Improving Production with Lean Thinking

Preface

The paradigm of manufacturing is undergoing a major evolution throughout the world. The use of computers and the Internet has changed the way that we engineer and manufacture products. According to recent trends in manufacturing, products are subjected to a shorter product life, frequent design changes, small lot sizes, and small in-process inventory restrictions.

Computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) have become the standard for designing and manufacturing sophisticated products. Today we use CAD systems routinely to design products, and we produce them on flexible or programmable manufacturing systems (CAM). Managing manufacturing systems effectively has become as critical as using the proper engineering technology to process engineered components. Reducing waste for all aspects of engineering and production has become critical for businesses' survivability.

Improving Production with Lean Thinking is a departure from traditional production books. This book is intended for use in a course that traditionally has been titled, “Production Control,” “Operations Management,” “Manufacturing Systems,” or “Production Management,” and it is intended to provide a comprehensive view of issues related to this area, with a specific focus on lean engineering principles. This book is full of practical production examples of how lean thinking can be applied effectively to production systems.

Ever since Henry Ford pioneered manufacturing transfer flow systems ...