The future of industrial statistics

Abstract

The field of industrial statistics traces its origins from the early part of the previous century. The last 20 years have seen significant advances in both applications of the tools of industrial statistics and in the development of new methodology. The use of statistics in industry, including applications in new product design and development, optimization, and control of manufacturing processes, and in service industries continues to expand at a rapid rate. Consequently, the field of industrial statistics has emerged as an important branch of modern statistical science. These growing applications of statistics in industry have created opportunities and needs for methodological research, and many new challenges have arisen. This paper identifies some areas in which statisticians may contribute to the methodology of industrial statistics and discusses some of the educational and implementation challenges that we confront today.