THE ROLE OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING IN ADVANCING SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING AND QUALITY COMPLIANCE IN GLOBAL ENGINEERING SYSTEMS

Abstract

This study addresses the persistent gap in empirical evidence on how industrial engineering practices jointly drive sustainable manufacturing performance and quality compliance in global engineering systems. The purpose is to quantify these relationships using a quantitative cross sectional, case-based design grounded in enterprise cases from globally integrated manufacturing organizations. Primary data were collected through a structured Likert five-point questionnaire, yielding 248 usable responses from professionals in industrial engineering, production, quality and sustainability functions. Key variables include industrial engineering practices, sustainable manufacturing performance and quality compliance, measured as reliable multi-item indices. The analysis plan combined descriptive statistics, reliability and correlation analysis, multiple regression with mediation testing, and a Random Forest regression model for enhanced prediction. Industrial engineering practices showed a high mean of 3.92, while sustainability and quality compliance scored 3.68 and 3.87 respectively, with strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha ranging from 0.89 to 0.91). Industrial engineering practices were strongly correlated with sustainability (r = 0.64, p < .001) and compliance (r = 0.58, p < .001), and significantly predicted sustainable performance (β = 0.61, adjusted R² = 0.43) and quality compliance (β = 0.57, adjusted R² = 0.33). When sustainability was included, the model for compliance improved (adjusted R² = 0.49) and its mediating role was confirmed, while a Random Forest model further increased predictive power (R² = 0.62). Overall, the findings show that mature industrial engineering capabilities are a critical pathway to both higher sustainable manufacturing performance and stronger quality compliance in global enterprise manufacturing systems.