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Subfield · Engineering

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering research

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering is a subfield of Engineering. Science Explorer counts 454k research works in it since 1950. 16.9% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

In short: discipline of engineering dealing with various manufacturing sciences and practices including the research, design and development of systems, processes, machines, tools, and equipment.

Research works
454k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
77k
per year above
Top-10% rate
16.9%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Topics
17
Growth, 2013–17 → 2018–22
+45%
the tick is no change

What is Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering research about, and what is growing?

By the world's output in 2019–23, its most used keywords are Supply Chain Management, Sustainability, Assembly Planning, Design for Manufacture, Digital Twin, Internet of Things. Gaining share since 2009–13: Cyber-Physical Systems, Smart Manufacturing, Digital Twin, Internet of Things, Supply Chain Management. Losing share: Eco-Industrial Parks, Industrial Symbiosis, Manufacturing, Scheduling.

▲ gaining share of this field◆ holding its share▼ losing share

Size is the world's fractional works in 2019–23 in the topics tagged with each word; colour compares the word's share of this field with 2009–13. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Supply Chain Management21k▲ 2.8×2 topics
  2. Sustainability21k▲ 2.4×3 topics
  3. Assembly Planning17k▼ 0.63×1 topic
  4. Design for Manufacture17k▼ 0.63×1 topic
  5. Digital Twin16k▲ 12×2 topics
  6. Internet of Things16k▲ 12×2 topics
  7. Cyber-Physical Systems15k▲ 13×1 topic
  8. Smart Manufacturing15k▲ 13×1 topic
  9. Deep Learning14k▲ 1.30×2 topics
  10. Fabric Defect Detection13k▲ 1.23×1 topic
  11. Machine Vision13k▲ 1.23×1 topic
  12. Industry 4.011k▲ 1.80×2 topics
  13. Order Picking11k▼ 0.76×1 topic
  14. Warehouse Design11k▼ 0.76×1 topic
  15. CNC Systems10k▲ 1.69×1 topic
  16. Machine Tools10k▲ 1.69×1 topic
  17. Genetic Algorithm9,696▼ 0.57×2 topics
  18. Logistics9,321▲ 1.21×2 topics
  19. Heuristic Algorithms8,991▼ 0.81×2 topics
  20. Manufacturing6,803▼ 0.56×1 topic
  21. Scheduling6,803▼ 0.56×1 topic
  22. Flexible Automation6,746◆ 0.96×1 topic
  23. Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems6,746◆ 0.96×1 topic
  24. Container Terminals6,417◆ 1.01×1 topic
  25. Operations Research6,417◆ 1.01×1 topic
  26. Tabu Search6,099◆ 0.94×1 topic
  27. Vehicle Routing Problem6,099◆ 0.94×1 topic
  28. Energy Efficiency5,779▲ 1.34×2 topics
  29. Railway Timetabling3,513◆ 1.01×1 topic
  30. Train Scheduling3,513◆ 1.01×1 topic
  31. Assembly Line Balancing2,907▼ 0.77×1 topic
  32. Optimization Methods2,907▼ 0.77×1 topic
  33. Management2,904▲ 2.2×1 topic
  34. Transport2,904▲ 2.2×1 topic
  35. Cutting2,893▼ 0.62×1 topic
  36. Packing2,893▼ 0.62×1 topic
  37. Eco-Industrial Parks2,788▼ 0.47×1 topic
  38. Industrial Symbiosis2,788▼ 0.47×1 topic
  39. Industrial Engineering2,266▲ 2.7×1 topic
  40. Technology Development2,266▲ 2.7×1 topic

Which countries lead Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering research?

On research quality in 2022–2025, China, the United States and India rank highest in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. By volume, China and the United States publish the most (29k and 8.3k works in 2022–2025).

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China · #2 all time 17.1% top 10% · 29k works
  2. 2 United States · #1 all time 13.4% top 10% · 8.3k works
  3. 3 India · #6 all time 14.4% top 10% · 7k works
  4. 4 United Kingdom · #4 all time 22.2% top 10% · 2.6k works
  5. 5 Italy · #5 all time 24.7% top 10% · 2.9k works
  6. 6 Germany · #3 all time 11.6% top 10% · 7.6k works
  7. 7 Australia · #12 all time 26.6% top 10% · 913 works
  8. 8 Spain · #10 all time 20.8% top 10% · 1.7k works
  9. 9 France · #8 all time 14.2% top 10% · 2.8k works
  10. 10 Canada · #7 all time 19.5% top 10% · 1.4k works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 62 countries ranked in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. Composite of field-normalised excellence (50%), output (30%) and citations (20%); the bracket is the all-time rank.

