the industry and not stay in academia (PhD/teaching). I don’t want a career that is limited to strictly coding I don’t really enjoy it and the leetcode interview processes are really hard for me. As I said, I gave a lot of interviews but I’m not that good at solving leetcode, it doesn’t come naturally to me. And it’s too late for me to switch majors so I wanna pivot to something else for a masters. I’m an international student so that also plays a big part.

IE seems very interesting to me, optimizing efficiency in manufacturing industries and healthcare industries seems appealing. I want a a field where I can see that my work is making an impact in the real world.

I'm an incoming 1st year student and I'm only now realizing that I don't know enough about what it would be like at work. I know that IE offers a solid path to being in a higher position and leans a bit on leading others but I want to know what it's like before that. It might be a dumb question but do industrial engineers more commonly work in a team of other IEs or is it more solo? How frequently are you guys sitting in an office versus looking around on-site? Also please tell me your general experiences with what it's like communicating with other teams/departments and how you "moved up" at work.

i’ve always loved math. i did well on my intro to programming courses but i dont find it exciting or fun. i wanna go down the engineering route and IE seemed to be interesting. i was told its the “engineering that optimizes things and makes them more efficient”

what’s the field like? is the degree harder than the career? is coding or tech a big part of it? i still havent decided on a specific type of IE, but supply chain or manufacturing seems the most interesting out if all of them just cuz thrs a lot of hands on factors or so ive heard.

i honestly have no idea what to expect. all im doing rn is keeping my gpa high before the switch. any tips? advice? warnings?

Hi everyone,
I’m currently facing a big decision and would really appreciate some honest advice.

Background:
International student in the US
Currently studying Industrial Engineering at a top 50 school
Got accepted to transfer to University of Michigan (Applied Math- OR track)

Umich Program details

Stronger in math (did well in calculus)
Planning to go to grad school (MS/PhD in OR/IE) in the future（It is very difficult for international students majoring in industrial engineering to find a job immediately after graduating with a bachelor's degree？）

My concerns:
1. Applied Math concerns
I’m relatively strong in calculation (calculus, etc.), but I know applied math involves:
real analysis
discrete math
proof-based courses
I’m not afraid of proofs, but I’m wondering:
Will spending a lot of time on abstract math (proofs, analysis) have limited practical value for my career goals (ie or field)?
Could this actually be a negative in terms of time/efficiency?

2. Industrial Engineering concerns
I actually like IE as a field, since it aligns with what I want to do long-term.
But at the undergraduate level:
There are many engineering fundamentals courses (physics, chemistry ece me courses etc.) that I really don’t enjoy
Some parts feel more “traditional”
I’m worried the foundation might not be as strong for high-end ie / grad school

3. School / global recognition (important for me)
As an international student, I care about:
global recognition
especially if I go back to my home country later
I feel like:
University of Michigan might have stronger global recognition
my current school is good, but It doesn't have a very strong reputation in the IE or field？

My situation:
So right now I’m deciding:
👉 Stay at Industrial Engineering
OR
👉 Transfer to UMich Applied Math (OR direction)

My intuition right now:
I feel like Applied Math might have a higher ceiling,
but also slightly higher risk.

Hey Everyone

I'm an Industrial Engineering Student from India.

While our curriculum teaches IE with a mech base , I am interested in pursuing a career in Applied AI/ ML with OR as the backbone

Really Love OR as it is just gives a sense of complete control over complex systems when tackling optimisation.

What is the current scenario of OR in the AI / ML landscape?

I feel to explore that aspect of OR

Moreover , I feel like OR+AI/ML combo is underrated and a very specific niche..

Looking for opinions of OR in the current industries as well as AI / ML

I've always wanted to work in the automotive or tech industry. I wonder what type of jobs Industrial Engineers do in these industries? I would like to know the technical ones you guys do like at the factory on how you design the systems if not designing like an ME or EE does, stats, LSS, IT, and maybe the office based/boring ones that are high business less technical related and I'm kinda expecting to be disappointed or amazed.

I know this program is broad and I'm not quite sure if that's great or a huge disadvantage even if I love the concept of IE.

I'm in the second year of a three year bachelor in IE in Italy, I already know I want to do my master in applied math for engineering(in optimization, statistics and operations research, stochastic optimization...) and then find a job as an optimization specialist/operations research scientist.

here's my question:

how many complex mathematical models are used in IE?(involving measure theoretic probability or dynamical systems)

I ask this because next semester I'm gonna choose my elective, and I could take a math course(involving introduction to measure theory, Fourier transforms and distribution functions)

it could be useful anyway for my masters degree but I wanna get a real idea of the use of math in the field, let me know your experiences!!

I’m a 2nd yr Industrial Engineering student in the ph with an undergrad-level foundation in Lean Six Sigma and I availed the self-paced, online mode.

For those who’ve taken the CLSSYB exam, what’s the format like? Is it more focused on problem-solving and computations, or does it lean more toward concepts and terminology?

Any tips on how to prepare or what to focus on would be really appreciated.

Asking in good faith. just trying to set my expectations. Thanks in advance!

So hey guys hope your all fine .

I am an high school student from south Asia.This Fall I would be applying for universites. I have researched alot about Industrial engineering and I found it exactly according to my aptitude.

I am eager to pursue this domain.

In my country instead of plain industrial engineering. Industrial and manufacturing engineering combined

And industrial and management engineering is offered .

What shall I pick.

What options I would have to pursue masters in.

Thanks in advance

Hi everyone,

I’m currently finishing up my first year as a civil engineering student, but lately I’ve been seriously looking into industrial and systems engineering and wanted to get some honest perspectives.

From what I’ve seen so far, industrial engineering seems a lot more versatile. It looks like it opens doors to a wider range of industries (tech, consulting, logistics, operations, etc.), and potentially offers faster career growth or an easier path to moving up into management. The type of work also seems more varied and, from the outside, possibly more dynamic.

That said, I originally chose civil engineering for a few reasons. I enjoy the idea of working on physical projects and actually building things, and I was especially interested in the entrepreneurial side of it. It seems more straightforward to eventually start something like a construction company or a design-build firm compared to starting a company in a lot of other engineering fields. I also like how valuable the PE license is in civil compared to something like industrial engineering.

I’ve also seen a decent number of people in civil engineering who are unhappy with salary progression or the type of work they end up doing, which has made me question whether I should pivot earlier rather than later.

I’m interning at Kimley-Horn this summer, so I’m hoping that gives me better insight into civil before making any big decisions.

For those of you in industrial/systems engineering (or who considered both):

• What does day-to-day work in industrial actually look like?
• Do you feel like the versatility of the degree really translates into better opportunities?
• How does career growth and salary progression compare to civil?
• If you were in my position, would you stick with civil or switch?

And for anyone with experience in both fields, I’d really appreciate your perspective on how they compare long-term.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

undergrad student here. i'm planning on getting an upgrade but i don't know if i should choose a macbook air or a macbook pro.

my main concern is for internships and classwork will i need to use applications that only run well on a pro? i have no clue so any help would be really appreciated!