Profiles in OR/MS: Mike Grant
|
Manager of Industrial
M.S. Industrial Engineering, |
M.S. Operations Research,
Executive MBA (2000),
Contact Information: |
Question & Answers
Q. How did you arrive at your current job as manager of Southwest Research Institute’s Industrial Engineering section?
A. I joined the Institute in 1991 after leaving a 10 year career in the Air Force. I was promoted to manager in 1993 after demonstrating the ability to promote, develop, and sustain a significant level of business in industrial engineering, logistics, and operations research.
Q. What is the Southwest Research Institute?
A. Southwest Research Institute is a large, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering organization. We have a staff of more than 2,600 scientists, engineers, and support staff providing contract R&D services throughout the world. We were founded in 1947 and last year generated more than $300 million in revenue.
Q. How large is the Industrial Engineering section of the Institute and what are the main services that it provides?
A. Our section is at 18 people and growing. Our primary services include:
- process improvement
- production planning and inventory control
- master planning and facility layout
- process planning and reengineering
- process modeling and analysis
- manufacturing distribution planning
- operations research and systems engineering
- lean manufacturing
- modeling and simulation
Q. Is most of your work centered around the San Antonio area?
A. The programs I’ve been involved in are not centered around San Antonio. Although SwRI has project work throughout the world, my activities can best be described as national.
Q. What are your main job responsibilities?
A. My main responsibility is to lead the industrial engineering section. I am responsible for recruiting, training, developing, and retaining highly qualified professionals to serve on our staff. I am also responsible for promoting, developing, and managing programs in industrial engineering, logistics, manufacturing, and operations research.
Q. What are some of the OR/IE problems that you have worked on while employed at the Southwest Research Institute?
A. While at the Institute, I have participated in a number of OR/IE projects. I developed an animated simulation model to evaluate safe evacuations from aircraft. I served as a logistics consultant for the Air Force during the process of acquiring new test equipment for the F-15 aircraft. This task also involved developing a simulation model to determine throughout capacity for the test equipment. I consulted with the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses on scheduling issues related to the long term storage of high level nuclear waste and on the development of a toolbox of models related to nuclear activity.
Q. What tools and OR/IE techniques did you use to solve these problems?
A. I have used many OR/IE tools and techniques. Much of my focus has been on using modeling and simulation techniques to include the statistical aspects of model development, validation, and implementation. The specific tools I’ve used most often include SIMSCRIPT, SLAM, SAS, and Microsoft products (EXCEL, Word, Access, Powerpoint, Project).
Q. Prior to your employment at the Southwest Research Institute, what are some of the past OR/IE projects that you found especially memorable and rewarding? What were the main tools and OR/IE techniques used on these projects?
A. Prior to my employment at Southwest Research Institute, I worked on a number of projects for the Air Force. I especially remember the work I did at the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was responsible for testing, analyzing and evaluating weapon systems before they became operational to see if they met their requirements. I used a number of OR/IE tools in the process. We would use modeling and simulation to develop models of the logistics support systems for the weapon systems. We also used a lot of statistics is evaluating the reliability, maintainability, and availability of the systems.
Q. What are the most valuable technical skills that you believe are needed to be successful in the OR/IE industry?
A. To be successful in the IE/OR industry, I have found that you need to have a broad range of technical skills. The key is to knowing when and where to apply what skills. Mastering only a few skills often leads to applying the wrong skills to the wrong problem.
More specifically, I think OR/IE practitioners need technical skills in a number of areas to include: programming, optimization, statistics, scheduling, modeling, decision making, and several other areas.
Without question, good people skills are an absolute requirement. So often, I’ve seen the best technical solutions fail because they weren’t communicated properly to the customer. IE/OR practitioners must be able to work well with people and must be able to communicate technical solutions in an easy to understand manner.
Q. In what ways do you continue to expand your knowledge of new technologies and techniques in OR/IE?
A. I continue to learn by doing and by not being afraid to make mistakes. In addition to my informal education of reading and talking to other professionals in the business, I also attend formal seminars and workshops. I am also pursuing formal education through the University of Texas as San Antonio.
Q. What do you find most rewarding about your career in OR/IE?
A. Real world impact! The most rewarding part of my career has been seeing my customers benefit from the work I’ve provided. Some of the benefits include reduced costs, increased efficiencies, increased profits, etc…
Q. What advice do you have for those just starting out in a career in OR/IE?
A. Have a passion for your career. People who have passion go the extra mile to be successful and enjoy what they’re doing. Develop a strong base technically and remember that to be successful you will need to develop good people skills.
Q. What do you predict for the future of OR/IE and for OR/IE practitioners?
A. I only have three predictions for the future of OR/IE practitioners:
- The demand for our skills will continue to increase dramatically.
- There will continue to be a disconnect between academia and the field of practitioners.
- The field of OR practitioners will more and more overlap with software developers.