Fundamentals of Production Logistics : Theory, Tools and Applications

be copied. Selectively improving performance is thus generally not enough to sustainably fortify a company’s position. It generally provides only short-term improved results and instead of leading to a substantial change in competitive relations it at best gains time [Wild-98]. Sustainable advantages are only attainable when a strategic master plan is - veloped based on an analysis of corporate strengths and weaknesses and customer demands. Furthermore, it has to be built on coordinated measures and a comp- hensive examination in order to not only be able to design and implement it, but to also be able to control it with regards to the desired success. In addition to high quality standards and the price of products, the logistic f- tors delivery time and delivery reliability take on progressively more importance as possibilities with which a company can distinguish itself within the market (Fig. 1. 1) ([Voig-90], [Kear-92], [Baum-93], [Gott-95]). Production, as the p- mary function for fulfilling orders, is thus increasingly called upon to improve effectiveness [Zahn-94]. The goal therefore, is to organize the entire material flow in the supply chain, from procuring raw materials and preliminary products, through the entire production process including all of the interim storage stages, up to supplying distributors or as the case may be, external customers in such a way that the firm can react to the market in the shortest time span.

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Peter Nyhuis, born in 1957, studied mechanical engineering at the Leibniz University of Hannover, Germany. He completed his PhD at the university’s Institute of Production Systems and Logistics (IFA) in 1991 and his habilitation there in the field of production logistics in 1999. In the same year, he began working as a project manager and partner at Siemens SPLS Supply Chain Consulting in Munich. Since 2003, he has been appointed both as a professor for Production Systems, Logistics and Work Sciences as well as the director of the Institute of Production Systems and Logistics at the Leibniz University of Hannover. Since 2008 he is a managing partner of the Institute for Integrated Production Hannover (IPH). Professor Nyhuis is the author of numerous book contributions and articles on manufacturing and production planning and control, Logistic Operating Curves, shortening setup times and procurement logistics.

Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dr. h.c. mult. Hans-Peter Wiendahl, born in 1938, studied mechanical engineering at the RWTH Aachen University, Germany. After studies at MIT and Cambridge, he completed his PhD in 1970 and his habilitation in 1972 at RWTH Aachen. Later he transferred over to the industry, heading first the Department for Planning and Quality at Sulzer Escher Wyss in Ravensburg and since 1975, their department of paper machinery design and technology. In 1979 he was appointed as a professor at the Leibniz University of Hannover and became the director of the university’s Institute of Production Systems and Logistics (IFA). He led the institute until 2003. From 1988 to 1992 Professor Wiendahl was also the vice-president of the Leibniz University of Hannover. From 1988 to 2007 he was a managing partner of the Institute for Integrated Production Hannover (IPH). Professor Wiendahl is the author and editor of numerous articles and books including "Load-Oriented Manufacturing Control" (published in English alsoby Springer).

Rett Rossi translated the book into English.