Value Management: Creating Competitive Advantage

This is an accessible book about the concept of Value Engineering, which is a problem solving method that cuts across disciplines. The concept was pioneered by General Electric and the U.S. Navy and is widely used in, many technology industries. The focus here is on the new use of Fast (Function Analysis System Technique) in TQM, and other processes, which can now be directed at marketing. It is the new application of techniques from engineering to develop a better match between a product and the market.

Jerry Kaufman, founder of J. J. Kaufman Associates, Inc., a value management services company, has over 40 years of design engineering, value management and corporate management experience in the industrial, electronic, processes, services and aerospace markets. Formerly on the corporate staff of Cooper Industries as director of Value Management, his experience includes 25 years of progressively responsible management positions involving products, processes, and business management. Jerry is a past president and past certified value specialist (CVS), board chairman of the Society of American Value Engineers (SAVE International), and is internationally known and honored in his field. He has been cited in "Engineers of Distinction" by the Engineers Joint Council in 1973, received the Meritorious Service award, and is a Fellow and Life Member of SAVE. In 1980, he was awarded the Presidential Citation by the Society for Japanese Value Engineering for his contributions in establishing Value Engineering in Japan. The American Association of Cost Engineers (AACE) recognized Jerry as their Speaker of the Year for the period 1989 1990. In 1994, SAVE presented the Lawrence D. Miles award, its highest achievement award, to Jerry for his many contributions to the field of Value Engineering. Jerry joins a select group of four recipients to receive this rarely presented award since its inception 20 years ago. In addition to numerous papers presented internationally, Jerry is a coauthor of two books and has written a third book tided, Value Engineering for the Practitioner, published by North Carolina State University (NCSU). Jerry taught Value Management in series of industrial extension courses for NCSU and McGill University's Management Institute in Montreal, Canada. Jerry has also conducted Value Management seminars in Canada, Europe, England Japan and Korea. As president of J. J. Kaufman Associates he has provided consultant services and conducted Value Management workshops related to product development, manufacturing, process improvement, total quality management, and organization effectiveness (business systems re engineering).