Invited papers topics include: new wave manufacturing strategies, linking strategy, organization and technology, implementing manufacturing strategy, design-manufacturing interface, flexible manufacturing systems, TQM, CIM, manufacturing resource planning, JIT, cellular manufacturing and teams, worker responses to new wave manufacturing, and future prospects.
Despite dating from 1994, much of this book is still relevant to wider business which lags leading manufacturing companies (e.g. global aerospace, UK motorsports, US pharmaceuticals, Japan brewing, India IT etc..). Strengths include the concisely written, well illustrated, and referenced style. Improvements could have included summaries and more interactivity (e.g. questions for managers). Overall, this is a great multi-audience text for industrialists, as well as engineering/social sciences students.
Considerable research evidence as well as practitioners? own experiences make one crucial point time and time again. The organizational as well as the human resource management aspects of these new strategies are critical to their success or failure. The underlying theme which is tackled in this book, therefore, is to what extent do these new operational strategies require a matching set of organizational and HR strategies?
By looking at the issues through the joint eyes of production and behavioural analysts, this book provides an unique introduction to the new developments in manufacturing as well as providing an up-to-date assessment of the organizational and H R dimensions to these methods.
New Wave Manufacturing Strategies has a vision which goes beyond the "new technology"/advanced manufacturing technology discussions.
The chapters have been written in a clear, accessible manner by leading experts from Europe, the USA and Australia as well as from the UK.