Learning to Change: Opportunities to Improve the Performance of Smaller Manufacturers - Softcover

National Research Council; Division On Engineering And Physical Sciences; Board On Manufacturing And Engineering Design; Commission On Engineering And Technical Systems; Committee To Assess The Barriers And Opportunities To Improve Manufacturing At Small And Medium-Sized Companies

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0309049822 ISBN 13: 9780309049825

Publisher: National Academies Press, 1993

Synopsis

Manufacturing firms—large and small—face massive change and adjustment as they move from a stable, fault-tolerant environment of long production runs to a volatile world in which production runs are short; product characteristics are changing constantly; and defect-free, on-time production at decreasing prices is a condition for survival. The necessary changes in the production organization include everything from the layout of the shop floor to the distribution of authority between managers and workers. The magnitude of these changes threatens to overwhelm the managerial capacities of firms, regardless of their size.

This study examines the particularly vulnerable situation of small and mid-size manufacturers and considers ways in which to help them undertake the many changes and adjustments necessary. These include assimilating the new tools, disciplines, and philosophy of lean manufacturing; embracing new ways of delegating responsibilities; and developing new kinds of partnerships among customers, suppliers, and employees.

About this title

From the Back Cover

This report examines the importance of manufacturing to the American economy, considers the regional diversity of small and medium-sized manufacturing companies, and describes their crucial influence on the global competitiveness of American products.

Edition details

• Publisher: National Academies Press
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0309049822
• ISBN 13: 9780309049825
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 152