Competitive Manufacturing

Innovations in Competitive Manufacturing is an examination of manufacturing innovations - both technical and knowledge-based. Over the recent past, technology has created dramatic changes in manufacturing. As a result, the book focuses on the use of technology in gaining competitive advantage in global manufacturing. Forty topics are surveyed in the book, organized into thirteen chapters. Each topic is a carefully written account by one or more leading researchers in that area. This is the first systematic examination of the recent innovations in manufacturing strategy and technology. In addition to providing an understanding of these manufacturing innovations, the book underscores the strategic importance of creating and sustaining the technological resources to ensure a stable manufacturing economic base. The book's purpose is to examine the elements that make today's manufacturers successful. Many examples from industry throughout the book will enable the reader to appreciate and comprehend the concepts presented in the article. In addition to the technical and innovative information, implementation issues concerning new ideas and manufacturing practices are explored within the topical discussions. Four in-depth descriptions of real-life cases provide illustration of key principles. The book has been constructed as a reference tool for manufacturing researchers, students, and practitioners. Hence, after reading the introduction `Innovation in Competitive Manufacturing: From JIT to E-Business', any section or topic in the book can be consulted and/or read in any sequence the reader may choose.

The proceedings includes the set of revised papers from the 23rd International Conference on Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing (FAIM 2013). This conference aims to provide an international forum for the exchange of leading edge scientific knowledge and industrial experience regarding the development and integration of the various aspects of Flexible Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing Systems covering the complete life-cycle of a company’s Products and Processes. Contents will include topics such as: Product, Process and Factory Integrated Design, Manufacturing Technology and Intelligent Systems, Manufacturing Operations Management and Optimization and Manufacturing Networks and MicroFactories.

In this book, Hal Mather explains the operations side of industry in simple terms and shows how it really should be managed. The main objective is to show the reader how to increase Return On Investment (ROI). Operations directly influence inventory levels, customer service and business costs. Improvements in operations can reduce inventories at the same time as profits are increased. This double attack on the ROI equation cannot be achieved by any other activity.

"Originally published in 1992 by the Center for Urban Policy Research., New Brunswick, NJ."

Recommends a manufacturing strategy that develops production facilities, uses appropriate management systems, and establishes firm relationships with suppliers.

In the decade since the publication of Rajan Suri’s landmark book, Quick Response Manufacturing, the innovative principles of QRM have been proven with impressive results at many companies, big and small, in a variety of industries. While the key principles of QRM remain unchanged, after a decade of teaching QRM workshops to senior executives, Suri has developed a clear, concise, and accessible method of presenting QRM strategy using four core concepts: 1. The Power of Time – the huge impact time has on your entire enterprise 2. Organization Structure – how to structure your organization to reduce lead times 3. System Dynamics – understanding how interactions between jobs and resources impact time to make better decisions on capacity, lot sizes, and similar issues 4. Enterprise-Wide Application – QRM is not just a shop floor strategy, it extends across your whole enterprise including material planning and control, supply management, office operations, and new product introduction Presenting new case studies on QRM implementation, It's About Time: The Competitive Advantage of Quick Response Manufacturing illustrates how QRM can not only reduce lead times but also improve quality, reduce operating costs, and enable companies to gain substantial market share. This practical reference explains how factories in advanced nations can use QRM strategy to compete with manufacturers in low-wage countries. In addition, it provides helpful pointers for QRM implementation, including accounting strategies, novel cost-justification approaches, and a stepwise process for implementation. Also included are downloadable resources with five appendices that provide a number of practical details to assist in the success of your QRM implementation. When you are ready to start implementing QRM, you will find that these appendices contain time-saving tips to help you work through implementation issues¿including simple calculation methods and tools to support the design of your QRM strategy. You can also access these Appendices on the Downloads and updates tab on https://www.crcpress.com/9781439805961. The author, Rajan Suri, recently became one of only 10 people to be inducted into Industry Week's 2010 Manufacturing Hall of Fame.

Some of the experts claim that America manufacturing has lost its competitive edge. They believe the U.S. cannot compete with other countries that have less expensive labor rates. They claim the industry is reaching a point of obsolescence and fading into the horizon, just like the horse and buggy did. They also believe that eventually the number of manufacturing workers will shrink to less than 2% of the total workforce, similar to the transformation that occurred when the agricultural industry dissipated during the years of the Industrial Revolution. And still others state that manufacturing will never regain the glory days it enjoyed for 35 years following the Second World War. It is no wonder that the manufacturing industry has such a pessimistic view of itself. The irony of it all is that the sector has actually been quite successful over the past twenty years. A point of great importance as to why the nations manufacturing sector has been successful it that it is continually learning how to compete against low wage overseas competition by discovering how to be more productive, achieving greater efficiencies of scale, and implementing various management techniques. While the early 1980's did introduced foreign competition at a rapid pace as many manufactures witnessed their market share erode almost overnight, that decade did initiate a wake-up call for many manufacturers, both large and small. The message became abundantly clear, either change and meet the competition head-on with new production methods and management techniques, and conduct your organization under a different business model, or become obsolete. That said it should also be recognized that the manufacturing sector would always experience cyclical periods of economic expansion and volatile contraction. In the expansion mode, manufacturing can create unprecedented wealth and prosperity. In the contraction mode, it can create a feeling of doom. It is understandable that the feeling of disbelief can set in whenever economic downturns occur causing widespread job layoffs and losses. But the American manufacturing sector continues to demonstrate strong resilience and has many reasons to be proud. In retrospect, it has always made a continuous and steady climb back to prominence after every economic recession since 1945. And whenever manufacturing industries flex their powerful muscle during economic expansion periods, the benefits and rippling effect are felt throughout several other sectors of the economy. One of the premier reasons for improving manufacturing efficiency is the creation economic wealth. Manufacturing still contributes a substantial part of the gross domestic product of modern industrialized nations. Yet even with that stated, it is often considered as a highly productive activity that can always be improved upon. This book offers techniques for implementing method improvements and other planning strategies that will provide the opportunities to allow manufacturing efficiency to be a creator of economic wealth. These strategies are ever more paramount today than in years past, and they will continue to be more significant in the future.