Richard Muther is a consultant who developed many basic techniques used in plant layout, material handling, and other aspects of industrial engineering.[1]
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Born 1913 in Newton, Massachusetts, he earned his B.S. and M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He later received an honorary doctorate ScD(hc) from Lund University in Sweden and is a registered Professional Engineer.
He was the original developer of relationship chart (REL-CHART) and its companion space-relationship diagram. This tool is the basis for many other techniques which are used to optimize the proximity of related functions and minimize unnecessary transportation in industrial facilities. He also created the Mag Count method of measuring the difficulty of handling (transporting) any solid material prior to knowing how it will be moved. He developed the industry-standard color code used to classify industrial space and the related type-of-work symbols. Corresponding black-and-white hatch patterns based on the heraldic tincture code are also part of his methodology. He is considered the "Father of Systematic Planning". He is currently writing revolutionary book on planning virtuall anything with Shekar Natarajan