FRANK GILBRETH

“Pioneers of Industrial Engineering”

Student: ORLANDO H. DIZON JR.
INEN 3373: Introduction to Industrial Engineering
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Frank Gilbreth – Motion and Time Study

BRIEF BIOGRAPHY of FRANK GILBRETH

Building Contractor, Inventor & Pioneer Industrial Engineer

Frank Gilbreth was American engineer, born on 1868 in

Maine, USA and was the only son and the third child of
John Hiram Gilbreth and Martha Bunker Gilbreth.

Letting go of an opportunity to study at MIT, he took the

job of a bricklayer’s apprentice due his desire to help his
mother because of financial hardships. They had lost their
patriarch due to pneumonia when Frank was still three
years old.

During the course of Frank’s apprenticeship, his talent and

intelligence was evident as he has been keenly observing
motions of workers laid bricks. He was noticing each brick worker’s different methods and
motions of doing their tasks as simple as installing bricks. From then onwards, he was
determined to sought out how to improve the methodology and using it as “the one best
way” to effectively and efficiently doing tasks. Thus, Motion study was born.

In seeking to improve overall construction productivity – with less motion to do a task,

Frank was able to invent innovative & useful ancillaries for construction work: Non-
stopping scaffold for handling packs of bricks, portable gravity concrete mixer, conveyors
and many more.

Frank was a follower of "Taylorism" (a scientific management movement pioneered by

Frederick Taylor and the originator of Time study). Frank would later disengage with
Taylor due to their growing gap in their opinion on their studies of time and motion.
Eventually, Frank would found his own niche' in the world of engineering.

INEN 3373 – Introduction to Industrial Engineering

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Frank Gilbreth – Motion and Time Study

Together with his brilliant wife, Lillian Moller -- a PhD in

Psychology -- using a motion picture observing worker’s
movements, they would later identify kinds of motions which they
termed "Therbligs”. It is a motion study of 18 independent
movements. A study which purpose is to find ways to reduce
motions of doing tasks, thus improving productivity and therefore,
benefitting both workers and management (increase in wages due
to increase in profit).

Frank's contribution to the Industrial Engineering

discipline is somewhat lacking without the great
involvement of his wife in working with the theory and
further study of Motion and Time. Together they formed
great partnership in the field of Industrial Engineering
management. Frank and Lillian had 12 children and aside
from gathering accolades from their study, they were also
made popular by their book semi-autobiographical,
"Cheaper by the Dozen".

MAJOR CONTRIBUTION of FRANK GILBRETH

Motion and Time study: Is the analysis of the

methods, of the materials and of the tools and
equipment used, or to be used, in the
performance of a piece of work – an analysis
carried on with purpose of (1) Finding the most
economical way of doing this work; (2)
Standardizing the methods, materials, tools and
equipment; (3) Accurately determining the
time required by a qualified person working at
a normal pace to do the task; and (4) Assisting in training the worker in the new method.

INEN 3373 – Introduction to Industrial Engineering

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Frank Gilbreth – Motion and Time Study

SUMMARY

Motion and Time study -- under the realm of scientific management -- which aims on
finding and eliminating wastage, and perhaps inadequacy, in which would propel at
improving productivity as well as efficiency and further development; by keenly observing,
data gathering on workers' on-site activities, and/or habits of doing tasks, therefore
acquiring or developing necessary tools, equipment or even a methodology, thereby in the
process halting unwanted elemental factors that detriments & consumes precious time --
benefiting both workers & management -- thus, avoiding wastage of effort and realizing
positive outcome overall.

Finally, motion and time study methodology have the potential of enhancing on worker's
overall wellbeing at their workplace by not being overworked unnecessarily but also for
the productivity growth for the business as a whole.

TABLE OF REFERENCES

Source Title Author Year Remarks

Frank & Lillian Gilberth: Mike Clayton 2017 https://www.pocketbook.co.uk/blog/201
Time and Motion 7/06/13/frank-lillian-gilbreth-time-and-
motion/
Construction History, MJ Steel and DW 1993 https://www.jstor.org/journal/consthisto
Vol. 9 Cheetam ry?decade=1990

Time and Motion study in Richard H. Logsdon - 1954 https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/48148

Libraries
Motion and Time study,
3rd Ed.
Frank Bunker Gilbreth
Dir. of Libraries, 69.pdf
Columbia Univ.
Ralph M. Barnes, ME., 1949 https://www.archive.org
PhD.
Tom Ricci - https://www.asme.org/engineering-
topics/articles/construction-and-
building/frank-bunker-gilbreth

INEN 3373 – Introduction to Industrial Engineering