All countries ranked in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 China 29k works
  2. 2 United States 8.3k works
  3. 3 Germany 7.6k works
  4. 4 India 7k works
  5. 5 Russia 5.5k works
  6. 6 Indonesia 3.8k works
  7. 7 Italy 2.9k works
  8. 8 France 2.8k works
  9. 9 United Kingdom 2.6k works
  10. 10 Türkiye 2.4k works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 40.4%United States: 11.5%Germany: 10.6%India: 9.8%6 others listed: 27.7%40%largest
China29k · 40.4%United States8,263 · 11.5%Germany7,621 · 10.6%India7,033 · 9.8%6 others listed20k · 27.7%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering research?

Huazhong University of Science and Technology (China) ranks first in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering on research quality in 2022–2025, followed by Hong Kong Polytechnic University and University of Patras.

By research quality, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Huazhong University of Science and Technology China · Wuhan · #1 all time 34.8% top 10% · 474 works
  2. 2 Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong · Hong Kong · #3 all time 37.5% top 10% · 283 works
  3. 3 University of Patras Greece · Pátrai · #6 all time 39.3% top 10% · 142 works
  4. 4 Tsinghua University China · Beijing · #4 all time 28.4% top 10% · 343 works
  5. 5 Beihang University China · Beijing · #10 all time 25.5% top 10% · 354 works
  6. 6 Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics China · Nanjing · #40 all time 28.3% top 10% · 271 works
  7. 7 Shanghai Jiao Tong University China · Shanghai · #21 all time 20.9% top 10% · 423 works
  8. 8 Politecnico di Milano Italy · Milan · #9 all time 28.3% top 10% · 296 works
  9. 9 Wuhan University of Technology China · Wuhan · #46 all time 20.2% top 10% · 489 works
  10. 10 Zhejiang University China · Hangzhou · #45 all time 21.9% top 10% · 278 works

The track on each row is that row’s top-10% rate. The ranking itself is the composite score, which the rate is only one part of.

Of 290 institutions above the floor of 40 fractional works in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering.

Top 100 Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering institutions

By volume, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing Jiaotong University China 525 works
  2. 2 Wuhan University of Technology China 489 works
  3. 3 Huazhong University of Science and Technology China 474 works
  4. 4 Southwest Jiaotong University China 471 works
  5. 5 Shanghai Jiao Tong University China 423 works
  6. 6 RWTH Aachen University Germany 414 works
  7. 7 Tongji University China 355 works
  8. 8 Beihang University China 355 works
  9. 9 Tsinghua University China 343 works
  10. 10 Shanghai Maritime University China 337 works

Who are the leading researchers in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering?

Among the most productive authors in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Marco Dorigo, Wil M. P. van der Aalst and Fei Tao rank highest on the composite score.

  1. 1 Marco Dorigo Belgium · #246 worldwide 4.5k citations · 145 works
  2. 2 Wil M. P. van der Aalst Netherlands · #736 worldwide 5.5k citations · 408 works
  3. 3 Fei Tao China · #831 worldwide 2.7k citations · 123 works
  4. 4 Graham K. Rand United Kingdom · #1,780 worldwide 1.5k citations · 86 works
  5. 5 Dimitris Bertsimas United States · #1,832 worldwide 2.5k citations · 129 works
  6. 6 Joseph Sarkis United States · #2,619 worldwide 2.5k citations · 148 works
  7. 7 Stamatis Karnouskos Germany · #3,046 worldwide 907 citations · 78 works
  8. 8 Kannan Govindan Denmark · #3,518 worldwide 2.7k citations · 121 works
  9. 9 Bharat B. Biswal United States · #3,588 worldwide 1.6k citations · 79 works
  10. 10 A.Y.C. Nee Singapore · #3,925 worldwide 1.8k citations · 137 works

Re-ranked on the composite score from the 4,734 highest-output authors in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. Identities come from OpenAlex author disambiguation, which occasionally merges or splits people.

