Energy, Labor and Capital Considerations in Productivity Enhancements: An Editorial

Abstract

Abstract The costs of energy, environmental protection and human welfare are forcing many companies to seek appropriate alternative technologies as a means of productivity enhancement. As a result, Industrial Engineers may well be forced to re-think their productivity concept as it relates to labor efficiency and energy efficiency. In this paper energy, capital and labor relationships are discussed. The enhancement of productivity is addressed in an era when energy is neither cheap nor reliable. A model of the production system is presented which considers labor, capital and the energy concerns. A number of productivity related questions are asked. The paper is editorial in nature. The desire is to call into question our present concept of productivity enhancement through mechanization. Further, the desire is to alert the industrial engineering community to the need for conservation of natural resources through increased employment of labor.