Essential Manufacturing

Preface

Essential Manufacturing is the title of this book for two reasons. First, the book's main purpose is to provide the reader with the essential technological, managerial and economic ingredients of manufacturing industry. The second reason is that I believe manufacturing is essential in that it is of crucial importance to the wellbeing of a large nation and its population. Our society benefits from manufacturing industry as it creates wealth. It does this by adding value to raw materials through work. This wealth is used to provide services such as health and education and to generally improve the quality of life. The products created by manufacturing industry form the fabric of our civilisation, whether they are used in transport, entertainment, telecommunications, medicine, education or even within the manufacturing industry itself. Unless a country has unique assets such as an abundance of natural resources that are in high demand, then without an efficient manufacturing capability most large developed countries will become relatively poor and experience economic and social decline. It is also significant that the manufacture of a complex product such as a car or aircraft is now a global activity. Thus many countries, by utilising their human resources and depending on their own particular skills, wage rates and quality of work, will all benefit from the production of manufactured products.

A nation therefore needs individuals with the ability to understand how manufacturing ...