Top 100 Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering researchers

Where is Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering research done?

The largest centres of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering research in 2022–2025 are Beijing (China), Shanghai (China), Wuhan (China) and Moscow (Russia). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Wismar.

Largest cities, 2022–2025

  1. 1 Beijing China 4.9k works
  2. 2 Shanghai China 2.6k works
  3. 3 Wuhan China 1.8k works
  4. 4 Moscow Russia 1.7k works
  5. 5 Xi'an China 1.4k works
  6. 6 Nanjing China 1.3k works
  7. 7 Guangzhou China 1.1k works
  8. 8 Chengdu China 1k works
  9. 9 Hangzhou China 883 works
  10. 10 Tokyo Japan 860 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. WismarDE · 28.9 works19×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering than the world average.

See Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering on the map

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering research by country

The best places for Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering research inside each country, with that country's researchers and world standing.

Where is the best place to study Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering?

Among universities, judged by research, University of Žilina, Hong Kong Polytechnic University and University of Patras score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%20%40%mean 26.78%fractional works in this node (log) →share in the world top 10% →University of Žilina: 155, 11.2%Hong Kong Polytechnic University: 283, 37.5%University of Patras: 142, 39.3%Macau University of Science and Technology: 104, 34.1%Shanghai Maritime University: 338, 20.4%Politecnico di Milano: 296, 28.3%Beijing Jiaotong University: 525, 15.4%Petersburg State Transport University: 163, 3.5%Free University of Bozen-Bolzano: 52, 36.4%Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology: 51, 41.7%University of PatrasHong Kong Polytechni…Macau University of …University of Žilina
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the table below. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1University of Žilina Slovakia 60.411.2%12.8×155 +207.6%
2Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong 58.237.5%3.1×283 -27.3%
3University of Patras Greece 58.239.3%5.5×142 +39.5%
4Macau University of Science and Technology Macau 57.734.1%4.5×104 +78.7%
5Shanghai Maritime University China 56.920.4%12.8×338 -46.9%
6Politecnico di Milano Italy 54.928.3%4.0×296 +69.5%
7Beijing Jiaotong University China 54.815.4%8.0×525 -4.6%
8Petersburg State Transport University Russia 52.93.5%23.1×163 +1114.5%
9Free University of Bozen-Bolzano Italy 52.736.4%4.9×52 +125.4%
10Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology Finland 52.741.7%4.8×51 +58.0%

Universities only. Score blends excellence (30%), specialisation (25%), size (20%), growth (15%) and international reach (10%), 2015–2022; growth compares 2010–14 with 2015–19.

Is Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering research growing?

Output in 2018–2022 was 45% higher than in 2013–2017, peaking in 2025. The fastest-growing topics are Digital Transformation in Industry, Robotic Process Automation Applications and Applied Advanced Technologies.

19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

  1. Digital Transformation in Industry+1214%
  2. Robotic Process Automation Applications+662%
  3. Applied Advanced Technologies+352%
  4. Transport and Logistics Innovations+349%
  5. Diverse Industrial Engineering Technologies+320%
  6. Engineering Technology and Methodologies+216%
  7. Sustainable Industrial Ecology-13%
← shrinkingno changegrowing →

Growth in output from 2005–09 to 2015–19. Every topic is a page of its own.

What does Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering include?

Manufacturing Process an…91kManufacturing Process and Optimization: 91k fractional worksAdvanced Manufacturing and Logistics Optimization: 49k fractional worksIndustrial Vision System…48kIndustrial Vision Systems and Defect Detection: 48k fractional worksScheduling and Optimizat…42kScheduling and Optimization Algorithms: 42k fractional worksDigital Transformation in Industry: 35k fractional worksFlexible and Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems: 34k fractional worksEngineering Technology a…32kEngineering Technology and Methodologies: 32k fractional worksVehicle Routing Optimization Methods: 24k fractional worksMaritime Ports and Logistics: 22k fractional worksOptimization and Packing Problems: 16k fractional worksSustainable Industrial Ecology: 15k fractional worksRailway Systems and Energy Efficiency: 14k fractional works

Area is fractional works in that topic. Every name below is a page of its own.