#stayefficient

I hope you readers are keeping well and enjoying the blog’s progress. In today's post, we’ll give you a brief introduction to the concept of Industrial Efficiency, and how Henry Gantt was exposed to it.

Industrial efficiency is defined as, the ability of a manufacturer to produce a good while spending as little money as they can, while still making a profit. It basically means everyone and everything working as well as they can, but most importantly for as little expense too. It involves all aspects of the company, purchases, production, expenses, time and sales. He aided businesses and groups to become more efficient through the use of his brilliant Gantt Charts, focussing on maximising time use, as well as the Task and Bonus System. Industrial Efficiency once was, and remains still, a key fragment of Gantt’s overall outlook on management science, and is focused upon in many major companies today.

Gantt graduated from John Hopkins University in 1880, notably just after the start of the industrial revolution in America. His choice of specialisation, in my opinion, gives us an insight into his fascination with efficiency, and his obsession with maximising a company’s output. He decided upon working as a mechanical engineer, and pursued work in a steel company. This setting, combined with his college degree gave him a unique first-hand perspective into the world of industry. It is interesting also to note that while he worked at Midvale Steel, he operated under none other than the renowned Frederick Taylor. Taylor is perhaps the most famous of all Management Scientists. Gantt’s tenure with Taylor, in my opinion, undoubtedly stimulated a reaction in Gantt to explore and to find his own theories in Management Science.

In next week’s post, we’re diving into Gantt’s view on Industrial Efficiency, and how he thought it best implemented. Stay tuned people.

By Brian Gaffney

28/10/2022

References:

https://archive.org/details/industrialleader00gantuoft/page/n15/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater

https://www.bl.uk/people/henry-laurence-gantt

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/industrial-revolution.asp